This week TSG visits another casualty of our winter storms, the Advocate Tree. Over saturated soil, a large "goosepen" (burned out hollow in the trunk) and a steep hillside perch loosened its roots and the giant crashed down the canyonside all the way to Aptos Creek. It was largest old growth redwood in the Forest of Nisene Marks State Park. Over 260 feet "tall' and estimated to be over 1000 years old, The Advocate has passed on to its new role in the ecology of the forest floor.
It wasn't exactly easy to get to the big horizontal dendroid though. Due to a series of misadventures* and less-than ideal trail conditions, it took a couple attempts to reach it.
*we originally took a path that landed us on the wrong side of the creek,
then got turned around and went the wrong direction for about a mile
then got turned around and went the wrong direction for about a mile
