blue lotus adventures

If you only have time to hike one trail in Jed Smith, Boy Scout Tree should be the one. I really enjoyed this hike. I started early in the morning and had the entire trail to myself. The first half of the trail is beautiful. The best part was walking along the smooth trail among the giant redwoods in complete silence. It is truly amazing to hear the sound of nothing. I know that doesn’t make much sense but it is hard to explain. Know people talking, no wind blowing and most times there weren’t even any birds chirping.  After half way the path gets a little rugged with exposed roots but nothing to bad. The trail ends at Fern Falls. There actually is a Boy Scout Tree on a side path about a quarter mile before the end. It is not marked and can easily be walked by. You can take a closer look on the way back out.  The trail is 2.8 miles long one way so plan your time accordingly.

I have seen reports that the Boy Scout Tree is the largest Redwood Tree found to date. The report is that the diameter of this tree is 31 feet with a circumference of 87 feet and a height of 250 feet. That is a really big tree! The tree is about a quarter mile from the end of the Boy Scout Tree Trail. However, there is no sign directing you to the tree, only a well worn trail from the main trail. The trail is on the right when walking in but near the end of the trail. This side trail climbs up immediately from the trail and has a number of exposed roots at the beginning.  The tree gets its name because Boy Scouts who were helping with the construction of the tree discovered it. Not sure why the park service doesn’t place a sign on the trail so you don’t miss it.

I’m always fascinated with something I’ve never seen before. So I was thrilled when I came across the large creature. Yes, it is a slug, not very pretty but definitely large by slug standards. This one was over 6 inches long. A ranger told me that they can be up to 10 inches long. I came across this one while hiking out on the Boy Scout Tree Trail. It was near Fern Falls and wasn’t there when I originally passed by was in the middle of the trail on the way out. It is one of the faster slugs moving at a blistering 6 inches per minute! Happy I didn’t step on it.