I love spending time hiking under giant trees. This past field trip we visited Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve, in Guerneville, to do just that. The morning started out foggy, but it cleared up as the time past. It was the kids first time visiting a redwood forest. They were excited to learned about these towering trees, the history of this land and the surrounding ecosystem. The kids had a great time hiking on the Pioneer Nature Trail and Discovery Trail. These trails were great for an easy stroll around the Reserve.
As much time we spent looking up at these trees, we also spent a lot of time looking at the forest floor. We stopped at every mushroom we came across; the kids were simply fascinated by them.
The kids had fun guessing the age of the oldest tree in the Reserve, Colonel Armstrong, and when they found out it is over 1400 years-old they were all surprised. The important part of this trip was that the kids spend the day with these majestic giants. In their words “we learned to care about and respect nature”. I hope they continue thinking this way.
Hopefully in the future we can re-visit the Reserve and try hiking other trails. Till then, we hope to show these kids all the natural wonders near home.