After completing our overnight backpacking trip into Olympic National Park, my friend, Nick and I are driving up the coast and hitting a few interesting stops along the way. Our next stop takes us to the Tree of Life, overlooking the beach near the Kalaloch Lodge. This amazing specimen is a Sitka Spruce, but what makes it so special is how it is situated. The tree is roughly forty feet tall and 'stands' on the high-ground at the edge of the beach, but over time, the soil has eroded out from beneath it creating something of a tree root cave. The tree now sags into the cave, while it's root system desperately struggles to keep it upright.
The walk to the tree is very short and once we hit the beach from the campground parking lot, we're basically there. As we approach, we see an attractive woman in a green satin dress perched on the root system and having some photos taken. I guess this would be a pretty cool place for some dating app pics. She sees us waiting to snap our own pictures and explains that she'll be coming down momentarily. We tell her not to rush and hurt herself, but we're obviously glad we'll be able to take our own pictures. A couple of minutes later and she has finished and departed. Nick and I take our own pictures of this natural wonder. I wonder how much longer it will sustain itself like this. With each passing day and each drop of rain, more and more of the soil erodes out from under it. It's only a matter of time before the tree of life is no more, which is perhaps analogous to the journey we are all on.
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