A Walk in the Woods

I've always been intrigued by those bristlecone pine trees that are thousands of years old. In fact, the oldest living tree, a bristlecone pine aptly named Methuselah, is believed to be over 5000 years old! It seems incredible to me that something could live that long. So when we found out that Highlands Hammock State Park in Sebring, Florida has live oak trees that are 1000 years old, we decided to check them out.

As we walked along a path in the woods, we listened for birds in the tree tops. A few palm warblers chipped nearby. A cardinal sang somewhere in the distance. And a flock of robins flew overhead when we came to a small clearing. Wild orange trees grew along the path, and sweet gum trees were scattered about, their prickly fruit littering the ground.

Back in the woods, we rounded a corner, and there stood a big old oak tree, looking much like an Ent from The Lord of the Rings. As we admired its gnarled trunk and branches, we could almost see a face staring at us. Then suddenly, we heard it speaking! A sort of pulsating sound seemed to be emanating from somewhere within. But as we looked up toward the top of the tree, we discovered the source of the voice we heard. A yellow-bellied sapsucker clung to a branch, tapping away at the bark.The roots of the tree reminded us of feet, with giant toes that dug into the earth. Half expecting the thing to start walking around, we noticed the supporting structure that had been built decades ago to help hold the ancient trunk upright. As I circled around the base of the tree, I noticed a small hole near the ground and speculated who might live inside.

I wondered what this mighty oak has seen during its long life. Perhaps it was just a seedling when Leif Erikson sailed to North America. Squirrels ate its acorns as it grew, and many generations of birds built nests in its branches. Panthers probably lay in the limbs next to orchids, ferns, and moss that dangled from the canopy. And ivory-billed woodpeckers, now extinct, tapped away at the trunk of the majestic oak, harvesting insects for dinner. Perhaps children from some native tribe played in its shade, or a young couple met under the tree for a romantic rendezvous in the moonlight. By the time Ponce de Leon landed on the east coast of Florida and gave the place its name, the big oak was half a century old. Wars were fought, a nation was born, and people built towns nearby. A thousand years have passed, and squirrels still scamper about. Bobcats prowl in the woods at night. Ferns and moss adorn the tree, while birds flit to and fro catching mosquitoes. And a couple of curious hikers stare at the tree and wonder.