Scent of a Forest

It was an out of season day. The sun shone bright in the cloudless sky bringing temperatures in the sixties, with a cool breeze stifled by the trees. As I walked in sunlit stretches of the PCT, I caught whiffs of the San Gabriels. The warmth of the sun began to heat the unique mixture of soil and mulch, creating a specific fragrance only found in this forest. The Jeffrey and Ponderosa pines emit a vanilla aroma when warmed that enhances the perfume of the forest.

The Sierra Nevada has a different bouquet, if only slightly. Even the western slope differs from the eastern side, as the soil is full of moisture and more variety of flora. Next to the sound of wind in the trees, the scent of a forest is my favorite sensory experience as I explore different mountain ranges. Nothing, though, compares to the distinctive aroma of a giant sequoia grove. It must be the tannin found in the spongy bark that dominates the fragrance. From the California coast to the Rockies, I am still amazed at the scent of a forest...

On a different note, I enjoyed about a 3 mile hike today. (See it on Runkeeper.) The walk was relatively easy, and since I could not capture the scent for you, I noted a Jeffrey Pine nursery just outside of Grassy Hollow.