Revisiting the Camperdown elm

C elm summer

Last spring I posted shots of an unusual Camperdown elm tree that is in Port Gamble, about an hour’s drive from Sequim. It caught my eye because it looked more like a visual puzzle of twisted gnarls than something resembling a tree. Take a look at it here. On our way back from the Kingston Ferry last week we stopped to take another look at it, above.

C elm

I was amazed at the lush growth, reaching fully to the ground around it. And in the middle was an opening that allows the curious to walk inside the canopy and have a look around.

C elm trunk

Leaves cover the twisted and bumpy trunk. Yet bits and pieces still peer out, almost like a forest gnome or something from a Grimm’s fairy tale.

5 thoughts on “Revisiting the Camperdown elm”

  1. This is really fascinating! So Fairy-like huh?? I love the story behind it. Question on trees for you: have you ever taken a ride along Jamestown Rd…there are all these gigantic trees (are they Garry Oaks?) that are dead….was there a story here? Possibly a flood many years ago that killed them? They look so huge and outstanding. There is also a story in the Tree Tunnel…on Towne Rd right where Fasola branches off. Spooky and amazing.

  2. Are you sure that kudzu has not traveled to the great Pacific Northwest?

    I understand completely your reluctance to visit the 9/11 museum while the memory is still fresh and raw. In fact, for several decades I refused to think about Vietnam because anything about Vietnam provoked the same raw feelings in me. Maybe I heal faster these days. Check in tomorrow and you will see an aspect of the museum that will drive home even better the comparison with the Vietnam memorial.

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