Rise of the Giants

“Trees are sanctuaries. They do not preach learning and precepts. They preach, undeterred by particulars, the ancient law of life.” (Herman Hesse).

Some of the tallest trees on the planet are in Tasmania’s Styx Valley. They can live for up to 500 years. Less than ten years ago, only those more than 85 metres tall were considered ‘giant trees’ and worthy of protection from logging. Scores of others, striving to reach their full height, were not so fortunate. Their grandeur was felled for industry. The fight to save the remaining giants lasted more than a decade until, in 2013, part of the Styx Valley was incorporated into the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. Thanks to that long and arduous fight, the giants continue to rise.

Here, I hover above them, bathing in the radiance of their energy as they continue their push skyward, ‘undeterred by particulars’.