Power Multiplied

Happy Holidays

Happy holidays, my friends! If you can't see all of the root system of this Chilamate tree, scroll down for a good look. Alas, the photo doesn't do justice to the tree. An unsuspecting hiker comes along a jungle trail and suddenly the tree comes into view with those magnificent roots. I was about half as tall as the tall vertical root in the center front there. Our guide said that scientists have found other Chilimates in Latin America, but none with roots like this baby, which sits on a private reserve called Hacienda Baru. I hiked out there on Christmas Eve morning, fording some fearsome mud holes along the way. This tree seems symbolic, doesn't it, with it visible roots so solidly holding it to the earth. Some people's roots are just as visible, just as solid. Others' roots are buried deep where no one can see them. Yet others don't really have much of a root system at all. They remind me of the giant cedars of the Northwest, so tall, so magnificent, that can fall in a strong wind because their shallow root systems can't hold them up. I would like to think the Chilamate tree here has a solid enough root system to withstand a storm. What a loss if it should fall.