My bucket list, like so many others, consist of numerous places I want to travel to and experience. The last 2 years I have been very blessed to cross many items off. One of the places in my top ten, is an odd choice to some and they would call it “just” a tree. It is not difficult to get to or even find. It just has not been in the cards for me to get there. So every time hurricane was about to hit The Carolinas, I would hold my breath and cross my fingers. I would pray that the tree would weather another storm or flood.
The Angel Oak Tree on John’s Island, South Carolina would stand firm and resilient against every thing nature has thrown at her and today I crossed it off my list. She and the 17 acres around her are owned in a land trust by the City of Charleston, even though it is on Johns Island about 10 miles outside the City.
She is 66.5 feet tall, 28 feet in circumference, her longest branch is 187 feet, and she provides shade over 17,200 square feet. Those are impressive numbers.
The Angel Oak amazes me not only the size but her age. Estimated at 400 to 500 years old, so between 1519 and 1619. That means it was possible for someone from every generation of my ancestry to stand under the shade of her branches since before the forming of Jamestown in 1607. I know there are buildings in New England that could boast the same.
The Angel Oak is a growing, living thing.. it gets taller, wider and provides a little more shade each year. It sprouts new branches, grows ferns and other greenery on its branches. Today, I stood in that shade of those branches and enjoyed the natural beauty of it. I thought of the symbolism of the tree of life as ever growing, changing and adapting. I thought of my favorite quote is “Be like a tree, Stay grounded, Keep growing and know when to let go.”
I know some will say.. sooo you had a big tree on your list of must sees before you die .. and will not be impressed when standing in front of it. My girls weren’t as impressed as I was. That is okay. They will have a list full of things that will not impress me. However, today I get to cross it off my bucket list with a huge smile and a warm memory that I got to see visit the Angel Oak Tree with the 3 most important people in my tree of life. Now it is on to the next adventure.
You can find more information about The Angel Oak Tree HERE !
We had a framed photo of that tree in our house before we became full-time RVers. It is so incredible. We recently visited Redwoods National Park in California and were blown away by those trees too.
We have the Redwoods and the Sequoia’s on our list also. I got a really great picture of the Angel Oak, that I am going to have put on canvas.
What a beautiful and special living creature! <3
I’ve never heard of this tree so it was fun to learn more about it. I think trees are majestic and inspiring which is why I love the redwoods so much. It’s amazing to think of who has stood before this tree over the generations, and what it has witnessed. Will definitely have to keep this sacred spot in mind the next time we are in South Carolina!