Sorry, no snow this week after all. I bailed on snow-camping at Lassen Volcanic National Park because the weather was too, well, snowy.

I ended up goofing off most of the weekend, but did manage to get one hike in on Sunday, when nasty winds and rains were predicted across the Bay Area. The best place to hike in wind and rain is in the deep woods, where the trees block the worst of the water and breezes.

Which woods to walk in? I went with a known quantity: Big Basin Redwoods State Park, where the trees are enormous and the waterfalls stupendous. I heard gusty winds whistling in the trees the whole way but felt barely a breeze at ground level. I dressed for rain and felt a few sprinkles in the last half-mile. It was overcast all day, which is hardly a concern when the tree canopy blots out the sky.

A representative shot of the trails at Big Basin.

Fallen trees were everywhere.

This fallen redwood just ended right there in midair.

I hiked on the Sunset Trail to the Berry Creek Falls Trail. This is my third visit to this trail in the past year; it’s amazing every time. There are lots more trails in the park but I’ll have to get bored with this one before I try out the others. Could be awhile.

Looking down over the Golden Cascade.

It pours down the hill as if upon stairs.

It works on multiple levels.

Silver Falls, falling.

The showpiece, Berry Creek Falls.

Close-up of the spray at the bottom of the falls.

Just a wooden pathway across a creek.

Splintered bits of redwoods decorate the forest floor. This pile was peeled off a tall pine that look as if it had been hit by lightning.

Fungus!

Can’t go wrong at Big Basin — well, actually, you can go wrong very easily, so buy yourself a map and take a compass along.