• Friday-What'sUP September 6 - 08:12 pm

Tom Karjala sent in today's photos, taken by his wife, Molly Karjala on their recent visit to the Estivant Pines. The first two photos give you an idea of the size of the trees in the woods there, with I think Molly herself on the left and their daughter Anne on the right joining hands and "hugging" the tree.

Then the next shot is looking straight up the trunk of one, to give you a perspective of how tall they grow there, too. It is said that this forest contains the oldest living trees in Michigan, dated as 100 to 600 years old, soaring to heights of 100 feet and more, with 3 - 5 foot diameter trunks. With specimens such as these old pines, it truly is a "living museum", as the MichiganNature.org webpage states it is.

The photo of the brother and sister inside the tree trunk is taken in the forest, also and is a great photo op for those that hike the trails to view the massive trees. It's fun wiggling inside and when you look up, you can see the sky through the top, as it is truly hollow right through, but still standing there.

Molly snapped the last photo at Great Sand Bay, as daughter Anne and her husband Brian were taking a dip in Lake Superior. Nice way to cool off after a hike through the Estivant Pines

Very nice...hug a tree!

Very nice pictures!! Those trees are gigantic out there. Beautiful! Thanks for sharing!

What a bunch of tree-huggers!!! :-P

One of our must see destinations when we're UP there is a walk through Estivant Pines. Just a few hours of peace and tranquility from the rat race of the big city is a welcome and much needed reward.

For a minute there I thought Molly and her daughter were in the Sequoia National Forest.
Had no idea there were trees like that in Michigan.

Very nice photos! We have been there several times in our travels, it's a great trip to make. They are beautiful, thanks for taking us along.

I tried to find this location several years back and got lost. There was a lot of logging going on in the area and the signs were poorly marked. Hopefully, it has improved as I am planning on going back someday.

Looks like the Karjala Family had a wonderful family vacation! Love the "tree hugger" picture!

Beautiful pictures. Thank you!

Now that is a BIG tree! Very enjoyable photos today!

There are also some very nice, old, Sugar Maple trees located in the Estivant Pines woods!

Huge pines!