These are the first trees on the shore. They face the open water and take the brunt of wind and spray. Holding onto rocks and lichen, they occupy a special place in the forest. Their life on the fringe is much different despite being built of the same stuff as their stand. The things that make them strong in the forest do not work in this environment, yet they persist.
Someday they will fall into the water, be tossed around by the elements that tried so hard to take them down all these years, and become one of the many logs stripped of bark bobbing against the tides, finally moving far enough up the sand so they can rest. That’s when they become a place for nature lovers to rest and look at the ocean. And still, look. They remain trees different than the rest in their stand.
