Trees and Waterfalls

I was exercising my mind this morning with the questions on the back of a cereal box. Once I finally managed to get my eyes to focus, I learned that a mature redwood tree is twice as high as Niagara Falls.

I've been fortunate to have visited Niagara Falls a couple times. I have stood at the railing at the top of the falls and watched hundreds of thousands of gallons of water spill downward. From that height, the tour boats that ply the river below look little larger than plastic models.

So I was trying to imagine looking down from treetops that are twice as high as the falls. The idea of such height is overwhelming. People on the ground would be invisible. Perhaps the only motor vehicle large enough to be spotted would be a tractor trailer - and even it would look no bigger than a matchbox I suspect.

While I worked my way through breakfast, I fired up my laptop and googled Redwood trees. I discovered I am not alone in failing to be able to fully grasp the size and age of the the trees. A living organism with a potential life span of over two thousand years simply defies our suddenly limited vocabulary.

I found myself wondering - if Redwood trees were sentient, would the life on an individual human even register with them?

I know - deep stuff for breakfast contemplation.