This yellow cedar marks the usual turning point for our training runs up Cypress Mountain, 12 km (7.5 miles) up at a near constant 7% grade.


The sign reads:

You are standing beneath what is perhaps one of the largest Yellow Cedar trees in the world! Estimated as 40m (150 feet) and 9m (29 feet) around the trunk, this slow growing tree began its life as a tiny seed over 1000 years ago.

Its size is amazing as there are only 130 frost-free days a year (average) and snow pack reaches 3.5-4.0m (12-15 feet) at this elevation.

The wood is light, strong and easily worked and has long been a favorite with Coastal Natives for canoe paddles and ceremonial masks. It is also a first class wood for boat decking and railings, and for furniature making.

Also called: Alaska cedar, Nooka cypress, Yellow Cypress and Sitka Cypress (Chamaecyparis nootkatensis).