Nature Notes From Crater Lake - Volume 21, 1955
Crater Lake Institute online library - www.craterlakeinstitute.com
As one walks through Munson Valley, with keen ears listening to the sounds of the wilderness, he may hear creaks and groans as if some giant were struggling under a great burden. This particular sound came within my hearing one day while I was out enjoying nature's vast storehouse of treasures. By following the sound, a Shasta red fir was discovered as the cause of the muffled complaint. At about forty feet above the ground the trunk forked, forming a crotch, and the two trunks ran up another thirty or forty feet. Lying in the crotch was an old dead tree with its broken-off base resting on the ground. As the light winds worked their way through the valley, they swayed the trees gently, causing the dead tree to rub over the bark of the fir and send out the remorseful sound. Indeed, a forest giant was complaining of its unwelcome load.