The Magnificent Angel Oak Tree, Charleston, South Carolina

I read about the Angel Oak tree last year, but it seemed a bit too far for a day trip, so we put it on our list of things to see in Charleston this year. The directions are "drive slowly and watch for the sign"...

Ta da!

"The Angel Oak is thought to be one of the oldest living things east of the Mississippi River. Acorns from the Angel Oak have grown to produce authentic direct-offspring trees. Live oaks generally grow out and not up, but the Angel Oak has had plenty of time to do both, standing 65 ft high and with a canopy providing 17,000 square feet of shade. Its limbs, the size of tree trunks themselves, are so large and heavy that some of them rest on the ground (some even drop underground for a few feet and then come back up), a feature common to only the very oldest live oaks. It has survived countless hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, and human interference, so there's a good chance it will still be there waiting for you."

A-ma-zing! We were not disappointed.

One of the massive heavy branches...

I tried to get it all in a panoramic shot, but it doesn't do it justice.

Its age has been estimated up to 1500 years. One of the branches that goes into the ground, and back out...

Walking around the tree showed a different scene from every angle. It was reportedly severely damaged by Hurricane Hugo in 1989.

One very long, slithering branch...

Branches that cross over each other...

This picture makes me think Jim was posing for a Sunday School photo...

Very complex...and what is that black stuff on the right?

Verrrry interesting....

Branches everywhere...

I could have just kept on taking photos, but I realized I was taking the same ones as if I hadn't seen that view before. Simply breathtaking. If you are in Charleston, don't miss it!