Summary

In Part 3, the story reverts back in time from the final letter Robert wrote in the previous section. In 1853 in California, Robert is working on farms and ranches in the area near Sacramento. He has heard about some trees that are “even bigger than redwoods,” and decides he wants to see them for himself (87). Robert is not certain that the stories are true, especially since he knows the redwoods grow nearer the coast than the mountainous region of these stories. He hears the stories from multiple sources, and decides to go, following directions and the stories to Calaveras Grove. Robert arrives and discovers the stories are true.

He finds the developers have used drilling rigs normally used by miners to gouge holes into one of the huge trees until it fell. They are planning to use the stump as a...