I didn't lose any trees, but I lost a lot of branches and the top 18 ft. of a Sequoia sempervirons. It will grow back.

You might consider starting the redwood over from near the ground, as in the manner of coppicing.

Nobody was there and yet the falling tree still made a sound in the woods.

Doesn't it have to be heard to be a sound? ;-)

Yeah, I think I should start over. If I don't the tree will have multiple leaders higher up than I can get to to limit them to one, and then it will still be a weak spot. There's some sprouts coming from the trunk where it meets the ground. I'm going to select the tallest and remove the rest. It should grow pretty fast, judging by the root system.

The tree actually answered a question that I posed to an arborist. The question was 'if a tree is on a hill will it fall down hill?' His comment was that it depends on the direction of the wind. It fell down the hill although it looks like it tore the bark uphill.

What is your experience? So far the other big tree that fell several months ago - fell down hill.

I heard it fall - I sleep with the window open so I can hear the night sounds - rain, wind, owls, coyotes and trees falling.

May have twisted off, tearing uphill bark and falling downslope.

If a tree falls on our property, it lands on the pasture fence. Always. Except for the time two 75 ft Douglas Firs landed on the lodgepole overhead structure protecting the original mobile home back before we built our house.