With our maps in hand, we began the drive up the very windy, steep road up to the Giant Forest. Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks are right next to each other and have major elevation changes within their boundaries. The elevation at the visitor center was around 1,000 feet but the highest mountain peaks are over 14,000 feet. The Giant Forest is at 6500 feet where giant sequoias grow the best. It was in the 80s at the bottom but it was only going to be in the 70s where we were headed.
Within a few miles, we began to see Moro Rock...
...and snow-capped mountains in the distance.
When we stopped at a vista on the way up, we could not only see Moro Rock
we could even see people who had climbed the 200+ steps up to the top of Moro Rock.
The road to the Giant Forest has numerous hairpin turns and 8% grades. After we passed 5000 ft in elevation, we began to see some of the sequoias.
We parked at the General Sherman Tree parking lot and put on our hiking gear (which we later determined we didn't need because the entire trail was asphalt) and began the descent down to General Sherman. We reached this point where there was a replication with stone pavers of the footprint of the General Sherman giant sequoia.
The Giant Forest sequoia grove contains over 2,000 sequoias. We were "ooing" and "aahing" and saying "oh my" and "oh my goodness" throughout the entire walk.
Then, we reached the big daddy of them all: General Sherman.
General Sherman is the largest tree in the world!!!! It is not the tallest, nor the widest, nor the oldest. But at 52,000 cubic feet in volume, it is the largest tree in the world!
After admiring General Sherman for a few minutes, we walked through the Giant Forest on the Congress Trail.
As you have heard me say many times before, pictures cannot begin to show how big these trees are. Even as you are walking among them, it is hard to comprehend. Pictures of the sequoias with people next to them or near them give you a better idea of how big they are.
This forest would be a great place to play hide-and-go-seek. Where am I?
Do you see Chuck and Bonnie in the picture below?
Let me zoom it in for you.
Notice how small the people in the yellow circle are right below this fallen tree.
As ironic as it may seem, fires that are not excessively hot are what promote the growth of giant sequoias. The cavity of this sequoia was not only big...
but deep.
And yet, it was still very much alive as you look up at is huge canopy.
It was hard to believe some of the sequoias were still alive. This one had burned all the way to the top on one side.
But the side that was alive was still thriving.
This one sequoia was burned completely and was no longer alive...
but it was still standing tall among the other sequoias.
Which came first the chicken or the egg? Or in this case, the rock or the sequoia?? :)
The bark of a sequoia is very thick -- as much as 12 inches in places -- which makes them resistant to fires.
But it is also very soft and almost furry feeling. You don't get splinters in your hand when you feel its bark.
A few of the sequoias along the Congress Trail have been named.
Besides hearing a few woodpeckers, our only wildlife encounter of the day was this little marmot who didn't seem the least bit afraid of us.
After we finished the Congress Trail loop, we walked down to this cross-section of a sequoia that had lived about 2,210 years.
How would you like the job of counting the rings on this tree?
We walked back up the trail to the parking lot slowly. All of us could tell we were at a higher elevation. Even though it was a nice paved trail with steps in places, it was still fairly steep and with the higher elevation, we huffed and puffed our way to the top.
After we got back to the car, we drove to a picnic area to enjoy our lunch...
on a picnic table with this bear warning.
All the tables had these bear warnings and two park rangers told us there had been a bear in the area over the weekend. They told us the people who saw the bear ran off and left their food instead of scaring them away which then makes the bears come back to the picnic area. I would have to say that if a bear came up to me while I was eating my lunch I would probably do the same thing!
After lunch, we went to the Giant Forest museum and gift shop. Outside the museum, was a long narrow strip of concrete that showed you how tall the Sentinel tree would be...
...it were laying on its side.
As we left the Giant Forest, we passed through the Four Guardsmen...
...and began our curvy...
but scenic descent back down the mountain....
...pausing occasionally to admire the orange flowers...
...Castle Rocks...
...and the moon coming up over Moro Rock.
What a wonderful day for all of us walking among the gentle giants of Sequoia National Park. :)
Then, we reached the big daddy of them all: General Sherman.
General Sherman is the largest tree in the world!!!! It is not the tallest, nor the widest, nor the oldest. But at 52,000 cubic feet in volume, it is the largest tree in the world!
After admiring General Sherman for a few minutes, we walked through the Giant Forest on the Congress Trail.
As you have heard me say many times before, pictures cannot begin to show how big these trees are. Even as you are walking among them, it is hard to comprehend. Pictures of the sequoias with people next to them or near them give you a better idea of how big they are.
This forest would be a great place to play hide-and-go-seek. Where am I?
Do you see Chuck and Bonnie in the picture below?
Let me zoom it in for you.
Notice how small the people in the yellow circle are right below this fallen tree.
As ironic as it may seem, fires that are not excessively hot are what promote the growth of giant sequoias. The cavity of this sequoia was not only big...
but deep.
And yet, it was still very much alive as you look up at is huge canopy.
It was hard to believe some of the sequoias were still alive. This one had burned all the way to the top on one side.
But the side that was alive was still thriving.
This one sequoia was burned completely and was no longer alive...
but it was still standing tall among the other sequoias.
Which came first the chicken or the egg? Or in this case, the rock or the sequoia?? :)
The bark of a sequoia is very thick -- as much as 12 inches in places -- which makes them resistant to fires.
But it is also very soft and almost furry feeling. You don't get splinters in your hand when you feel its bark.
A few of the sequoias along the Congress Trail have been named.
 |
| The President |
 |
| Chief Sequoyah |
 |
| The Senate |
 |
| The House |
After we finished the Congress Trail loop, we walked down to this cross-section of a sequoia that had lived about 2,210 years.
How would you like the job of counting the rings on this tree?
 |
| This is only about a 3 foot section of the center of the tree. |
 |
| The rings look live waves on a lake. |
After we got back to the car, we drove to a picnic area to enjoy our lunch...
on a picnic table with this bear warning.
All the tables had these bear warnings and two park rangers told us there had been a bear in the area over the weekend. They told us the people who saw the bear ran off and left their food instead of scaring them away which then makes the bears come back to the picnic area. I would have to say that if a bear came up to me while I was eating my lunch I would probably do the same thing!
After lunch, we went to the Giant Forest museum and gift shop. Outside the museum, was a long narrow strip of concrete that showed you how tall the Sentinel tree would be...
As we left the Giant Forest, we passed through the Four Guardsmen...
...and began our curvy...
but scenic descent back down the mountain....
...pausing occasionally to admire the orange flowers...
...Castle Rocks...
...and the moon coming up over Moro Rock.
What a wonderful day for all of us walking among the gentle giants of Sequoia National Park. :)
Thanks for sharing this special day with us
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