Sequoia National Park

Yesterday, I drove to Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Park(s). What a change from Yosemite.

Yosemite Valley is set up for tourists. Its popularity is probably its downfall, but with the changes to limit the impact of people, it may do better. There are still too many places where the environment is less important than giving people a pleasant experience. However, everything is in a limited area. Yosemite Valley is the valley. One way in and out. Glacier Point on one side is a very long cul-de-sac. Tioga and Tuolumne Meadows are the other way out of the park, to the east, separate from the valley.

SKC is a trip around the mountains on the west side of the Sierras. No way across the mountains to the east. No one localized tourist area, it is spread over the whole road. At several places, there were pictures of how the tourist areas have changed over the years. Very few areas are as extensively touristy as in Yosemite, but no large areas of development are evident in SKC.

One of the first places I stopped was at the General Sherman Tree. It is called the largest tree by volume in the world. There is a trail from the parking lot to the Tree and along the way are markers indicating how far up the tree you would be located if you could walk up the tree.

The trail was paved and all down on the way to the bottom. There were stairs situated all over the trail to make it less steep, but it was still hard on my knees.

It was a gorgeous walk (can't call it a hike, because it was so beautifully maintained). The atmosphere was clear, clean and smelled wonderful. Until some fool came along with his cigarette. Who walks in the forest smoking? How disgusting.

Made it to the bottom and was overwhelmed by the hugeness all around me. Some people feel small when they look at the stars. Some people feel small when they see long-lived, huge trees. Some people feel they are too powerful, rich, whatever to feel small compared to anything else. Sad.

My next stop was at the Giant Forest Museum. Reading all the exhibits and standing inside the hollowed out (replica) tree was fascinating. There was a short trail over to the Round Meadow/Grove area, so off I went. It was another easy walk, but a bit longer. Also, no steps, it was mostly level. This is an area that has been reclaimed since the meadow had been ringed by cabins, and the museum had been a market with a gas station nearby. The gas station was gone, as were the cabins. According to the exhibits, the property had been purchased from local owners and turned over the NPS in 1916.

It was a quiet, interesting walk. There were a lot of signs showing information about the area - fires scarring trees, fallen trees, wet meadow land, etc. It was an informative, easy walk. I apparently was walking in a different direction than everyone else, but it was not crowded.

I saw this tree next to a boulder and wondered if the tree was trying to eat up the boulder. Just a funny on the way back to the museum.

Left the park after this little hike because it was getting very warm. The road shown on the park map was very twisty and the sign indicated a steep road with lots of squiggles. It was fortunate that I was driving because I would have been a very car sick passenger. The squiggly sign at the top doesn't begin to do it justice. In several places, I felt a small frisson of terror because the road dropped off with very little shoulder and the road was not that wide.

This is a view from one of those drop offs. No trees to catch a slip off the road and a long way down. I had never been to SKC before, so it was an interesting experience. I think it is one that needs to be shared at the time with someone else. That is one of the problems with traveling alone!