Glad to have Las Vegas and the highways, at times six lanes of traffic all traveling bumper to bumper, behind us we took the turn off through Visalia to Sequoia NP. Entering the southern entrance of the park at about 4, we were ravenous, having skipped lunch, so we stop in the valley for a bite to eat.
The serpentine road winds up from the valley floor, first following a fast flowing river, on its way to Lodgepole campsite. We immediately knew we were going to love this park, which is rather strange as neither of us normally likes a pine forest. But the fresh air, heavy with the scent of pine, the multitude of spring blooms and the new bird calls, captured our hearts, immediately.
The camp has been moved high up the mountain, away from the Sequoia groves, which grow at a lower altitude where the original site was, so as not to disturb the shallow root system of the giants. The camp reminded me of what base camp on Everest looks like on TV. Tents dotted amongst the scree, with still unmelted snow & the smoke of fires swirling in the breeze. We fortunately had booked 3 nights via the internet and had chosen a secluded site, how we do not know.
Up with the birds, we decided to visit the General Sherman’s Tree, the largest living tree on the planet, measured by volume………. an estimated 52000 cub feet. Sequoias grow in small groves (there are about 70 groves left), only on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada, most often between 5000 and 7000 feet in altitude.
Lorna standing in a fallen Sequoia that has been hollowed by fire.
Trees like the Gen. Sherman, become known as monarch Sequoias, when the top of the tree dies, often due to nutrients not reaching the top, often as a result of damage caused by fire. Once this happens the tree stops getting taller, but continues to grow in diameter. In the case of the Gen Sherman tree it grows enough new wood to equal a 60 foot tree of normal proportions, per annum.
When we first entered the grove where the Sequoia’s grow in a mixed coniferous forest, we were struck by the rust coloured bark, that seems to glow, but we did not get the impression that we were entering a grove a giants. Its not until you are up close to one of the trees, that you get to see the true size. It is apparently not uncommon to feel this way, due to the well balanced proportions of the tree. When you tap on the bark or rub your hand over it, it sounds detached from the tree and feels like a soft coconut husk. You cannot help yourself, you just have to hug one of these beauties.
The other trees that grow in the area are also very large, like the Sugar Pine, fallen logs of more than a metre diameter are common. The cone of the sugar pine is massive, I estimate at least 30cm long.
Giant Sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) facts:
• Height - up to 311 feet
• Age - to 3200 years. Gen Sherman est at 2200 yrs.
• Weight - to 2.7 million tons
• Bark - 31 inches thick
• Branches - to 8 feet in diameter
• Bases - to 40 feet
• Reproduce - seeds only, about the size of oat flake
• Cone size - about chicken egg size.
Sequoias like many other plant species require fire to reproduce. When fire was suppressed by management, no new trees germinated. The heat from the fire allows the cone to open to release the seeds. In the areas where the fire burns hottest, usually where a large amount of fallen debris has accumulated, seedlings sprout in the greatest number.
We did the Moro rock walk, which was a great surprise, first because we misread the route, so ended up doing the 10 k walk instead of the steep half mile, but it was worth every step. The final section is a path that has been built up and onto the top of the granite monolithic dome, called Moro Rock, which commands spectacular views over the forest to the snow covered peaks of the high Sierra Mtns.
We had seen a really young Black bear, when we drove out to the Forest of the Giants, in the morning. It was eating the new grass shoots next to the road and was completely oblivious to the car only a few metres away. But it was still gloomy in the forest, so no good for photos. Having heard that the bears often frequent the lush green meadows, openings in the forests which become inundated with water, we headed out to Crescent Meadow. Lugging the new 70-200 and tripod around the meadow, without any luck, we started to head back to the car, when someone told us that they had seen 2 bears along one of the side paths. We managed to find them, two sub adults, one brown and the other a blonde colour. Apparently, Black bears are seldom black in colour and go through stages when their colour can vary from blonde to black. Great to see, but too far away to photograph. Heading back, I noticed a black coloured bear in the meadow, he was in the shade, quite far away, but moving out towards the sunlight. We decide to watch him, to see if he would get close enough………. and did he get close.
He just kept coming and coming. I had set up my camera, next to a fallen Sequoia lying in the meadow and he just ambled up and onto the log and walked along it toward me. I could not have asked for better, other than the sun unfortunately backlighting him.
He got within a few mwtres of me before casually climbing down, by which time the American couple that had been watching had practically, died, they were so nervous. They have promised to send the photo showing how close he came and here they are!
Hate to reuse the words again….but, what a day!
On our final day in the area, we continued along the Generals Highway to Kings Canyon NP. Kings together with Sequoia NP is surrounded by a number of state forests, forming a vast wilderness area. On route we saw a rather slow moving Yellow Breasted Marmot crossing the road.
We walked the Park Ridge trail, which takes you out of the forest and allows you magnificent views of Hume Lake in Sequoia, San Joachim valley & the Coast mountain range, which form the western divide, 100 miles away. These peaks stand 9000-14000 feet above sea level, and being above the tree line are covered with snow, even at this time of the year. After our picnic lunch we walked through the Grants Grove. We admire the General Grant tree, which has the largest diameter of all trees at its base……..40 meters.
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