The big tree is nature’s first masterpiece, and, as far as I know, the greatest if all living things.

– John Muir

amongst the monarchs
I spent this day in Sequioa National Park Park experience as much as I could of the park. I took the shuttle up from my campground in the morning and took the last shuttle back – maximized my time best I could. I was alone in the shuttle up and the driver would just whip around the corners of the crazy twisty road. I have to admit that by the time I got off at the Giant Forest Museum I was feeling somewhat queasy.

The museum had some interesting exhibits on the life cycle of the sequoia and the history of this area. The Giant Forest is one of the biggest sequoia groves on earth with over 2500 tress with a greater than 10 foot diameter. But I wanted to get out amount these trees so shortly I was on the Big Trees hike which makes its way around a forest meadow. These meadows are essential sequoia habitat as they need huge amounts of water but with teir wide shallow roots they can’t actually be in a wet meadow. So they like to grow on the edge and dip into its water.

The trees are just magnificent, huge gnarled bases then the thick knotty trunk rises up and up. The lower branches die off on the older trees so they have a stalk of broccoli kind of look. On the oldest trees the crown also dies off and there is bare wood at the top. There were several big fallen trees here, laying like huge pipes across the forest. Many of them had the burn scars that is so common of these old timers as they slice century after century through all manner of conditions.

One particularly interesting thing about the Giant Forest grove was that by the 50s it had been extensively overdeveloped with over a hundred buildings, plus campsites and all the services at many people demand. All this right on the shallow roots of these ancient monarchs. Well the forest service really turned things around from the 70s on and almost all of those buildings are gone and they built a new lodge outside of the grove for visitors. But I’ve seen this time and time again at these old parks, how they were focused on the people and car culture at the expense of the natural environment that they are actually there to experience.

From the Big Tree trail I hike out to Beetle Rock which give a nice view into e foothills and the smoggy San Joaquin Valley. Then it was back to the shuttle bus where I took it up to the General Sherman tree. The other of the “generals” this tree is the largest being on earth by mass. And it is truly huge and just stunning. Several places on the hike you could see the entire tree – which is often difficult – as well as the signed location where people basically went one after the other to get their picture taken with the tree.

I used the shuttles to go to Lodgepole where I ate my lunch and then up to Wakushi Lodge, which was the one built to replace the Giant Forest lodge, where I took advantage of their internet connection. In the later afternoon it was back to the Giant Forest where I hike up to Moro Rock. This was the longest hike I did this day and the most hike like. That is it was a dirt path in the woods that while not too challenging was virtually deserted. It went right by some big trees, that you could walk right up to and feel there tough skins. There was a fire in this area, ever deliberate or natural and thus there was burnt sequoias as well as regular trees. A couple of the sequoias had holes burn right through the base.

I took the short trail to Hanging Rock where I got a view of Moro Rock which is a big fin like chunk of granite right on the mountain edge with a dome at the top. Really neat and you could see all the people on top. Climbing Moro Rock itself was via a series of 600 stairs at I almost ran up as I was pushing it to catch the last shuttle. These were decent stairs but went right through natural openings and such that sometimes were really narrow. But they blended right in with the rock and didn’t alter it’s character.

The view from the top was absolute amazing, nearly 360 degrees you could see the eastern mountain range where Mount Whitney is (though it itself is obscured) and then the southern range who’s rampart like rock faces stop the view. But then the long view down the San Joaquin toward the coast range all lost in mist-like smog. A really fitting overview of a lot of the park and a perfect final view of Sequoia National park.

looking up
buried under giant trees
clear blue sky

The clearest way into the universe is through a forest wilderness.
 
-John Muir

riding with the generals
I spent part of the morning exploring what I could in Kings Canyon but alas the titular canyon itself is thirty miles up a road perpendicular to the route. It’d take at least a couple of days to explore by bicycle. But it is not without some regret that I didn’t do it – no less authority than John Muir said that it rivaled Yosemite. I did though go to Grants Grove, a stand of sequoias withe the second largest entity on earth (by mass), the General Grant tree.

Really majestic these old wanderers who stride through time, though fire and flood and snow and the deprivations of man. There was a hollow fallen sequoia you could walk though – it had been a saloon, horse stables and barracks throughout the years. The fire damaged trees are especially fascinating as a sequoia can be completely hollowed out by fire and yet live on.

From the grove it was back to the road which continued the climb from where I’d left it. It would peak somewhere around 7500′ but then it oscillated from 6000′ to over 7000′ several times in a series of rollers. Still in Kings for the most part, there was views into the far distant rocky canyon, and back toward the foothills I climbed up yesterday. And of course fantastic stands of trees everywhere, though sequoias tend to be in groves and so it was mostly pines and oaks and also Nobel Firs – Christmas trees!

I entered the edge of the Giant Sequoia National Monument and the into Sequoia National Park. Along the road was the Lost Grove, one of the few stands of sequoias the Generals Highway passes through in this part of the park. Not too much further on I reached the Lodgepole campground and visitors center. About in the middle of the highway this is clearly the center of the car portion of the park. For even more than Yosemite almost all of this park is designated wilderness and inaccessible by car. Here there was laundry, showers and a store and I took advantage of them all.

despite mans best efforts
the giant trees still stand

What with using all of the facilities at Lodgepole I returned to my travels rather late. Happily it was almost all downhill from here to where I was camping. The road was the twisty-est I’ve ever ridden on and the first section was undergoing work and as all torn up and gravel strewn. This was a pity as it went through the Giant Forest and there were huge sequoia at every turn. But I had to keep my eyes on the road. Happily there wasn’t too much traffic.

The lower down portion of the road was if anything even more winding and steep. It had had its roadwork down previously though and was in good shape. I was mostly out of the forests – definitely below where sequoia grow, and there was huge views all the way out to the coast range. A domes and rampart like rock structures of the park would also come onto view. I descended from nearly 7000 feet to around 2500 feet, so it was pretty epic and a lot warmer. It had clouded up this afternoon, so as I descend there was a dramatic sunset through the clouds and over the foothills. It was deep gloaming when I reached Potwisha Campground where I’d be staying for the next couple of nights.

true darkness,
only light the strewn of stars–
giant trees stand silent

all withered–
grasses I walked over
going nowhere
 
-Santoka

big hills into big trees
Packing up this morning I received a surprise as when I was pulling,stuff out of my Hobo Bag (the handlebar bag) a giant hairy, tan spider charged out. A wolf spider I’m pretty sure, (though perhaps a hobo spider!) it was about the size of a fifty cent piece. I shooed it away and it hung out under the picnic table for the duration of my time there. This is hot land for sure, the campground fee collector had a group move sites because they were right below a hill and at night “the snakes come down where its cool”.

This was a hot day and it featured some of the toughest climbing of the tour. I was at around 750′ and I had to climb up to Kings Canyon at around 6500′. So over 5500 feet of climbing. This was done in three big stages each doing near 2000 feet. The first was the shortest stage, but it was on these back country roads with no sort of grade limits. So steep through ranch land and heading right into the fierce morning sun. The second stage occurred after a brief stint on hwy 185 which was busy so it was good to return to the back roads. This stage was the longest climbing over 2000′ and I finally made it out of the dry valleys. Trees appeared beyond the black oaks, and manzanitas that there had been so far. There was still dry rivers though, and it was hot out of the shade.

There was only a short stint on relatively flat land before the final haul. This last stage was hard, as I’d already climbed a lot and was plenty burnt out. It was steep too, a series a switchbacks that climbed the bulk of the altitude in short order. During this time there was an increasing swarm of gnats, or black flies or something buzzing around my head. I couldn’t pick up enough speed to lose them and it was only the occasionally breeze that would blow them away. There was plenty of big trees now, so e redwoods for sure among much bigger pines than I’d seen in some time. Finally I turned back onto hwy 185 for just the last six miles or so. I passed 6000′ just a bit after this and the final miles while still uphill wasn’t too hard. But I was plenty tired. So I was happy to enter Kings Canyon National Park and I made my way to Crystal Springs Campground.

climbing so slow
even the flies have to double back
to buzz me

This being a national park there was some concern about the campground being full, though if hoped showing up on a Sunday would ameliorate that somewhat. Well can’t fears were unfounded as the campground was nearly empty. I had the quietest night in a campground I. Quite some time.

hot
sun
climbing
switchback
after
switchback–
  red
   &#160dragonflies