What a contrast between the last post - Joshua Tree and Sequoia! No comparison my friends. Sequoia hands down! 5:30 am June 8th - we depart Porterville, CA after spending the night at Terry's folks house on our way to Sequoia. We reach the Park as the sun begins to peak over the mountaintops and find ourselves once again stuck in another now infamous American Recovery Act Road Construction delay. It seems as if all of the Parks are under reconstruction.
We arrive at the Lodgepole Campground at 8:30 am...without reservations. Will our luck hold out once again? So far we've been very fortunate about finding a campsite without ressies. We do have reservations for Lassen beginning July 12th...however, here at Sequoia/Kings Canyon...we're winging it once again.
Good fortune remains close at hand! We get the last available campsite at Lodgepole. Site #81. It just happens to be the worst site in the entire Campground...but what the heck...we've got a place to stay for the next couple of days. If you ever want to visit Sequoia and camp...here's the game plan. Go online to reservations.gov...select Sequoia...select Lodgepole Campground...and then reserve either site 128, 144 or 101. Those are the most excellent sites in this Campground.
Tokopah Falls
Site #81 may have been sucky...but it was adjacent to the rapidly rushing Kaweah River and the Tokopah Falls Trail. The 3.5 mile round trip on this trail s well worth it.
Check out the amazing colors of this river! It varied in color from yellow to orange to turquoise...blue to green depending upon where you viewed it from.
Along this trail and many in the Sequoia/Kings Canyon Parks you will see trees covered with what appears to be moss. This fuzzy lime green stuff is actually Lichens...which, if you read the Black Canyon Blog, you will know that lichens is formed when Freddy Fungi mates with Alice Algae! Their offspring - Lizzy Lichens. These Tree Lichens do no harm or no good for the tree. they just hang out and reproduce. What a life!
Now if you want to see the largest living thing on earth...you can drive to within a tenth of a mile to view it. Or, if you really want to earn your visit...you hike 2 1/2 miles..all uphill... from your campsite at Lodgepole to the Giant Forest so that you can feel really good about taking a couple of pictures of this sequoiadendron giganteum . I didn't see a soul on the trail to General Sherman...making me the only idiot to sweat his ass off to get a glimpse of the Giant One!
It was well worth it!
The Sherman Tree is the most famous of those in the Giant Forest...however, if your legs are up for the trek, make sure you wander thru this fascinating garden of Giants. In fact, I had decided to take a hike on a loop trail called Trail of the Giants.
I have most likely mentioned this before in other blogs...however, its worth mentioning again. if you really want to experience the Parks in solitude...take a hike on a trail that ventures out more than a quarter mile from "the main event". This trail took me by some of the most spectacular specimens of sequoiadendron giganteum that the park has to offer. It takes you past The President which to me was as impressive as Gen. Sherman.
But a word of caution to those of you trekking Sequoia. The trails are not well marked! As I ventured deeper and deeper into the forest on what I thought was the Trail of the Giants...my Spidey Senses began to tell me that I was heading in the wrong direction.
I came to a trail junction and nowhere was there any indication that I was on my intended trail. I looked at my map and my GPS. Yep...I'm heading east when I should be heading southwest. Hmmm. I'm out here all alone. (Terry is back at camp keeping C-Dawg company) I'm sensing that I'm not heading in the right direction. I'll wander another 10 minutes more on this trail and then double back if I see no signs of life or any directional trail signs.
Around the corner, I spot some movement down in the wash below. Much to my surprise...it's a life form...a black bear! A very big black bear...looking for food! My heart jumps a beat or two as my now hyperactive brain reminds me that hiking in the woods solo is NOT the recommended MO. But what the heck...here I am...its just me and the Bear out here. I haven't seen another human since Sherman. Pulse accelerated, I fumble thru my backpack to unload the camera and snap off a couple of pictures of this rather peaceful looking creature...in case he eats me...at least there will be evidence of my demise! Unless of course, he eats the camera as well!
He looks up at me. Pauses for a moment and then proceeds to head toward the path that I was about to make my retreat. So much for exit stage left! I continue on the same wrong path and after a 4 mile hike find myself back at the General Sherman parking lot!
Another less stressful hike takes us out to a meadow where we find Tharp's Cabin. Back in the mid 1800's, Hale Tharp was the first white guy to settle into this region. He built this "summer home" out of a fallen sequoia that's innards had been hollowed out. Adding a few boards, shingles and rocks for a fireplace, Tharp had constructed himself what John Muir called a most "noble den".
Moro Rock
The last hike on our Sequoia stop is to climb to the top of Moro Rock which involves at least 500 steps that some crazy guys carved into this granite monolith back in 1917. Atop the climb, you are treated to a fabulous view of the Great Western Divide and the Kaweah River canyon. It is steep...but not nearly as exciting as the path leading out to the end of Angel's Landing in Zion!
July 10th. We're moving out of Lodgepole as they did not have an extra night available for us and checking into the Stoney Creek Campground for the evening. Site #23 proves to be the "Best of Campsite" - private, many trees to shade the Hob...and a bunch of firewood just 10 paces behind the tent!
We set up Camp and then venture off to National Park #15 - Kings Canyon. Happy Trails friends. We'll catch up with you in the next blog.
Thank you for posting your adventures. I am probably never going to be able to see all of these so I'm living through you!
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