I-flybynight
Jul 6, 04, 1:02 pm
3 miles high and not off the ground yet...help
This hopefully will be a different trip for you, the reader, than what you are accustomed too; it is hopefully a trip of the senses for you, through our eyes. For me, I want to see if I can write well enough to give you a glimpse of our journey that will hopefully entertain, amuse, and enliven you.
The following first three paragraphs provide an uncomplicated sketch of the trip and then I hope to delight your senses. At the end of the day trip, I will call attention to the areas visited, tips, and things to witness along the way. Please judge my story and give me your feedback online, when you finish.
Prologue
The Giant Sequoia Forest
The sense of timelessness — not simply mountains and trees, but the utter timelessness of the worlds largest trees, many beginning life before Christ was born, so impervious to man and his cities and empires.
These Sierra Nevada highlands contain some of the most spectacular scenery on the face of the earth. Jagged peaks drop into glacially carved valleys and lakes left over from the last ice age. They remain standing waiting for the next one. In the mean time, feel free to visit.
We started our trip from Fresno, California on Kings Canyon highway, route 180 and then onto 198 through the National Park and circled around the Giant Sequoia National forest. We then stopped at Kings Canyon overlook, onto Stony Creek village, Lost Grove, General Sherman’s tree (the largest tree in the world), the Giant Forest, down to the foothill areas into Three Rivers, coming out at Visalia on Hwy 99 and then back to Fresno.
Time of travel: 1 day
A drive with us through this wild wilderness
The countryside running up to the mountains seemed to be covered in bright-green billiard table baize. Up close, we could see that it was fruit and citrus trees and sun ripened grapes dangling from heavy green vines all along the foothills. An abundant and fertile farmland, full of nature’s dinner, sits waiting for your indulgence.
The mountain looming ahead of us was monumental and ancient. After what seemed like a long time, we finally started to climb the mountains. To the left of the road was an enormous steep wall of rocks and to the right, not far from the wheels of the car, was a sheer drop-off into the valleys far below. The mountains towering over us reached some 14,494 feet high or almost 3 miles high. It was magnificent and daunting.
Traffic was light both ways, thank God, but there was enough of it to make the ascent treacherous. The serpentine road followed a series of ascending switchbacks, toenail corners, and hairpin turns with little or no guardrails along the outside edges. We climbed thousands of feet in a few short miles, but took hours to do so.
Shafts of bright sunlight along the twisting roads streamed in from breaks in the trees overhead. The sun shone directly into your eyes in these openings and you barely had time to try shielding them like an Indian scout would, then the blinding light would be gone in the same high speed exit as it first appeared and we would be approaching the next slow speed curve. Driving was tense and panicky at times.
All along the steep climb, there are numerous panoramic vistas where you can stop and take several post card photos, while letting the fresh air tickle your lungs and give your heart enough time to relax in the splendor before you. We took some pictures of the passes, giant Sequoia trees, bald mountaintops, tumbling waters, and the valleys below. We also captured on film cars, trucks, buses, and SUVs crawling up the vertical mountain road, like ants returning home.
We eventually reached the “General Sherman Tree” and there were several tourist buses, a few hundred cars, lots of American, Japanese and European tourists, and dozens of kids running around and climbing fallen giants in the forest.
We saw a tree so large, you can drive your car through the man made opening. We saw the fallen giant Sequoia called the “Fallen Monarch” which we walked through. We stared in wonder at a tree so famous that a past President dedicated it as the Nations Christmas tree - a tree, which is the only living memorial to those who have died in war and a National Shrine too. And we witness several twin trees, so close to one another that they became one.
The park was shadowy, quiet, and filled with serpentine trails, stone cliffs, sudden drops, and thick woods, paved and unpaved walks. You could get lost there or you could hide there for a very long time and never be found. I was lucky enough to find my wife in one of the few gift shops that waited patiently in the forest for lost tourists.
Along the way, giant tree trunks soared like columns in an ancient temple, but magnify that a hundred times to get a real idea of how high they are. We looked up, mouth open in fly-catching mode. Their intertwining branches blocked the sun’s rays and created an artificial twilight on the forest floor.
We walked in silence across the thick carpet made up of decades of fallen needles, the path weaved their way around tree trunks the size of small houses. We moved without shadows in the silence of the tall trees.
The deep woods encroached on either side of the paths lending an unnatural darkness to the surroundings. It was the middle of the day, the sun was shinning, and it was dark along the path. It was like the inside of a house of worship.
Above the giant trees, the sun blistered; it reached a high of 100 degrees on this day. Some of the giant sequoias were over 310 feet high and over 40 feet in diameter, and still the heat busted through.
Crystalline caves scattered throughout the park, where the average temperature was a constant 50 degrees, became a refuge from the heat of day. Above, granite dome rocks with steep staircases to the summit held waterfalls hurling a stream of chilled water, hundreds of feet below, the sun flashing off the cascading water, its glare making the ice-cold liquid seem like fire flowing from the cold white heart of the falls.
Eventually, after a hundred or so breathtaking pictures, we started our slow descent to the valley floor. It was the same incredible spectacle of the trip up, only faster and easier on the car’s engine and air conditioner.
All in all, one of the most outstanding and tremendous day one could enjoy, and find pleasure in the unlimited impressions of nature’s reserve provided on this trip.
I hope you enjoyed this brief and simple glimpse of our July 4th, 2004 weekend.
©sellxs July 2004
Beside the great day trip, here are some interesting facts and notes we picked up along the way. Well worth your time to view as it will also fill in the blanks along the way that I omitted for brevity of our story. More importantly, if you ever plan on going, these sights are a must see and well worth your time to experience.
Robert
Epilogue
From the foothills to the top of the highest mountain, it ranges from 1,300 feet to a colossal 14,494 feet above see level.
The park, because of its huge elevational range, means dramatic shifts form hot, dry foothills to shady mid-elevation forests to the chilly high Sierra with no vegetation. It means an extraordinary diverse collection of plants and animals living in extremely varied conditions. It means steep mountain roads and trails that climb these mountains and cold rivers that plunge down from great heights.
The General Sherman Tree
• President Coolidge proclaimed it the Nation’s Christmas Tree in 1926.
• It is a national shrine and the only living memorial to those who have died in war.
• It was named The General Sherman Tree in 1879 by a Civil War veteran
• The world’s largest Sequoia tree
Sequoia Tress
• A huge cross section of a fallen Sequoia outlines not only history, but all the fires it survived
• Sequoia trees survive fire and bark re-grows over the damage area in time
• Each tree holds thousands or gallons of water
• The center of the tree is Ice Cold
Big Tree Trail
• Almost a mile long
• Circles a Mountain Meadow
• See “Ed by Ned” two trees that grew so close together they joined
• The base of the tree is 34 feet long and 25 feet wide
Crystal Cave Rocks
• Discovered in 1918, this is one of over 200 caves that can be toured in the park
• Be careful, tickets are not sold at the cave, only at Lodgepole and Foothills visitor centers
• You must buy them at least 1 to 1 ½ hours before your tour
• It is 15 miles from the Sequoia Park entrance on Hwy 198 and 3 miles from the General Sherman Tree
• There are no restrooms at the cave site
• There is a ½ mile steep trail to the cave
• The temperature in the cave is 50 degrees so bring a jacket
• It is not wheel chair accessible
• No strollers, or baby backpacks allowed
• Tours are 45 minutes in length and run every ½ hour on the hour from 11 am to 4 pm
Moro Rock
• A granite dome with a steep ¼-mile staircase to the summit
• Spectacular view of the Great Western Divide
• 2 miles from Generals Hwy
Tunnel Log
• The only tree you can drive through
• It is a fallen Sequoia that was tunneled through
• 3 miles from the Generals Hwy
Tokopah Falls
• 2 miles along the Marble Fork of the Kaweah River
• 500 foot elevation gain
• Beautiful granite cliffs
Marble Falls
• 4 miles along chaparral covered terrain from Potwisha Campgrounds
• Parking near site #14 campground
Mineral King
• Parks highest road 7,800 feet
• Open May through October
• Many trails leading to higher hiking trails
Giant Forest Sequoia Grove
• 6400 feet high
• World’s biggest trees
• 40 miles of walking trails
Entrance fees
• For $10 you can get a 1 to 7 days pass for Kings Canyon, and the Hume lake district of Sequoia National Forest
• For $20 you can get an Annual pass
• For $50 a National Parks Pass to all US National parks
• If you are over 62 you can get a Golden Age Passport for $10 which is a lifetime pass to all national parks for US citizens and residents
• A free pass “Golden Access Pass” if you are blind or permanently disabled US citizen or resident
I heard a giant Sequoia fall
By Bill Tweed—Park Ranger 1974
“It was a calm sunny day in the Giant Forest. Out of the clear blue came large cracks as the roots snapped, and then a crash like thunder. We found the tree shattered, with an amazing amount of water flowing from the broken wood. Touching the inside of the Sequoia was startling — it was ice cold.”
END
Last amusement or chuckle
Far below the treetops, ropy tree roots spread out along the carpeted forest floor. In areas where the sun could shine through little bits of grass sprung up and it reminded me of a guy with a bad hair transplant.
Robert
Please read and comment on these other trip reports by me:
The Maldives where the 4 winds go… to sleep
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=333906
And;
The Maldives is a picture perfect place to see, but it is a 30-foot country.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=310784&highlight=I-flybynight
Thanks a million for looking.
Robert
This hopefully will be a different trip for you, the reader, than what you are accustomed too; it is hopefully a trip of the senses for you, through our eyes. For me, I want to see if I can write well enough to give you a glimpse of our journey that will hopefully entertain, amuse, and enliven you.
The following first three paragraphs provide an uncomplicated sketch of the trip and then I hope to delight your senses. At the end of the day trip, I will call attention to the areas visited, tips, and things to witness along the way. Please judge my story and give me your feedback online, when you finish.
Prologue
The Giant Sequoia Forest
The sense of timelessness — not simply mountains and trees, but the utter timelessness of the worlds largest trees, many beginning life before Christ was born, so impervious to man and his cities and empires.
These Sierra Nevada highlands contain some of the most spectacular scenery on the face of the earth. Jagged peaks drop into glacially carved valleys and lakes left over from the last ice age. They remain standing waiting for the next one. In the mean time, feel free to visit.
We started our trip from Fresno, California on Kings Canyon highway, route 180 and then onto 198 through the National Park and circled around the Giant Sequoia National forest. We then stopped at Kings Canyon overlook, onto Stony Creek village, Lost Grove, General Sherman’s tree (the largest tree in the world), the Giant Forest, down to the foothill areas into Three Rivers, coming out at Visalia on Hwy 99 and then back to Fresno.
Time of travel: 1 day
A drive with us through this wild wilderness
The countryside running up to the mountains seemed to be covered in bright-green billiard table baize. Up close, we could see that it was fruit and citrus trees and sun ripened grapes dangling from heavy green vines all along the foothills. An abundant and fertile farmland, full of nature’s dinner, sits waiting for your indulgence.
The mountain looming ahead of us was monumental and ancient. After what seemed like a long time, we finally started to climb the mountains. To the left of the road was an enormous steep wall of rocks and to the right, not far from the wheels of the car, was a sheer drop-off into the valleys far below. The mountains towering over us reached some 14,494 feet high or almost 3 miles high. It was magnificent and daunting.
Traffic was light both ways, thank God, but there was enough of it to make the ascent treacherous. The serpentine road followed a series of ascending switchbacks, toenail corners, and hairpin turns with little or no guardrails along the outside edges. We climbed thousands of feet in a few short miles, but took hours to do so.
Shafts of bright sunlight along the twisting roads streamed in from breaks in the trees overhead. The sun shone directly into your eyes in these openings and you barely had time to try shielding them like an Indian scout would, then the blinding light would be gone in the same high speed exit as it first appeared and we would be approaching the next slow speed curve. Driving was tense and panicky at times.
All along the steep climb, there are numerous panoramic vistas where you can stop and take several post card photos, while letting the fresh air tickle your lungs and give your heart enough time to relax in the splendor before you. We took some pictures of the passes, giant Sequoia trees, bald mountaintops, tumbling waters, and the valleys below. We also captured on film cars, trucks, buses, and SUVs crawling up the vertical mountain road, like ants returning home.
We eventually reached the “General Sherman Tree” and there were several tourist buses, a few hundred cars, lots of American, Japanese and European tourists, and dozens of kids running around and climbing fallen giants in the forest.
We saw a tree so large, you can drive your car through the man made opening. We saw the fallen giant Sequoia called the “Fallen Monarch” which we walked through. We stared in wonder at a tree so famous that a past President dedicated it as the Nations Christmas tree - a tree, which is the only living memorial to those who have died in war and a National Shrine too. And we witness several twin trees, so close to one another that they became one.
The park was shadowy, quiet, and filled with serpentine trails, stone cliffs, sudden drops, and thick woods, paved and unpaved walks. You could get lost there or you could hide there for a very long time and never be found. I was lucky enough to find my wife in one of the few gift shops that waited patiently in the forest for lost tourists.
Along the way, giant tree trunks soared like columns in an ancient temple, but magnify that a hundred times to get a real idea of how high they are. We looked up, mouth open in fly-catching mode. Their intertwining branches blocked the sun’s rays and created an artificial twilight on the forest floor.
We walked in silence across the thick carpet made up of decades of fallen needles, the path weaved their way around tree trunks the size of small houses. We moved without shadows in the silence of the tall trees.
The deep woods encroached on either side of the paths lending an unnatural darkness to the surroundings. It was the middle of the day, the sun was shinning, and it was dark along the path. It was like the inside of a house of worship.
Above the giant trees, the sun blistered; it reached a high of 100 degrees on this day. Some of the giant sequoias were over 310 feet high and over 40 feet in diameter, and still the heat busted through.
Crystalline caves scattered throughout the park, where the average temperature was a constant 50 degrees, became a refuge from the heat of day. Above, granite dome rocks with steep staircases to the summit held waterfalls hurling a stream of chilled water, hundreds of feet below, the sun flashing off the cascading water, its glare making the ice-cold liquid seem like fire flowing from the cold white heart of the falls.
Eventually, after a hundred or so breathtaking pictures, we started our slow descent to the valley floor. It was the same incredible spectacle of the trip up, only faster and easier on the car’s engine and air conditioner.
All in all, one of the most outstanding and tremendous day one could enjoy, and find pleasure in the unlimited impressions of nature’s reserve provided on this trip.
I hope you enjoyed this brief and simple glimpse of our July 4th, 2004 weekend.
©sellxs July 2004
Beside the great day trip, here are some interesting facts and notes we picked up along the way. Well worth your time to view as it will also fill in the blanks along the way that I omitted for brevity of our story. More importantly, if you ever plan on going, these sights are a must see and well worth your time to experience.
Robert
Epilogue
From the foothills to the top of the highest mountain, it ranges from 1,300 feet to a colossal 14,494 feet above see level.
The park, because of its huge elevational range, means dramatic shifts form hot, dry foothills to shady mid-elevation forests to the chilly high Sierra with no vegetation. It means an extraordinary diverse collection of plants and animals living in extremely varied conditions. It means steep mountain roads and trails that climb these mountains and cold rivers that plunge down from great heights.
The General Sherman Tree
• President Coolidge proclaimed it the Nation’s Christmas Tree in 1926.
• It is a national shrine and the only living memorial to those who have died in war.
• It was named The General Sherman Tree in 1879 by a Civil War veteran
• The world’s largest Sequoia tree
Sequoia Tress
• A huge cross section of a fallen Sequoia outlines not only history, but all the fires it survived
• Sequoia trees survive fire and bark re-grows over the damage area in time
• Each tree holds thousands or gallons of water
• The center of the tree is Ice Cold
Big Tree Trail
• Almost a mile long
• Circles a Mountain Meadow
• See “Ed by Ned” two trees that grew so close together they joined
• The base of the tree is 34 feet long and 25 feet wide
Crystal Cave Rocks
• Discovered in 1918, this is one of over 200 caves that can be toured in the park
• Be careful, tickets are not sold at the cave, only at Lodgepole and Foothills visitor centers
• You must buy them at least 1 to 1 ½ hours before your tour
• It is 15 miles from the Sequoia Park entrance on Hwy 198 and 3 miles from the General Sherman Tree
• There are no restrooms at the cave site
• There is a ½ mile steep trail to the cave
• The temperature in the cave is 50 degrees so bring a jacket
• It is not wheel chair accessible
• No strollers, or baby backpacks allowed
• Tours are 45 minutes in length and run every ½ hour on the hour from 11 am to 4 pm
Moro Rock
• A granite dome with a steep ¼-mile staircase to the summit
• Spectacular view of the Great Western Divide
• 2 miles from Generals Hwy
Tunnel Log
• The only tree you can drive through
• It is a fallen Sequoia that was tunneled through
• 3 miles from the Generals Hwy
Tokopah Falls
• 2 miles along the Marble Fork of the Kaweah River
• 500 foot elevation gain
• Beautiful granite cliffs
Marble Falls
• 4 miles along chaparral covered terrain from Potwisha Campgrounds
• Parking near site #14 campground
Mineral King
• Parks highest road 7,800 feet
• Open May through October
• Many trails leading to higher hiking trails
Giant Forest Sequoia Grove
• 6400 feet high
• World’s biggest trees
• 40 miles of walking trails
Entrance fees
• For $10 you can get a 1 to 7 days pass for Kings Canyon, and the Hume lake district of Sequoia National Forest
• For $20 you can get an Annual pass
• For $50 a National Parks Pass to all US National parks
• If you are over 62 you can get a Golden Age Passport for $10 which is a lifetime pass to all national parks for US citizens and residents
• A free pass “Golden Access Pass” if you are blind or permanently disabled US citizen or resident
I heard a giant Sequoia fall
By Bill Tweed—Park Ranger 1974
“It was a calm sunny day in the Giant Forest. Out of the clear blue came large cracks as the roots snapped, and then a crash like thunder. We found the tree shattered, with an amazing amount of water flowing from the broken wood. Touching the inside of the Sequoia was startling — it was ice cold.”
END
Last amusement or chuckle
Far below the treetops, ropy tree roots spread out along the carpeted forest floor. In areas where the sun could shine through little bits of grass sprung up and it reminded me of a guy with a bad hair transplant.
Robert
Please read and comment on these other trip reports by me:
The Maldives where the 4 winds go… to sleep
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=333906
And;
The Maldives is a picture perfect place to see, but it is a 30-foot country.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=310784&highlight=I-flybynight
Thanks a million for looking.
Robert