Travelling Diaries
2017 US Great Adventure / Day 5 – Sequoia National Park
Previous and next: Day 4 - Yosemite / Day 6 - Three Rivers
We got up early and had a brief breakfast in the hotel. After our light snack we set off for the Sequoia National Park.
The route was via a very twisty road up the mountain side. I could get the approximate height above sea level on my phone. We started off at about 1,000 feet and very soon started to climb at a rapid rate.
Trees with Altitude
Our first port of call was to see the General Sherman tree.
General Sherman is a giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) tree located in the Giant Forest of the Sequoia National Park at a altitude of about 7,000 feet above sea level.
Giant sequoias, also known as giant redwoods, grow to an average height of 50–85 m (164–279 ft) and 6–8 m (20–26 ft) in diameter. They are only really found naturally in this area of the world and at this type of altitude.
The General Sherman was named after the American Civil War general William Tecumseh Sherman in 1879 by naturalist James Wolverton, who had served as a lieutenant in the 9th Indiana Cavalry under Sherman. It has the largest volume of wood of any current tree in the world and is estimated to be around 2,000 years old. It is estimated to weigh about 2100 tonnes.
We reached the car park above the tree and walked down to it. At this level there is still snow on the ground and, although the temperature was not freezing, it was still cold enough to warrant wearing an extra layer.
The tree was impressive. Even the fact that is was so old was mind boggling. When was the last time you can say you stood next to something that was that old and still living. (No, I haven't met Keith Richards either).
Along the way we saw lots of Sequoia trees.
(That's me sanding at the foot of the tree! - below is the zoomed in version of me!)
We then went off to the Giant forest museum which gave some background as to the science behind the Sequoia tree.
They say that Giant Sequoias don't tend to die of old age. Most older specimens die by simply falling over due to poor ground conditions or wind (I know the feeling).
In the 1860s there was a major forest fire in the area and it was decided that they needed to protect the trees from fire in order for them to survive. However, over the next 100 years they saw the population dropping by a large percentage. It was only in the late 1960s that it was discovered that, actually, the trees need fire to shed their seed. Also, without fire, the ground cover built up with the likes of fire-sensitive white fir. This increased the risk of more intense fires that can then use the firs as ladders to threaten mature giant sequoia crowns.
Since 1970, the National Park Service began controlled burns of its groves to correct these problems. Now you can see many fire damaged trees in the park.
(Laura and the designated driver inside a burnt out tree)
Also on the trip round the park we saw many fallen trees, with root systems that were many metres in diameter.
In park we also encountered Moro rock. This is a granite dome rock formation located in the centre of the park. It has a path built into it that allows you to climb, precariously, up to the top.
I was all ready to hike up the 400 steps to the summit, but Laura wouldn't let me on health and safety grounds. Instead we walked up the first 50 or so steps and took some photos.
(here you can see the winding road up the mountain that we took earlier)
We continued into the park and saw the Tunnel Log which is a fallen giant sequoia tree in Sequoia National Park. The tree, which measured 275 feet (84 m) tall and 21 feet (6.4 m) in diameter, fell across a park road in 1937 due to natural causes. The following year, a crew cut an 8-foot (2.4m) tall, 17-foot (5.2 m) wide tunnel through the trunk, making the road passable again.
Further into the park we came across Crescent Meadow which is a small, sequoia-rimmed meadow. I am guessing this is thronging in summer, but today we were the only people there. We kept an eye open for bears, but didn't see any (much to Laura's disappointment).
We then made our way back seeing the wonderful sights before us.
Back at the hotel we finished the day off with pizza and beer, a cracking combination, especially after a 10 mile / 16 Km hike!
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