There are only a few pockets on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada, all at about the 7,000 foot level, where the largest trees on earth can grow. These are the giant sequoia trees, the broad and bulky cousins of the long and lean redwoods of the California coast. The sequoias are so huge they almost defy human comprehension. Their bark is three-feet thick and fire-resistant. They can live 2,000 years and more and seem invulnerable to the ravages of nature, but they almost succumbed to the hand of man. The sequoias and their coastal cousins were nearly logged to extinction in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Fortunately, a few precious groves were saved and the grandest of the giants were preserved in places like Sequoia National Park and its twin to the north, Kings Canyon National Park, which we’ll feature in forthcoming videos and notes. On this trip, we spent time in Sequoia where the biggest of the big, the fabled General Sherman tree, holds court. We discovered some of the Park’s other easily accessible superlatives as well, such as Moro Rock and Crystal Caves and lush meadows where deer and bear convene in the twilight hours. But ninety-eight percent of Sequoia is wilderness, so most of the Park requires serious physical effort to see. If you are able to hike deeper into the Sierra, Sequoia’s road-less backcountry is an extraordinarily beautiful province of granite peaks, glacial lakes and rushing streams. Being there is worth every step.
