The country still records 100K new Covid-19 cases a day, with new deaths more than the passenger capacity of a Boeing 737 max. We continued to pick National parks as the places to be.
A week prior to the memorial long weekend, we took a trip to Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks. Our Subaru Outlook has won the choice over the Tesla in this trip, even at this time of outrageously high gasoline price. It still seems risky to count on finding an EV charging station when we most need one. EV may still have a long way to go as the auto of choice for road trips. Visiting national parks with a bad back was no fun. That was exactly what I got just a few days before the trip.
Day 1
Kings Canyon is about a 4-hour drive from the Bay Area. There was still plenty of sunlight when we got there. At 1700 years old, with a height of 268 feet and a circumference over 100 feet, the General Grant Tree’s massive truck makes it the third-largest tree in the world by volume. It stands like a commanding general among the other Sequoia trees which are giants by themselves.
Both the Grizzly Falls and the Roaring River Falls are super accessible waterfalls. They are an easy and short walk from the parking spaces. The Roaring River Falls are a noisy splash of water. The Grizzly Falls are beautiful to watch and are camera friendly.
Once out of Kings Canyon, we entered Sequoia National Forest then Sequoia National Park. It was a bit late when we checked in the Wuksachi Lodge, and were relieved that they were still serving dinner. Their dinner special was a total disappointment though – the dinner special arrived faster than McDonald meal, and that microwave version of Pork Belly special was more chewy than the dried beef jerky. It was not cheap either. This dinner special became the first and the last meal we had bought at the Lodge cafe. The Lodging setting is beautiful, quiet and peaceful. It makes a very nice sanctuary. The room is spacious with cozy wooden decor. It offers a mind-resting forest view, and it is surprisingly quiet. The bedding is sturdy and comfortable for a good night’s sleep. My only complaint was their putting us on the 3rd floor in a lodge with no elevator. The 50+ steps between the parking space and our room posed an unwelcome challenge for my bad back.
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Day 2
Our breakfast was a cup of instant noodles with the marinated beef and eggs we prepared for the trip.
We visited the tunnel log and auto log early to have the view mostly for ourselves. These fallen giant trees were quite a scene when we could drive through the tunnel log and we could imagine in those olden days, the auto log would support the weight of an auto driving over it.
We were enjoying a stroll at the crescent meadow when I sighted a black bear, not that far away. It was indeed an eye-to-eye encounter with a black bear. The bear looked big at the first glance, and it felt like it was about 100 feet away in the woods. I was sure that at the time I spotted it, it spotted me too; and that both were afraid. I was calm enough to walk backward slowly to inform a few fellow hikers who were mostly thrilled to join a special bear watching activity. With more people together, we stayed on the trail, and watched the bear scratching its back on a small trunk, then crossing the trail to feed itself in the meadow. On our way back to the parking lot, people were still taking pictures of the bear.
We hiked up the Moro Rock trail. There were quite a number of hikers and seemingly a very popular trail. It was a challenge with my acrophobia to walk up and stay at the top just to have some time for pictures. The national forest with mountain ranges afar were breathtaking.
I would rather stay with the waterfalls, Tokopah Valley Falls awaited. Rated as moderately challenging. The 4-mile hike turned out to take longer and has been strenuous at times with my back pain. The cascade of waterfalls at the end well compensated the hardship.
In the evening, we took the Sherman Tree Trail to pay respect to General Sherman. With a volume of 52,500 cubic feet, a weight of 1385 tons, and circumference of 103 feet, the General Sherman Tree is the biggest tree on Earth by volume. I read from a teen fiction if a human being is put in a device to see his proportion against the whole universe, he will go insane right off the bat. It was humbling to look up to this biggest tree on Earth from the ground.
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Day 3
We headed to the Big Trees Trail early in the morning. Spring was everywhere with new green shoots coming out of the trees. We saw a pair of deer which were small, curious and fragile. The meadows were full of life too – birds chirping, wild flowers blooming, new shoots from the trees. This Big Trees Trail and the meadow has been my favorite trail on this trip. It gives a sense of hope and peace.
The Giant Forest museum, right across the Big Trees Trail, made our final stop before heading home.
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My bad back felt better at the end. It has been a refreshing trip.
oliviatamccue 