I signed off last time by giving you one picture of were we were going. Most of you probably guessed that it was a giant sequoia. Below is a picture of Karen standing next to a couple of trees and 6'2" just does not compare.
These trees are amazing and they can only be fond in a small section of Sequoia national park. We spent about three hours taking the hike through the set of trails to see all the big trees. There is General Sherman, McKinley, The president, and as you can see below The Senate.
Following the hike through the giant trees we bought a back country pass, rented a bear canister, picked a trail, and headed up to panther pass. It was a short hike of 3.5 miles, although it was all up hill with about a 2000 foot ascend. Luckily we were the only ones at that pass that night so we had the whole place to ourselves. The campsite was great and we camped right on this rocky knoll that overlooked a deep valley. The sunrise and sunset were great.
We hiked out the next morning and while Sequoia was great we did not have any more time so we moved on and headed north. Sequoia is connected with Kings Canyon National Park and we were disappointed that we did not have time to go there but is gives us an excuse to head back to CA for more hiking!
We drove north and made it to Yosemite National Park. The drive into the park is amazing and as you head down into the valley, tucked in right against the canyon wall, as you exit the tunnel the view of the valley floor and half dome are simply amazing. Yosemite is a must see in the US.
Karen's brother Brian and his wife Amy had flown out on Friday night. Well they were supposed to fly in Friday, flight troubles brought them into Sacramento sometime early Saturday morning.
We met up with them Sunday morning and headed off to the trail head for North Dome. North Dome is a small (in comparison to Half-Dome) dome that overlooks the valley floor. It is a 6 mile hike to the campsite and we got started at noon. No problem this is an easy hike and we will be setting up camp by 4.
Until next time I leave you with a great view of Half Dome. This is the center piece of Yosemite national park. Brian and I have plans to hike to the top of it on Tuesday. But more on that later.
1 comment:
Wow! Great to hear that you had such a good time in Sequoia National Park. I actually work for Wuksachi Lodge, the main hotel accommodation in Sequoia, but for such an avid hiker as yourself I thought I'd mention that we also run a High Sierra camp in the area called Bearpaw. The hike in is 11.5 miles up the High Sierra trail and there are a number of popular day hikes in the area. If you are so inclined, the High Sierra trail also goes all the way to the summit of Mt. Whitney. If you hiked the entire John Muir trail then you've probably been there already, but I thought I'd mention it in case you are interested. I invite you to have a look at our website www.VisitSequoia.com for more information. Have a great day and keep enjoying those National Parks!
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