We drove from Yosemite to Squaw Valley, CA,---not the well know ski resort, but a small town close to the entrance to Kings Canyon National Park. We pulled into the motel around 11:00 AM where I had a little mishap pulling into the parking area behind the building. I forgot you have to watch BOTH sides as you maneuver around a building.
Yup, I felt as dejected as I look.
This darn corner just jumped out to get me.
After we got settled in at the motel and unloaded the motorcycle it was noon before we got to Kings Canyon N/P.
In the visitor center it was mentioned that the sequoia tree can get to over 40 feet in diameter.
We happened to get lucky as a Park Ranger, Frank, was going to start a tour when we showed up at Grant’s Grove. He was born and raised in the area and retired after 38 years as an American History teacher. Frank gave an outstanding informative narrative as we hiked along the trail.
This fallen tree was actually hollow through most of the tree and had been used by two brothers as a home for a couple of years before they built a home, or should I say a better structure.
The small sequoia tree behind me was planted in 1949, so that makes it 3 years younger than me. It takes approximately 600 years for a sequoia tree to reach a maximum height of approximately 311 feet and then the club-shaped trunk will continue to expand up to a known diameter of about 40 feet. These giant trees reproduce from a seed the size of an oat flake from a cone the size of a chicken egg. Fire is required for the seed to be released from the cone. Ranger Frank said that only about one in a million sequoia seedlings lives to maturity.
Centennial stump.
This picture shows how a sequoia tree splits when it hits the ground. It’s weakness for use as lumber is one of the reasons that saved it from being cut into extinction. They found the only good use was for shingles, fence posts and grape vine stakes. It was said we still have over 90% of the old growth sequoia trees in contrast to only about 4% of the old growth coastal redwood trees which produce solid long-lasting lumber.
The General Grant Tree’s massive trunk makes it the third-largest tree in the world, by volume. It’s base is 40 feet in diameter. Even given its size it is not nearly the oldest. In fact, it is 1,500 years younger than the oldest known sequoia. It is nearly impossible to photograph the entire tree from top to bottom.
This is a burn scar is on the back side of the Grant Tree.
One needs to stand amongst these trees to really appreciate their size.
From Grant Grove we drove to the end of the 30 mile road in Kings Canyon.
Here are a few pictures as we are headed into the actual canyon portion of the park . The upper reaches of the gorge show the U-shaped characteristic of Ice Age glacial gouging while the V-shape continues to be carved by water.
Along the way we saw many blooming yuccas in an area called Yucca Point. The plants were at least 10 feet high.
This is the South Fork of Kings River for which the canyon is named.
Until next time,
Dave and Sandy
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