Won't Get Fooled Again

With sincere apologies to the Who for a play on words, we won't get fooled again by The Weather Channel.......

This morning we checked the weather forecast for Sequoia National Forest which is about 7,000 feet above our motel room in Three Rivers, CA. All appeared normal for a day trip, so we set out about 8:30 am for the great adventure amongst the largest trees on planet earth. It was about a 15 minute drive to the gate where fees are paid by poor souls not lucky enough to have a senior park pass. The ranger on duty gave us a parking permit, park literature and advice to drive carefully as it would be a 45 minute drive to the welcome center. Indeed it took all of 45 minutes to drive a relatively short distance since it was all uphill on a road full of twists and turns. We stopped at several overlooks along the way to shoot pictures of rivers, rapids and mountain scenery.

It was about 30 minutes after we departed the gate before we started seeing the big trees. What an amazing site. Their girth is so tremendous that you don't realize how tall they stand. There are several groves of trees scattered about the park. The forest service measures the significance of a grove by how many trees are at least 10 feet in diameter. Some of the groves had a handful and a couple had several hundred of these immense trees. You may have seen pictures in National Geographic or other publications of the tree that had been hollowed out by loggers so that you could drive a car through the opening. Sadly that tree fell a few years ago from the weight of a severe snow storm.

Sure enough, 45 minutes later we arrived at the Foothills Visitor Center. This center was well-stocked with maps, postcards, displays, posters, calendars, etc. The story of the sequoias and how they were abused by early visitors and logging companies makes you ever more mindful of the role played by early conservationists in persuading Congress to set aside land for national forests and monuments. The only reason that logging companies did not completely wipe out the sequoias many decades ago was that so many stands of trees were totally inaccessible.

Upon completing our stay at the visitors center we set out to see the big trees including the Sentinel and the General Sherman Tree. Must have been named for Leroy or Simon Sherman. Surely not William Tecumseh Sherman who set the South's progress back at least a century. About this time Pat pointed out that we better cover up with additional layers of clothing because something resembling snow was starting to fall. Trusting Pat's instincts more than mine, I added a sweater and jacket to my thin outer layer of clothing. By the time we had driven to the Lodgepole Center the snow was falling at a rather intense rate and the ground and trees were being covered like a winter wonderland. One vacationer was singing Oh Tannenbaum.

At the Lodgepole Center we set out on a short hike to see the General Sherman Tree. This is the largest tree on this planet. Now the snow is falling more heavily and school children on their field trip were making snowballs. We saw one old timer make a snowball and then proceed to eat it. Must have been suffering from an early stage of dementia and reminiscing about some childhood winter. After a short half mile hike we came upon the General Sherman. WOW! We took a few pictures, but they will inadequately describe what we saw. This tree, if it was to fall, would be about the length of a football field and about the weight of 50 giant whales. We made a brief pit stop at another center for lunch and were served by a young lady from the Ukraine. Imagine that for a summer job/internship as a college student--working a shift in Sequoia National Forest.

About this time we were starting to get concerned about making the drive back down the mountain on what may be slippery roads. We stopped at the camp store to purchase a few refrigerator magnets, postcards, etc. Although the snow was not blinding, it was a concern to two low country southerners that drive in snow once every 20 years. We started the return trip to Three Rivers, marveling at the sights that had been enhanced by the snowfall. By the time that we had dropped to 5,000 ft elevation the snowfall had let up. After another 1,000 ft descent there was no evidence of snow except on the hoods of vehicles.

Tomorrow we're off to Kings Canyon which is north of Sequoia Park.