June 11, 2014 - Trail of the Sequioas

 Title: June 11, 2014 - Trail of the Sequoias

Trail head: General Sherman Tree Parking Lot

Hike Info:

Type:  Hiking

Trail: Trail of the Sequoias

Destination: Loop

Distance: 9.08 miles

Start Time:  9:01

End Time:   3:36

Travel Time: 6:35 (1.38 mph)

Moving Time: 4:49 (1.89 mph)

Elevation Rise: 1,639'

Maximum Elevation: 7,102'

Description:
Got up at 5 because it looks like we will be picking up three people, two of them we will drive to their place. We make it to one of the person's pick up place, but the person is not there and apparently is not ready to go. But we pick up Angel at her house and Richard at the Old Schoolhouse Restaurant. I think we are about 15 minutes behind, but Richard says that the group just went by 5 minutes ago, so we are in good shape. We catch up to the group at the Wye. while waiting for construction. Then onward to the Grant Grove Visitor Center to relieve our bodies before hitting construction again and then to the General Sherman Tree parking lot.

General Sherman Tree

I am packing pretty close to my ten day pack; Sherri is the same. There are 18 of us in this group: John and Cathey, Jerry K, Stephanie, Mary, Rob, Richard, Angel, Meagan, DD, Joe, Leslie, Becky, Matt, Lee F, Lee J, plus Sherri and myself. A good group, but over the day we will get spread out a bit.

The first third of a mile is a pretty steep decline, until we get to the General Sherman Tree, the largest living organism on our planet. We get properly awestruck at it's immenseness. But this is just the beginning. But first Jerry K takes us a bit further down to the handicap parking lot and bathrooms. 

Cathey, Angel, Sherri

This area is appropriately named, Giant Forest. Trees, trees, trees, everywhere, and not your garden variety trees. These are big, mature trees, not only tall, but massive. In a different age, there was a tendency to name anything and everything with some prominence. So we get groups of trees called The Senate, The Congress, The President, the Lincoln Tree, the McKinley Tree and many others. Each of these, anyplace else would be an object of wonder. Here, it is so easy to slip into thinking, it's just another tree. One always has to be on guard not to treat the extra-ordinary as common. But when you get right down to it, when we think about it, we see a world just packed full of extra-ordinary play things. Sort of like in The Screwtape Letters, CS Lewis talks about how God is a hedonist, creating a world full of play things for His children.

Bird Watching

DD Being Swallowed

The path which Jerry K leads us on circumnavigates the eastern edge of Circle Meadow-we will come back along the western edge of this Meadow in a vain search for Cattle Cabin. The wandering, and wondering, through Giant Forest is such a pleasant interchange of large trees, meadows which spread out thousands of feet, and tiny rivulets with life giving water. Each of these meadows are bounded by ridge which the trail  leads us over. So after each climb, you feel like that was not so bad. But when you look at a whole days travel, you realize you have done some work, like 1,600' of rise. Not too bad for just going up and down mostly minor ridges.

Log Meadow

Log Meadow

After passing Circle Meadow, we cross a few more rises and see Log Meadow. With Log Meadow comes Tharp's Log-see the connection. A couple thoughts come to my mind. The first is what a shabby little cabin for such a bright green meadow. The second thought was if I lived here, I do not think I would care how shabby the cabin was-I would be in heaven.

Tharp's Log

Log Meadow Bear

We circle on the east side of Log Meadow. John is into pondering huge fallen Sequoia's. There are a few laying in this meadow. I show John one of them, but then I see another log with this funny looking growth laying in the sun across the cross. Then the funny ball moves-it's a bear sunning herself! From others in the group, there were also two cubs playing. But all which I saw was this mama bear enjoying the sun and scrounging for food. The group stopped and looked for a good 15 minutes before trudging on for lunch at Crescent Meadows.

Crescent Meadow

Lunch is an enjoyable affair. I am seated with Matt G, Mary, Sherri and Stephanie. John is impressed with this area and wants to know what else can be done around here. We chit-chat for awhile, but eventually we have to move.

Our return trip takes us along the west side of a Crescent Meadows. We move pretty good. That is, until we see another bear rousting around for food in Circle Meadow. Once again we stop to enjoy the scene and take pictures. But we break up and leave the bear in peace.

There is a group of five of us who move pretty quickly and out-pace the rest of us. That will be the last we see of them until the parking lot. The rest of us are content to enjoy what we are seeing at a little slower pace.

 

Circle Meadow Bear

Hikers looking at bear

 
When we get to the far side(north west), we were expecting to see Cattle Cabin. This is a historic cabin which the early cattlemen used as a summer headquarters. But we do not see it and the trail signs are leaving us all clueless. There is only so much beauty the soul can absorb before it grows tired. I think our group is reaching that saturation point because we are starting to count how many more miles is it till we get to the car. 

Some Oh Wow Flowers

So we descend down to the a General Sherman Tree area and count heads before trudging up to the parking a area. Remember that steep descent we did at the beginning? Well, we are left with that being our final obstacle before reaching the cars. So with a fair amount of aches, and stopping to breath we climb up to the parking lot. You would think that a person who hikes all over the place would not have troubles, but hundreds of tourists each day made it up the slope better than I did. But fortunately, others were just as slow as I was.

We have a meal at the Lodgepole area, then head on back. We drop off Richard and Angel. Then get back atnd head for a hot, relaxing shower.

Trail Lesson:

Sherri

Gary

One always has to be on guard not to treat the extra-ordinary as common. But when you get right down to it, when we think about it, we see a world just packed full of extra-ordinary play things.