Day 37 - Our 1st View of Giant Sequoias

I got up at 5:45 so I could "catch up" on some of my writings and downloading of photos.  Ken was up by 7 and after making our breakfast, I headed to the office to work on the blog and try to download photos! Had trouble getting on the internet and no luck loading photos.  Frustrating.

The 4 of us left in Gregory's CRV (so nice that we can take turns driving) and headed into the Park to stop at one of the most photographed Vistas in the World, Inspiration Point.  From there you can view El Capitan, Half Dome, Cathedral Points, Sentinel Rock, and Bridalveil Falls.  Horseshoe Falls, which is sometimes seen from that point was not flowing this time of year. It was a beautiful spot to take photos, but unfortunately, it was overcast and cloudy today.  Hopefully we will get a better photo another day this week.

Quite a Backdrop!

The smiling 4

From there we headed to Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias.  We got to the parking lot and were told it was full and we would have to go back to the Hotel and get a shuttle to the trail or come back later today.  Are you kidding??  It took us 1 1/2 hours to get here, so we weren't heading back and returning around 5 (the time he recommended).  But, we were able to get a parking spot where someone had just left and the shuttle would be there shortly.  After going to the restroom, the "boys" said we needed to hurry.  They had just opened the gate and we could drive to the next parking lot where the trailhead for the Mariposa Grove trail began.  Boy, we felt very fortunate!

We started hiking the beautiful 5 mile trail and went passed many sequoias, some that were named.  I don't know when I heard Ken ooh and aah so many times.  He was totally amazed by the sequoias.  The color and size of them is overwhelming!  The oldest giant sequoias may exceed 3,000 years in age, can grow up to 378 feet, and are just over 40 feet in basal diameter.  The tallest we saw today was about 290 feet.  The 1st one we passed was the Fallen Monarch that they feel has been on the ground for centuries.  Notice how it is hardly decayed.  Tannic acid in the wood suppresses the initial growth of fungi and bacteria, essentially arresting decay of a fallen sequoia.  Notice the roots of the tree.  They do not have deep tap roots; instead the roots spread out near the surface to capture water.  While the roots are usually no deeper than 6 feet, they can fan out more than 150 feet, providing a stable base to balance the massive trunk. 

Our 1st view of a giant Sequoia!  The coloring
is magnificent!

What a beautiful, fenced lined trail!

A few more as we began our hike on this
well-maintained trail!

How can this tree have fallen decades ago
and still not be decayed???  Amazing!

It was a big one!!!!

We also passed the Bachelor and Three Graces and then the Grizzly Giant, estimated to be 1,800 years old.  The huge limb on the side of the tree is almost 7 feet in diameter, which is larger than the diameter of any non-sequoia in the grove.  Next was the California Tunnel Tree, cut in 1895 to allow horse-drawn stages to pass through. 

Bachelor and the 3 Graces

Grizzly Giant

It is hard to imagine how large this tree really is!

We also photographed the Faithful Couple, where 2 large trees have fused together at their bases, but remain clearly separated above.  On the opposite side of the road stand two smaller trees that may form the next "faithful couple".  Last, but not least, is the Clothespin Tree.  Numerous fires have excavated a natural tunnel wider than a car.

These 2 will "grow up" to be the next
faithful couple!

After 45 years of marriage, we are the faithful couple!

See how the 2 trees joined at the bottom!

It looks like a wooden clothespin, right??????

You probably also noticed all the blackened trees on our hike due to numerous fires in the grove. It was realized in the early 1960's that Sequoias depend on natural fires for their reproduction. By then, 100 years of unburned forest litter and young evergreens were present, producing a massive fuel load   To reduce this abnormal fuel supply and promote giant sequoia reproduction, the National Park Service began a series of "prescribed burns," that were deliberately set and closely monitored by rangers during spring and fall.  When the forest returns to a more natural state, these management fires will probably be discontinued. Then nature can resume its cycle of lightning-caused fires every 7 to 20 years.

It would be so hard to count the rings to determine
 the age of this tree!

Helps you understand the massiveness of these trees!

The trunks of the sequoia are huge!

We stopped to eat our lunches on the way back to CG and then it was time for Melissa and I to do some laundry.  We worked on our blogs and downloaded photos while sitting at the laundry.  Ken made us salads till I returned.

Not a bad setting for our picnic lunch!

Loved the bright blue coloring of this bird!