What is very large, very thick and very old?

July 31st 2010

No don't say Rush Limbaugh, because he is not really very old. If you said the "General Sherman" tree in Sequoia National Park you would be right. In fact this 2500 year old tree probably contains enough lumber to rebuild the Atlanta it's namesake general destroyed during the civil war. Is this not ironic? The largest tree on the planet is named after a general who burned his way through the South on his march to the sea!

John Muir and George Stewart played an important role in preserving this beautiful part of the world. Stewart wrote this 10 years before the forests here were finally protected:

“The cutting down of one of these trees is nothing less than a sacrilege and should be prohibited by the most stringent of laws. This practice should be stopped before our forests are entirely denuded of redwoods…”Every lover of wild woodlands may cherish the hope that Congress will be induced to throw about our splendid forest at once the mantle of government protection.”

Sequoia became the nation's second national park when it was established on September 26, 1890, as a result of the same piece of legislation which created Yosemite and General Grant (now Kings Canyon) National Parks. It tripled in size one week after its founding, when the Giant Forest area was actually added to the park. In 1926 the park was again expanded toward the east to include the crest of the Sierra mountains, including Mount Whitney. The last section added was the Mineral King area in the southern portion of the park in 1978, culminating an effort to save the area from development as a ski resort.

We awake early this day and drive to the park entrance, just a short distance from our motel. after entering the park it is about a 30 minute drive straight uphill to reach the area named by John Muir as the "The Giant Forest". The giant Sequoia trees here cluster together in groves. In fact, all of the earth's sequoia trees are contained in just 75 groves which lay at an elevation between 5000 and 7000 feet in the Sierra. In this "Giant Forest"live four of the earth's 5 largest trees. (I have no idea if this is true or not but is sounds good and is noted in the park's brochure.)

If one avoids the "General Sherman" area where the tourists cluster, there are some beautiful hiking trails among the trees and meadows where you rarely encounter but a few other hikers. We chose a 5 mile hike that ended at General Sherman. We crossed paths with a family of four and a young Spanish couple with whom we talked about the recent World Cup and Spain's exciting victory and celebration.

Ever hear of the 80/20 rule that exists in the National Parks? When most people get out of their cars or bus at a point of interest, they will walk no more than 80 yards and take no more than 20 minutes and then get back in the car or bus. My observations ...this is true!

Before our hike in the woods, we stopped at Morro Rock, a smaller version of El Captain in Yosemite, and climbed the 400 steps to the top. Nothing too treacherous here, but you do better by avoiding the look down till you reach the summit. The view here is remarkable! check out Paula in the attached pic.

Before I leave Sequoia, here is an interesting tid-bit. Sequoias make for lousy building lumber. They splinter easily. So while much of the old growth forests with Douglas Firs, Redwoods and similar trees suffered the ravages of clear-cutting, the Sequoias were spared.