Sequoia

Jules walking up the Congress Trail 

This is the General Sherman tree, the largest tree in the world by volume. Can you see the people in the left-hand corner? It is a BIG TREE. 

We were all excited to see once we actually got to Sequoia National Park that the sequoias were indeed very impressive! Much more so than the ones we'd seen earlier in other parks. This is (yet another) park where I really really want to come back to backpack through it (and hike Mt. Whitney!!)

We headed off down the Congress trail and then eventually Juliet and Neil split off to go back to our car and I took the boys down the Alta trail towards the Big Trees area. 

So interesting to see how much fire damage the trees can tolerate. 

One thing I was not expecting is that the sequoia bark feels kind of sponge-like? Basically they get to a point where they aren't really growing taller but just wider, and the bark layers provide protection from fires over their thousands of years of life. 

Once we passed the McKinley Tree and headed down the Alta trail, we saw almost nobody--I think maybe we saw 4 people in the next 3 miles? Seriously amazing after the crazy insane crowds around the Sherman tree. 

Legit had the place to ourselves and it was so so so beautiful. 

I really enjoyed the time with my boys. Tons of people have expressed sympathy for me with a house full of all boys now that both Juliet and Abigail are in college, and you know what? I really like these dudes. They are so fun to be with and I love them to pieces. We miss the girls so much, but I don't for a minute wish that I didn't have all four of these guys together to enjoy. (I mean, come on, I have teenage sons who still kiss my cheek every night before they go to bed?! How lucky am I??)

Matty doing the Three Amigos salute, smh. I didn't realize this is what he was doing until one of the older kids explained it to me...

Meanwhile Juliet and Neil were enjoying the other half of the Congress Trail; we both were positive that the other group could not be seeing such magical things as we were seeing & then had serious FOMO when we shared pictures!

Then we went to the Giant Forest museum and wandered through the nearby groves. 

Crazy to learn that so many sequoias were cut down and hotels built in their place; it was really interesting to read about the restoration work and to see how incredibly difficult it is to regain and regrow what has been damaged by corporate greed. I really hope our national parks survive the horrors of the Trump Administration. 

A few final photos with a Matthew for perspective. 

This is a sequoia cone--can you believe how tiny they are? The cones can stay on the trees for twenty years before they are released, and the resin sealing them closed does not melt until it is immersed in fire (more specifically the fires of Mt. Doom, haha). The issue now is that the fires burning through the sequoia groves are so hot and so intense that they ignite the crowns, so the trees' fire resistance is essentially not a match for the current mess of climate change. 

Some very very beautiful flowers that were smaller than my pinkie nail. 

Near the end of the day we climbed up Moro Rock, which is a cool view but it was so crowded and I was so annoyed by the people who had their dogs with them, which is absolutely not allowed. And the people flying drones (I did yell at the drone people). 

And then back to our Airbnb, where we all enjoyed showers and food made in an oven!! And ice cream and Netflix, let's be real. (Although I just laid in my bed while everyone else watched Netflix and enjoyed the quiet and my book.)