Hello Y'All,
Our latest installment takes us back into the tent and taking in our twelfth and thirteenth national parks, both of which lie within the Sierra Nevada mountain range.
We were tired leaving Healdsburg for a couple reasons. One was the epic binge (on and off for two weeks) we undertook starting in L.A. and ending in the vineyards of Dry Creek Valley. The other was Shauna's Poison Oak she (or more accurately we) had been dealing with for a few days already. The rash ran wild on Shauna and there was nothing we could do about it. It's still an issue now, almost two weeks on, but it's finally starting to recede. Shauna has been covering both legs, right arm, and neck in Caladryl at least three times a day. We haven't experienced this sort of thing since we were ten years old, but let us tell you, it's bad. Stay away from leaves of three!
Although Shauna was miserable, therefore making Pat miserable, we managed to make our way to Sequoia NP (and Kings Canyon NP, jointly administered by the same park rangers), about half way up the west side of the Sierra Nevada. We were immediately amazed by the unbelievable size of the trees. We spent two nights in a campground within the park, sleeping among the biggest trees in the world. The largest tree on the planet, The General Sherman, is 103 feet in circumference! Think about that for a minute. That would take seventeen to twenty men holding hands to link up with each other. A thirteen story building could fit underneath it's first major branch. It's twenty-seven floors plus in total, and is anywhere from 2,200 to 2,500 years old. It's older than Julius Caesar. It's insane.
The General Sherman is just one of many sequoias in the Giant Forest, where we hiked seven miles. You'll see from the pictures how incredible it is. Just look at the pictures. You'll have to look close to see the people in some of them. Sequoias are not the tallest, those are the Redwoods on California's coast (the next blog as well), but they are the biggest because of their girth. Their volume is almost unfathomable. Towards the end of our hike we ran into a decent sized black bear tearing into a Sequoia looking for bugs. It was only about fifty feet away and Shauna was not comfortable. As Pat started to takes pictures, Shauna ran in circles trying to find the safest escape route. After literally running into the same British man twice in ten seconds, the man gently tapped Shauna on the shoulder and whispered to follow Pat. Suffice it to say Shauna did not have a lot of experience with bears in Westchester. We also hiked into another Sequoia grove to see the second largest tree in the world, The General Grant. Close by is a trail that takes you to a beautiful vista of the high Sierra's, a huge and gorgeous mountain range we have not heard much about. For their size and beauty we're not sure why we haven't heard more about them. We think it's because as easterners we get caught up with the Rockies (with good reason), and never think about this majestic range. The highest point in the lower forty-eight is here at Mount Whitney, standing 14,498 feet above sea level.
We left Sequoia NP for Yosemite NP, about four hours north, also on California's western edge. We had no idea where we would end up sleeping as Yosemite is out of control busy during the summer and all the campsites were sold out months in advance. Thanks to a tip from the Yosemite Rangers reservation office we found a private campground five miles outside the park. It was expensive at $50 a night, but ended up being worth it for its proximity to everything. We can say with a some certainty that we would never do Yosemite again during the summer. It is ridiculously packed with idiotic tourists. We suppose we're all entitled to act like imbeciles when we're on vacation, but Yosemite takes it to another level. Yosemite is fantastic, but try to visit in the spring or fall if possible. With that said, Yosemite Valley is breathtaking. It's 3,500 feet from bottom to top, with one of the best overall vistas in the world.
We spent our first day on the top of the south side of the canyon around the Glacier Point area. Here we got a lot of the pictures you'll see. It's a long way down to the valley floor, and there is a lot going on from top to bottom. There are waterfalls all over the place, and dramatic rock formations next to each of them. The most famous waterfall is Yosemite Falls, the second highest falls in the world. We hiked to the top of it on the most grueling hike we've taken so far. The trail ascends almost 3,000 feet in just three and a half miles. The view from the top was lessened a bit by the vertigo experienced looking down, but it was a satisfying hike nonetheless. On our third full day, we finished Yosemite with a great four mile walk though Toulumne Meadows on the northern most part of the park cars can travel. Here the high Sierra's come back into view and they do not disappoint.
After four days and twenty miles of hiking in one of America's most beautiful places we took off towards Tahoe and made it most of the way. We got a much needed oil change and are now spending a much needed night in a motel before getting together once again with friends. Phish plays at Stateline, Tahoe for the next two nights and we're meeting Pat's high school friends Jim and Benner for a couple of fun nights. After that we make our way back to the California coast to check out the tallest trees in the world.
Until then,
S&P
Our latest installment takes us back into the tent and taking in our twelfth and thirteenth national parks, both of which lie within the Sierra Nevada mountain range.
We were tired leaving Healdsburg for a couple reasons. One was the epic binge (on and off for two weeks) we undertook starting in L.A. and ending in the vineyards of Dry Creek Valley. The other was Shauna's Poison Oak she (or more accurately we) had been dealing with for a few days already. The rash ran wild on Shauna and there was nothing we could do about it. It's still an issue now, almost two weeks on, but it's finally starting to recede. Shauna has been covering both legs, right arm, and neck in Caladryl at least three times a day. We haven't experienced this sort of thing since we were ten years old, but let us tell you, it's bad. Stay away from leaves of three!
Although Shauna was miserable, therefore making Pat miserable, we managed to make our way to Sequoia NP (and Kings Canyon NP, jointly administered by the same park rangers), about half way up the west side of the Sierra Nevada. We were immediately amazed by the unbelievable size of the trees. We spent two nights in a campground within the park, sleeping among the biggest trees in the world. The largest tree on the planet, The General Sherman, is 103 feet in circumference! Think about that for a minute. That would take seventeen to twenty men holding hands to link up with each other. A thirteen story building could fit underneath it's first major branch. It's twenty-seven floors plus in total, and is anywhere from 2,200 to 2,500 years old. It's older than Julius Caesar. It's insane.
The General Sherman is just one of many sequoias in the Giant Forest, where we hiked seven miles. You'll see from the pictures how incredible it is. Just look at the pictures. You'll have to look close to see the people in some of them. Sequoias are not the tallest, those are the Redwoods on California's coast (the next blog as well), but they are the biggest because of their girth. Their volume is almost unfathomable. Towards the end of our hike we ran into a decent sized black bear tearing into a Sequoia looking for bugs. It was only about fifty feet away and Shauna was not comfortable. As Pat started to takes pictures, Shauna ran in circles trying to find the safest escape route. After literally running into the same British man twice in ten seconds, the man gently tapped Shauna on the shoulder and whispered to follow Pat. Suffice it to say Shauna did not have a lot of experience with bears in Westchester. We also hiked into another Sequoia grove to see the second largest tree in the world, The General Grant. Close by is a trail that takes you to a beautiful vista of the high Sierra's, a huge and gorgeous mountain range we have not heard much about. For their size and beauty we're not sure why we haven't heard more about them. We think it's because as easterners we get caught up with the Rockies (with good reason), and never think about this majestic range. The highest point in the lower forty-eight is here at Mount Whitney, standing 14,498 feet above sea level.
We left Sequoia NP for Yosemite NP, about four hours north, also on California's western edge. We had no idea where we would end up sleeping as Yosemite is out of control busy during the summer and all the campsites were sold out months in advance. Thanks to a tip from the Yosemite Rangers reservation office we found a private campground five miles outside the park. It was expensive at $50 a night, but ended up being worth it for its proximity to everything. We can say with a some certainty that we would never do Yosemite again during the summer. It is ridiculously packed with idiotic tourists. We suppose we're all entitled to act like imbeciles when we're on vacation, but Yosemite takes it to another level. Yosemite is fantastic, but try to visit in the spring or fall if possible. With that said, Yosemite Valley is breathtaking. It's 3,500 feet from bottom to top, with one of the best overall vistas in the world.
We spent our first day on the top of the south side of the canyon around the Glacier Point area. Here we got a lot of the pictures you'll see. It's a long way down to the valley floor, and there is a lot going on from top to bottom. There are waterfalls all over the place, and dramatic rock formations next to each of them. The most famous waterfall is Yosemite Falls, the second highest falls in the world. We hiked to the top of it on the most grueling hike we've taken so far. The trail ascends almost 3,000 feet in just three and a half miles. The view from the top was lessened a bit by the vertigo experienced looking down, but it was a satisfying hike nonetheless. On our third full day, we finished Yosemite with a great four mile walk though Toulumne Meadows on the northern most part of the park cars can travel. Here the high Sierra's come back into view and they do not disappoint.
After four days and twenty miles of hiking in one of America's most beautiful places we took off towards Tahoe and made it most of the way. We got a much needed oil change and are now spending a much needed night in a motel before getting together once again with friends. Phish plays at Stateline, Tahoe for the next two nights and we're meeting Pat's high school friends Jim and Benner for a couple of fun nights. After that we make our way back to the California coast to check out the tallest trees in the world.
Until then,
S&P
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