A Land of Giants!
Day 1 of my trip continued as I drove the twisted switchbacks from Kings Canyon over to Sequoia! The park sign greeted me, announcing that I was almost to my destination of the Lodgepole Visitor Center!
My first stop was actually to my campsite at Lodgepole Campground where I took a much needed afternoon nap from the days adventure. After rest I got some recommendations for sunset and prepared to hike Moro Rock! This hike is ony 1/4th of a mile but it is a climb of over 300 stairs! But the scenery on the way up was breathtaking.
This sunset was amazing!!! I felt like I was in a cinema or living out a puzzle photo!
The next morning I hiked to the largest tree in the world by volume, the majestic General Sherman Tree. Below if you look to the left of the photo you can see me, dwarfed by the grandness of this tree!
My hike started from General Sherman Tree Trailhead and wound its way through the congress trail. By the end of the morning I had walked miles and miles winding in and out of this magical setting! Once again, photos of these trees do not do them justice.... I just don't think their scale can be taken in with out being present to see there imposing figures! Also on this trail I got my first site of a Pika! Pika's are small, rabbit-like creatures and I shared the trail with this one for a decent bit of time before it went off to find more food!
The views were absolutely amazing in this hike my favorite photo of the morning is below and to the left. After all that walking it was time for another nap! I went back to my campsite at Lodgepole and snapped the photo to the right! It was amazing to have the river running right by my campsite!!
Post nap it was time to explore the Big Trees Trailhead and the Giant Forest Museum. The views from Big Trees Trail were spectacular and so much information was provided on the tree's anatomy and needs. It was sad to learn at the Giant Forest Museum that the habitats for these trees are being lost, pollution and weather changes that are leading to more intense fires and differing water content in the area is reducing the habitat in which these trees can thrive.
To watch the sunset I hiked over to Hanging Rock, which is opposite of Moro Rock that I hiked the night before! Seeing Moro Rock in the many tones of differing light was a joy that I had not expected for this sunset!
Once again the sunset truly popped off! It was wonder inspiring!!
My last morning in the park I went to hike Crescent Meadow Trail to chimney tree. This morning I got to read more information about the Mono (Monache), Yokuts, Tubatulabal, Paiute, and Western Shoshone tribes that walked the land before westward bound settlers displaced them from there homes. This park had little information in the visitors centers about the indigenous populations that called this land home so I did a little digging on my own and read about the land before my morning hike.
Right outside the park you are given a violent reminder of why the national parks and other public lands are so important. The land was filled with oil rigs. They were spotted across the landscape like scars.
As I made the drive back to Las Vegas I stopped at the Cesar E. Chavez National Monument. This monument, home and final resting place of the co-founder of National Farm Workers Association/United Farm Workers. The monument was established by President Barack Obama on October 8, 2012. It put face and name to the lives that fought, walked a picket line, and went on hunger strike for safety, fair wages, and workers rights.
These farm strikes became a nation wide labor movement. I was unaware of the length of time that the workers were on strike, and the depths at which there communities dug in to support the workers. It gives me hope that through community and compassion the arc can be bent towards a more fair and just world.
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