Monday, July 17, 2006

Backpacking in California - June 2006, Part 6



(continued from "Backpacking in California - June 2006, Part 5")

The next morning, we packed up. Our Sierra trip was nearing the end, but we still wanted to make a few stops in Kings Canyon National Park and Sequoia NP.

Kings Canyon National Park is even more beautiful than Yosemite (in my opinion). Although hanging waterfalls don't slap you in the face at Kings Canyon, the ecotones and vegetation, as well as the sheer granite cliffs with the river running below are far more impressive. I saw more vegetational diversity at Kings Canyon than I did at Yosemite. It makes me wonder if Yosemite is too managed (i.e. less fire & other habitat management activities in exchange for more human-related attractions [the Valley is a good example]).

The Kings River was raging due to the snowmelt. If a person were to slip into the river, they would be long gone and dead before they could be pulled from the river. The Kings River cuts through the granite cliffs of Kings Canyon to a depth of 8,000 feet. This is deeper than the Grand Canyon. Photos cannot do this place justice. It is awesome. John Muir declared that Kings Canyon rivals Yosemite in granduer and beauty. Perhaps it's good that few people visit this national park.

We hiked a trail at Road's End (can't remember the name of the trail at the moment). It followed the valley and river. It was so beautiful. I would have loved to stay there forever. We definitely want to go on a backpacking trip in Kings Canyon next time and skip Yosemite.

(to be continued...soon)

General Sherman is the largest tree in the world (by volume). It stands 274.9 feet high and the circumference at its base is 102.6 feet.


Wednesday, July 05, 2006

Backpacking In California - June 2006, Part 5

(continued from "Backpacking in California - June 2006, Part 4")

We left Yosemite and went to Giant Sequoia National Monument. The pace was much slower there. It's amazing how many people go to Yosemite, but how few go to Giant Sequoia NM, Sequoia NP and Kings Canyon NP.

Giant Sequoia National Monument is a new national monument that was established in 2000 from US Forest Service land. USFS still manages it - which I find strange that a multiple-use resource agency is in charge of protecting and preserving sequoia groves which are so precious and endangered. I think Giant Sequoia National Monument might be safer from logging & other natural resource extractions if it were managed by the National Park Service!

The lack of crowds is really nice and peaceful. We set up our tents in a very quiet campground in Kings Canyon National Park and then went to check out General Grant.

Notice in the picture the fire scar. Because the bark is so thick, fire usually doesn't harm an older sequoia. I took this picture because in the forefront, the new generation of General Grants are establishing themselves! They'll eventually be thinned out due to fire, but at least one will survive to replace General Grant when "he" is gone. Nature has a way of taking care of things!

As is the case at most of the sequoia groves, a railing has been built to keep people away from the trees. The main reason to stay away from the trees is because of their shallow roots. If everyone walked up to the base of the trees, then the soil would get compacted, which inhibits oxygen intake, and the roots would be damaged. Even though seqouias are huge, they are only being held in place by a shallow root system! So remember to stay on the designated trails.


There are some interesting things that you are allowed to touch and get near. For example, you can walk into the burned-out center of the Fallen Monarch. This tree fell long before the area was discovered. But once found, settlers used it for housing, a hotel, and a saloon! And the US Calvary housed 32 mules - inside the tree! You can walk through it and see what it must have been like to live under the shelter of the Fallen Monarch.

The Centennial Stump is a sad piece of sequoia history. The tree was chopped down in 1875 to prove to the masses in the eastern US that such large trees actually did exist in the West. The tree was cut into pieces, shipped back east to be displayed at America's Centennial celebration in Philadelphia. You can still see the stump from the General Grant trail.

Take a virtual photo tour of the General Grant trail: www.nps.gov/seki/grantwlk/gg1.htm

We finished our General Grant exploration just as it was getting dark. Back at the campsite, we relaxed in the solitude. There was plenty of downed wood to make a good fire. The low was somewhere around the upper 30s so the fire was much appreciated. I read through my Sierra field guide, while Vince read a book and Scott put the final touches on some of his sketches.

(continued on "Backpacking in California - June 2006, Part 6")







Tuesday, July 04, 2006

Backpacking in California - June 2006, Part 4

(continued from "Backpacking in California - June 2006, Part 3")

We completed our backpacking portion of the trip. This is the view where our trail returned to the Valley area. We didn't come out here because we backtracked. But this would have been awesome to descend upon through the various ecotones. I'm bummed that we missed this part. But at least we got to see the view (from the car!). This is from a pull-out parking area...so Yosemite visitors don't have to trek into the wilderness to get views like this...they just drive up to the views...kinda like a McDonalds drive-thru. At least it's accessible to all; which garners support for our National Park system.

We spent our last night in Yosemite at the Backpacker's Campground by the Merced River.


It's free and available on a first-come, first-serve basis for backpackers to spend the night before or the night directly after a backpacking trip into the wilderness.


Scott enjoying a cup of gourmet camp coffee. I think he looked like a...from Star Wars.

We packed up our gear and loaded the car. Made a stop by the Village in order to visit the museum. Scott got to talking to the docent about the photography exhibit. As we left, nausea came over me. I didn't think I could handle the restrooms so I walked over to a secluded, wooded spot and l found a Sequoia to lay under. Mosquitos were swarming all around me but didn't bite me...however, they were punishing Scott and driving him mad. I tried to stay still to see if the nausea would subside. Other than feeling like crap, it was peaceful. Finally I started feeling good enough to get in the car. We went to check out Lower Yosemite Falls. I spent another 30 minutes laying in the car. As I began to feel better, I did some birdwatching from the car. Very goofy, I know. The birds made me feel better! I saw my first Acorn Woodpecker.

We slowly sauntered down the trail to the Lower Falls. Finally a chance to see close-up what we were viewing from above on the Pohono Trail. It was beautiful. There was a plaque with a quote by John Muir, "As long as I live, I'll hear waterfalls and birds and winds sing. I'll interpret the rocks, learn the language of flood, storm, and the avalanche. I'll acquaint myself with the glaciers and wild gardens, and get as near the heart of the world as I can."

"Brought into right relationships with the wilderness, man would see that his appropriation of Earth's resources beyond his personal needs would only bring imbalance and begat ultimate loss and poverty by all." We should consider John Muir's comments everyday...


(continued on "Backpacking in California - June 2006, Part 5")

Backpacking in California - June 2006, Part 3

(continued from "Backpacking in California - June 2006, Part 2")

We continued our hike to Taft Point and the Fissures. I didn't know what to expect. In fact, due to all the downed trees and wet areas, we had to divert from the trail a bit and we missed getting back on it. We saw an opening of granite so we walked out onto that so as not to trample any more vegetation. The opening sloped down for a great distance. We picked up the trail again in the opening and followed it to the Fissures. WOW! If you're afraid of heights (especially visually-observing that you are several thousand feet up looking over the edge of a chasm) then this is not the place for you to hang out! The Fissures are a split between the granite that allows you to look down to the Valley floor below. There are several boulders wedged in the narrow breaks - left over from the last Ice Age glaciers. (Notice the tiny person at the edge of Taft Point).

Taft Point is equally impressive. There is one rail next to a USGS survey marker. That railing is the only thing between you and the precipice below. I didn't trust my equilibrium so I got on my belly and inched up to the edge for a gander over. Kinda made me queasy.

[When Yosemite was a young national park, Red Firs were lit afire and pushed over the edge (I believe from Glacier Point) to the valley below in a nightly tourist attraction called Firefall. In addition to that spectacle not being the charge of the National Park Service, it created traffic jams, damaged plants and the meadows below, and probably started wildfires. Can you believe that this practice didn't end until 1968!]

After looking mortality in the face, we hit the trail again. We only had a few more miles to go to get into the wilderness area; to the place where we would set up camp. The trail left the wide open area and passed on into dense forest. Then finally we came to Bridalveil Creek. There was a nicely-crafted bridge that crossed over the raging snowmelt water. Photo op!

We found a site that was already established and was about 300 feet from the creek. We used downed logs to walk on so as to minimize the trampling upon the fragile plants. (It's a hard life for the plants at that elevation...and they have such a short growing season...).

We set up camp, relaxed and filtered some water from the creek. As dusk approached, the temperatures fell significantly so we built a small campfire. We made dinner (freeze-dried dinner!) and joked around until late at night. We were halfway waiting for a bear to come and take one of us away. We placed our bear canisters far away from camp but I'm sure if a bear were around, it probably would have visited us.

Instead of making a 30-mile loop like we planned, we backtracked. It's a good thing that we had a hike in with clear skies because the hike out was shrouded in clouds, mist, fog.
So we missed the views, but walking through the clouds was neat. It made all the greens look really bright. We felt like elves walking through an enchanted forest...
We hiked back to Taft Point and dropped Scott off there with the backpacks. There were a few breaks in the clouds so we could see a little bit off in the distance. But then the clouds would rush back up and envelope us. Vince and I hiked several more miles back to the car. We were practically running because we were so light without our packs. We drove the car to a different trailhead and hiked back to Taft Point. When we returned to pick up Scott, he was shivering because it had gotten so cold in the cloud and mist. I couldn't help but laugh at him. We were sweating!
(continued on "Backpacking in California - June 2006, Part 4")

Backpacking in California - June 2006, Part 2

(continued from "Backpacking in California - June 2006, Part 1")

All the crowds remained below in the Valley or at Glacier Point but we passed just a few day-hikers on our trail. We only saw 2 other people backpacking into the wilderness area. Maybe it was an anomaly that there weren’t many people. I’m thinking people have curbed their vacations due to the high (and ever-increasing) gas prices. We didn’t mind the lack of crowds. That just meant better views for us to enjoy!

We pulled off the trail because there was a super view of Yosemite Falls. Scott did a watercolor and I propped myself up against a downed Lodgepole Pine and took a catnap. One of my favorite things to do is to lay down on the ground in the wilderness and either sleep or just listen to nature. It's the most relaxing thing to do EVER!

Look at the awesome view down to where Scott was standing. The landscape in Yosemite makes humans look miniscule.

(continued on "Backpacking in California - June 2006, Part 3")