Today we would visit the Sherman Tree in a grove near the Giant Forest, then connect to the Congress Trail to see other monarch sequoias, on to lunch at a picnic area, then take in the Giant Forest Museum, the Tunnel Log and Lodgepole Visitor Center.
We found three spaces in the parking lot since we got there so early, a little after 9am. The General Sherman Trail path was paved and about 3/4 mile downhill. Along the way Tom and Julie shared some love with these beauties.
The Big Tree is approximately 2,200 years old. It's the largest tree in the world based on volume.
The viewing area had large cobblestones in the footprint shape of the tree, which was neat to get a perspective on how tiny we are in comparison.
We walked over to the Congress Trail and immediately were away from the crowds further back in the woods. There were several monarch and mature giant sequoias: the General Lee, President's Tree, and, Chief Sequoyah. This trail has the most number of monarch sequoias anywhere in the park.
Then we saw this bear!
Michele had been walking behind and said she saw everyone ahead in a group talking about a bear, so she figured it was up over near them. As she looked left there he was. She gasped "Oh! Rob!" and the bear looked right at her. She started clapping to scare him away. The bear blinked and moved behind the log. Rob came back down the path to get those pictures. Amazing.
Further along the trail there is the McKinley Tree and two groups of sequoias: the Senate group and House group.
Monarch Sequoia's do not die of disease or old age. Their life ends when they are destroyed by fire, which is rather unusual due to the extremely thick bark or more often when they topple over. Their shallow roots can be undermined by erosion or they can be knocked over by heavy snows or high winds. Below is a good picture of what their root structure looks like. Notice the lack of a tap root.
Our picnic stop was a designated picnic area called Pinewood Picnic Area less than a mile away. We chose a sunny table and set up. The tables had signs permanently installed on them warning of keeping food within arm's reach at all times due to bears. Julie later said that if a bear was coming at her, she would throw her food at Tom and run.
We drove over to the Giant Forest Museum. They had nice exhibits that were really educational. Their bark can be over two feet thick! Under the bark is a thick section of sapwood which resists fire due to its high water content. The core wood naturally resists bugs and rot. They can grow over 300 feet tall. Their branches can be 8 feet in diameter. During our hike we wondered what sequoia saplings and young trees looked like. Apparently nothing like the mature trees! We may have been surrounded by them all day and not even realized it.
Today was a great day full of beautiful scenery: the trees, the bear, a lot of birds.
We had an early dinner at the lodge dining room and called it a night. Tomorrow we leave for Death Valley!
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