Kings Canyon National Park

Hi Blog.  On Monday, November 4th, we drove up to Kings Canyon National Park.  If you like Yosemite, than you will LOVE Kings Canyon.  The Park Services manages Sequoia and Kings Canyon as a single park, but they are completely different.  Sequoia is all about the trees.

Not that Kings Canyon doesn't have trees.  It does.  It actually has the biggest, baddest tree - General Grant.  This gentle giant is as tall as a 27-story building.  It is wider at its base than a three-lane freeway.  It weighs more than 700 large cars.  It's still pretty young - only 2,000 years old.  Looks pretty good to me.

Other trees in the General Grant Grove, haven't fared so well.  The Fallen Monarch was in this position when the first explores came to the canyon in the late 1800's.  The tree hasn't changed much in over 100 years - a testament to how long it takes sequoia wood to decompose, due to the high levels of tannin.  The Monarch was already hollow when it fell over, probably by lightning or fire.  It was used over the years as a cabin, a hotel, saloon and stables for 32 horses.  Now tourists can walk through it from one end to the other.

Since Sequoia trees don't release their seeds unless there is a fire, many of the young trees grow up in groups or pairs because they germinated at the same time in the same place.  Here are the twin sisters.  The two trees are now fused together at the base and share their soil nutrients, sunlight and water.

Now, to leave the trees of Kings Canyon and on to the canyons of Kings Canyon.  As you leave the Kings Canyon Visitor Center in Grant Grove Village, you actually leave the National Park and enter into the Sequoia National Forest.  As you travel further west into the Sierra Mountains you come to Junction View.  From here you can see the road down to the right that will take us back into Kings Canyon.  To say this area is immense is an understatement!

But first, we need to follow the South Fork of the Kings River through a narrow "V" canyon.  The granite walls loom up on both sides.

The glaciers that sculpted Kings Canyon didn't make it down this far.  The "V" was cut by the King River.  However, when you look at it today in the late fall it hardly looks like the mountain eater that chewed away at these granite cliffs.  However, in the spring when the snow melts, we are told that this little river really rocks.

Here is our first view of Kings Canyon for which the National Park was named.  If you think these photos look a lot like our photos of Yosemite, you would be correct.  The same forces that sculpted Yosemite, also did their work in Kings Canyon.  However, Kings Canyon has not been over-developed like Yosemite.  There are no expensive lodges or tourist shuttle buses.  In fact, since we are so close to the closing of the Scenic Byway for the winter, we practically had the canyon all to ourselves.

The granite domes that loom over Zumwalt Meadow, which is near Road's End at the far eastern end of the canyon, are just as grand as those in Yosemite, only they don't have the same PR agency touting their greatness.  Take a look at Palmer Mountain in all its pointy-ness, as reflected in the King River below.

The North Dome is just as formidable as Half Dome.  In fact, it is probable more so because it is a whole dome, not just a half.

Have you ever seen anything as grand as the Grand Sentinel as it guards the gateway to Bubbs Creek and the vast wilderness beyond Roads End?

Our time in Kings Canyon was way too short.  It took us four hours to get up here and we knew we had another three hours to get back.  With one last look down the King River, we headed back to our RV campground in Visalia:

Our drive back was as spectacular as our drive in.  Next time we come back this way, we will definitely plan to be here during camping season so that we can stay overnight in the canyon and get out and explore this area more thoroughly.  For now, we have to content ourselves with the tourist version of Kings Canyon.  As amazing as this trip has been, we know know there is more out there and we can't wait to explore it!

Kings Canyon - Seeking the Sequoias

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Hi Blog!

We continue to work our way south through California. Yesterday we drove across the San Joaquin Valley from Los Banos to Dunlap in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. We are camped at the Sequoia RV Park, the closest full service RV park to the Kings Canyon National Park. While we had visited Kings Canyon back in 2013, we didn't have enough time to do more than drive through the canyon. To see pretty pictures from that drive, click the link to our 2013 blog. 

On this visit, we were really hoping to spend more time in the canyon and get out and do some hiking. Unfortunately, we are a week too late. CalTran closed Highway 180 into the park just after Veterans Day in preparation for snow season. Never mind that it was sunny and 77 degrees today. We'll know better next time. In the meantime, there are still plenty of areas in the park that are still open.

Our day of exploration started with a hearty breakfast at Twin Valley Restaurant, here in Dunlap. The food was scrumptious and the staff friendly.  We were not the only ones looking for a good meal.

After breakfast we began our ascent into the mountains. Fresno is out there somewhere, but the haze in the valley made it difficult to see past our little valley.

Our first stop was the Kings Canyon National Park Visitor Center in Grant Grove Village. While we had been here in 2013, the whole complex has been updated. We enjoyed the new park video. After seeking the advice of several park rangers, we set out to explore areas of the park we missed last time.

Just next to the parking area for the famous General Grant Tree is the trailhead for the North Grove Trails.

Because the loop trail is over two miles long, most of the tourists just skip it. However, in this part of the park, none of the trees are surrounded by fences. You can walk right up and give them a hug.

During our hike, we saw only four other people. We had dozens of Sequoias all to ourselves. The only problem was how to photograph them.

Just a few weeks ago, we were strolling through the coastal redwood forests. Now, those redwoods were some tall trees, but the Sequoias are massive. The redwoods are like basketball players, tall and lean. Sequoias are like football linebackers. You just can't get your arms around them (note how small Kathy looks in the photo below).

This area was hard hit by the 2015 Rough Fire. Many of the trees showed evidence of burns, and whole swaths of hillsides were decimated. However, there has been lots of new growth underneath. This little Sequoia, shown in the photo below with Mama in the background, will be "Vader someday Later."

Giant sequoia specimens are the most massive individual trees in the world. They grow to an average height of 164 to 279 feet with trunk diameters ranging from 20 to 26 feet. Record trees have been measured at 311 feet tall. The oldest known giant sequoia is 3,500 years old. Giant sequoias are among the oldest living organisms on Earth.

After finishing the loop trail, we continued along Highway 180 into the Sequoia National Forest. The park ranger suggested we visit the Chicago Stump. A three mile graded dirt road leads to the trailhead for a short quarter mile hike.

We passed through areas devestated by the 2015 fire.

We almost missed the trailhead sign set back in the trees.

While the North Grove had never been logged, this area had many old stumps, but the forest itself has grown back.

Before long, we reached the remains of the once mighty General Noble Tree. In 1897,  the tree was cut into sections and reassembled at the Chicago World's Fair. This magnificent display was referred to as the "California Hoax," because of widespread skepticism that a tree species as big as the giant sequoia ever existed. With a ground perimeter of 95 feet, it was the largest tree ever cut down.

It was sad to think how many of these big beauties were cut down before folks began to protect them. However, it was heartening to see so many young trees reaching up to take their place.

After lunch, we continued our drive through Sequoia National Forest. The park ranger suggested we make it a loop drive by taking Ten Mile Road toward Hume Lake. We stopped at several different lookouts before finding just the right one to share with you.

We finally did get the best view of Kings Canyon available below the closure of Highway 180.  Click the following link to see this view of Kings Canyon from Ten Mile Road.

From high above Kings Canyon, we wound our way down to the shores of Hume Lake. While these were not official Parks Canada Red Chairs, how could we resist red chairs with views of a pretty lake and granite peaks!

Tomorrow, we hope to continue exploring the area with a longer hike to Weaver Lake. Stay tuned.

Kings Canyon - Hike to Weaver Lake

With no opportunity to hike up into Kings Canyon itself from Zumwalt Meadows, we looked for a backcountry hike that would give us insight into this Sierra environment.  We visited the Sequoia National Forest Ranger Office across from our campground this morning and got information on a beautiful hike to Weaver Lake.  It was supposed to be 2.5 miles one way -- 5 miles total.  Sounded good.

The hike to Weaver Lake starts at the Big Meadows Trailhead in Sequoia National Forest, midway between Kings Canyon National Park and Sequoia National Park.   Weaver Lake itself is in the Jenny Lakes Wilderness.  The Jennie Lakes Wilderness is a classic high Sierra landscape. A 10,500 acre area with a mixture of lakes, mountain peaks, forests, meadows and streams, most of which is above 7,000 feet in elevation. The wilderness boasts Lodgepole Pines, Red and White Firs and White (Mountain) Pine, Jeffrey Pines and Juniper.  Weaver Lake sits at 8,713 feet elevation.

We started at about 7,500 feet elevation, so our hike was to include a 1,200 foot climb.  As it turned out, the hike was about 7.6 miles -- about 2.5 miles longer than we expected.  However, at the start of our hike, we had no clue about the adventure we would have:

About a quarter mile along the trail, we passed the Big Meadows Campground and crossed Big Meadows Creek on a brand new bridge!

From there, our trail started uphill and didn't stop for 3.5 miles:

About a mile in, we got a glimpse of Kings Canyon, over the next ridge:

The entire area of Kings Canyon National Park and Sequoia National Forest is comprised of granite that was broken down during the glacial ages.  Huge trees found a foothold in the glacial till:

It is November, so all of the fir cones have fallen to the forest floor.  These two cone leafs boast fir seeds and look like butterflies perched on granite rocks in the forest:

The glaciers carried large boulders and eventually dropped them as they receded, leaving them on top of the gritty granite glacial grist that lay soft under our hiking boots as we walked along the trail:

As we left the trailhead, we saw three other vehicles, and calculated that we would be likely to see 2 or 3 groups of hikers.  It wasn't long before we encountered four backpackers who had spent two nights at Weaver Lake and were returning to the trailhead.  They are employed by an environmental conservation group and were excited to have some time to get out into the nature they love.

Soon after, we encountered a family of four from Toronto.  They have recently immigrated from Spain and are taking a year to travel North America.  We chatted about the parks in the Western States, and discussed some of the parks in Canada as well.  We moved on and exchanged well-wishes with them for safe travels.

After this, it wasn't long before we got our first look at Weaver Lake.  It was a longer hike than we had expected -- 3.75 miles!  Once we added in a stroll along the lakeshore, this meant we would have a 7.5 to 8 miles hike overall, on the longer side for us.

But, for now, the lake was so beautiful!

We stood on the lakeshore, admiring the green clarity of the water, the colors of the grasses on the shore, and Shell Mountain in the background:

The water was like a mirror in the still air, and the trees and grasses framed the lake:

Rocks littered the western shoreline of the lake --

-- and Kathy stood among them, admiring the scenery:

We saw numerous trout rising on the lake, chasing mayflies.  The water was still and reflective until just after noon, when breezes rose up and started rippling the surface:

Still, we caught one or two last photos before the winds destroyed the mirror-like surface of the lake:

We found a good lunch spot and sat to eat our lunch, admiring the lake and Shell Mountain:

Before long, it was time to return down to the trailhead.  Our hike back was uneventful.  The sun had moved, and it lit our way as we descended and worked our way across drainages and around the hills:

When we got back to our Jeep, the Forest Service officers had placed a flyer under our windshield wipers, advising us that the area would be closed tomorrow due to an expected snowstorm.  The flyer urged us to leave the area and explained how we could pass through the gates that have been closed across access to the Jenny Lakes Wilderness.

Luckily, we're a day ahead of the weather, and, other than being slowed by having to follow a road grader for a mile or so, we were able to return home from the Big Meadows area with no problems.  It looks like a snowstorm will be hitting the western Sierras in this area above 6,000 feet elevation, but where we are camped at about 2,000 feet elevation, we expect there will only be rain showers.

Time will tell.  We'll keep you posted!

#rndtheworldn44 - Days 8-11 - Australia's Red Centre #fakekoala

Hi Blog!

When it came to planning our trip to Australia, we knew we couldn't see it all in two weeks, so we had to decided which parts of this gigantic continent intrigued us. We both decided that the Outback was number one on the list. Even narrowing it down to the Outback left a huge area to explore. We decided to focus our efforts on the Red Centre. Located southwest of Alice Springs, the Red Centre is an extraordinary landscape of desert plains, weathered mountain ranges, rocky gorges and some of Aboriginal Australia's most sacred sites including Uluru, pictured below.

We flew from Perth to Alice Springs on November 28, 2017. We stayed overnight in order to meet our tour operator at 6:00 a.m.!!! After a few stops to pick up others on our tour, we soon left civilization behind. After a few hours of red desert driving we stopped at a local camel farm.  Imported into Australia from British India and Afghanistan during the 19th century for transport and construction during the colonization of the central and western parts of Australia, many camels were released into the wild after motorized transport replaced the use of camels in the early 20th century, resulting in a fast-growing feral population. Today, there are over 1,000,000 wild camels in Australia!

Here Kathy takes a spin around the camel yard.

After a long day of driving, we settled into camp. The first three camps we stayed in were definitely "glamping" operations with platform tents with cots and fans.

Our first opportunity to put boots on the ground came when we entered Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park.  The 36 domes that make up Kata Tjuṯa cover an area of 8.37 square miles, are composed of conglomerate (a sedimentary rock consisting of cobbles and boulders of varying rock types including granite and basalt) cemented by a matrix of sandstone. The highest dome, Mount Olga, is 3,497 feet above sea level. It rises suddenly from the surround plain.

We hiked up between two of the rock domes to get a better look at the cobblestone construction. What appears solid in the distance is actually pockmarked with thousands of wind blasted holes.

On our way back to camp, we stopped to watch the sunset on Uluru. Uluru (also know as Ayres Rock) is one of Australia's most recognizable natural landmarks. The sandstone formation stands 1,142 feet high, rising 2,831 feet above sea level with 90% its bulk lying underground (!), and has a total circumference of 5.8 miles. Uluru and Kata Tjuta formations  have great cultural significance for the Anangu people, the traditional inhabitants of the area, who lead walking tours to inform visitors about the local flora and fauna, bush food and the Aboriginal dreamtime stories of the area.

After plying us with a delicious barbeque dinner complete with wine and desert, our tour guide informed us that the next day's wakeup call would be 4:30 a.m. in order to hike around Uluru during sunrise! Needless to say, it was pitch black when the didgeridoo called us to breakfast the next morning. It didn't take long for our groggy group to rally as the first rays of sun lit up Uluru.

Our six mile hike let us get up close and personal with some of the more unique features of the rock. As we finished our circuit around the base of Uluru, we met with a local aboriginal guide who took us into some of the caves used by his ancestors to teach the next generation about desert life. The information painted on these cave walls are still relevant to life in the desert today.

After finishing our tour with the local guide, we drove back to camp for lunch before driving several hours to our next camp near Kings Canyon.

Kings Canyon is a canyon in the Northern Territory of Australia located at the western end of the George Gill Range, east of Uluru and about 201 miles southwest of Alice Springs, within the Watarrka National Park. Here we got a good look into Kings Canyon.

As we started our hike up to the rim, our tour guide stopped beneath a large eucalyptus tree. We all got excited thinking we would finally get a chance to spot the elusive koala bear. She assured us there was a koala in the tree. Try as we might, we could not spot it. Someone in the group began laughing and pointing up to a low hanging branch. There, perched for all to see, was a tiny two inch stuffed koala bear. And, thus, the hashtag #fakekoala would be forever associated with this hike.

We soon forgot our disappointment of not seeing an actual koala as we descended into the Garden of Eden.

We stopped for a snack at the water hole at the bottom of the canyon before working our way up the other side of the gorge.

Back up on the rim and we were back in the red desert. Here the #fakekoala crew hams it up for the camera!

In the photo above, our guide Claire sits in front.  We also were lucky to have the best chef in the outback on our trip:  Leah, who keeps her own blog, "From the Office to the Outback."

These were three days chock full of hiking and adventure, and we apologize for squeezing it into one small blog entry.  But, as in our actual adventure, we have far to go.  Thus ends another day's adventure in the Outback.

More in the next blog.  We're on our way to Coober Pedy!