🇺🇸 Sequoia National Park

We had a free day before the wedding, and with Sequoia National Park just two hours north of Bakersfield, we knew just how we would spend that Friday. But first, to fuel up on some road-side California oranges before heading to the forest.

Moro Rock

Gorgeous views as we climbed up to 7000 feet (2,100m)

First sequoia sightings

This tree fell the day my dad was born, and a tunnel was carved out of it, leading to the creative appellation “Tunnel Log.” We’re top models.

Crystal and Julien went looking for bears in an area we had read was good for bear-sighting. While Crystal was getting some great photos of squirrels, Julien saw this black bear lumbering in the meadow; Crystal immediately abandoned the squirrel project to get a look of the bear.

“Let’s take a photo with the bear! It will probably just look like a little brown dot.” We were not wrong.

Crystal is to the far left of the group getting close to the bear.

Sequoia Trees actually have very shallow roots and can fall easily. The sign next to this one stated that it fell in the 1960s on a clear day with no wind. After that we listened quite attentively for the sound of any trees tipping over.

General Sherman, by volume the largest tree in the world (at about 52,500 cubic feet). It is 275 feet tall, its diameter at the base is about 36.5 feet, and though the top is dead, it continues to grow outward and creates the amount of wood equivalent to about 18 new trees per year. At somewhere between 2,300 and 2,700 years old, is among the oldest trees in the world.

General Sherman, standing tall.

The “Tough Twins” – so named as it is quite probable that these trees sprouted at the same time centuries ago. Fires play a big role in sequoia proliferation as heat from the flames dries overhanging cones, causing them to open, and rain seeds onto ash-fertilized ground; consequently millions of sequoia seeds sprout after a fire. The fire-cleared area means that sequoias have less competition for sun, water, and nutrients, and groups of same-aged sequoias are fairly common.