On the morning of June 4, we drove up to where Scott had parked our trailer in Sequoia National Forest. Most of the snow that Scott had enjoyed was gone by the time of my arrival.
Scott took me for a walk around the area. Not far from our camp was a beautiful stream.
After dinner, we took a walk in the opposite direction to watch the sun set. Simply beautiful.
The next day we drove into the park. What a difference a week can make in June.


Scott wanted to take me to see Tokopah Falls. It was a short, mostly flat 3.4 miles round-trip hike on Tokopah Valley Trail.
At the entrance, we saw the following warning sign. Yikes!
It was a delightful day with warm temperatures and a cool breeze from the water, much unlike the day that Scott hiked here alone.
We sat down on a rock for a little while to smell the fresh, clean air and feel a gentle spritzing from the falls.
I could easily sit all day and listen to the rushing sound of the water. So, I will share it with you.
Scott has the eye for just where to stand to capture the beauty unfolded in front of us.
Afterwards, we drove to the Sherman Tree Trail, a short hike down to the location of the world’s largest tree (in terms of mass not height).
The General Sherman Tree is massive. I just looked up in awe of it’s magnificence.
Here is an panoramic view.
As you can see, the tree is fenced off to protect it from human hands.
As we continued down the path, there were other trees in the park that were more accessible.
Here is a panoramic view.
Then he told me to hug the tree. Of course, I could only grab a small part of it!
All I wanted was to be one in the same with them.
On Thursday, we headed to Muir Grove Trail, a four-mile round trip hike. The trail head was located in Dorset Campsite, which was closed due to the cutting down of trees that were in danger of falling. From our parked truck, we had to walk about two miles down the road and then wait until we were given the okay by park personnel to proceed.
Below is a tree that was being prepped to fall.
We passed the workers and continued towards the trail head.
We wandered through the pine tree forest for two miles enjoying the almost-silent hum of a small stream and the occasional remnants of snow. All of a sudden, the sequoia’s made their presence know. Can you see Scott?
Giant Sequoia Trees live in the Sierra Nevada between 5,000 – 7,000 feet. They are the largest living trees, having more wood than redwoods due to width and height. They often get mistaken for redwoods (they are the same family and are more like a “cousin” to them). They may NOT be used for lumber and are a protected resource. What I found to be so unusual is that for such an enormous tree, they have a cone the size of a chicken’s egg.
Scott said, “It would be a magical experience to spend the night in that grove.” We stood there feeling small amidst the enormity of the sequoias.
Here is the view looking up.
By the time we got back to the trailer, the clouds had become grey, and we enjoyed a short-lived hail storm. It was a spectacular day! Tomorrow morning we will head north to Kings Canyon National Park.