Friday, June 19, 2009

Sequoia Day Two

Day two in Sequoia/Kings Canyon, I took lots of pictures while "bringing up the rear" on our hikes. First up, Big Stump Trail... a 2 mile (round trip), ultra scenic and mild hike to view a section of Kings Canyon National Park that used to be part of the timber industry in the late 1800's.

While it is sad to see sooo many majestic trees cut down, it is nice to know the area is now protected for the future. The boys loved climbing on the stumps and fallen trees... hovering in burned out sections of the still standing sequoias, pretending they are mini-dwellings... comparing the small, egg-shaped pine cones to the 200+ foot tall trees they grow into.

In the photo below, my hubby is showing the boys how trees grow in rings... showing the small small amount of time we have been here compared to the life of that tree. While I don't think they fully grasped what this meant, they did seem to understand what we humans are capable of.

After a quick snack, we ventured further into Kings Canyon to Grant Grove to view the General Grant Tree and all the cool artifacts around that area. Did you know that farmers, foresters, poets, photographers, cavalrymen, cattle ranchers and other pioneers used to live in and around these majestic trees?

Having tired Em and Ro out (woo hoo!) we went back to our Lodge for lunch, canoeing, nature exploring and more walking. The photo below is around the back end of the Montecito Sequoia-- a peaceful and beautiful walk we took many times during our stay.


Evening time meant more hot chocolate and games around the lodge fireplace, hot baths and story time before turning in for the night. We had all adjusted to the high altitude and dropped off to bed much easier than the night before.
Up Next: Day 3... How many steps can a 3 year old climb?