Sequoia National Park
"At some point in life the world’s beauty becomes enough." - Toni Morrison
When I retire, I want to work in a National Park. I know what you are thinking. Why would you want to work after you retire? You see, appreciating and caring about nature has never been a job to me. To be able to educate young people about the natural resources that the earth provides us and making them understand all the beauty that exists in our protected backyard would be a gift. Until then, my family and I try to visit these wonderful National Parks any chance we can.
2016 marked the National Park Service’s Centennial. California’s Sequoia National Park, the second oldest National Park, was created in September 1890 which was twenty-six years before the establishment of the National Park Service. These 3,000-year-old Giant Sequoia trees were in danger from loggers. The designation of National Park protected the Giant Forest, by ceasing all of the logging operations in the area. The largest tree on earth, named the General Sherman Tree, is located here.
My husband and I went to Sequoia National Park recently. Just 3 months prior to this trip, my husband dislocated his foot and we were concerned how he would manage on the hikes we had planned. Fortunately for him, there were 4 free park shuttle routes. The buses take you to the Lodge, Visitor Center, General Sherman Tree Trails, Moro Rock, and the Giant Forest. Luckily, my husband did amazingly well, and we were able to see some amazing sights. Most employees live and work at the park because the long, windy roads make the commute extremely long. We stayed at the Wuksachi Lodge, surrounded by deer and magnificent trees. While there, we climbed 6,725 ft up to Moro Rock, a granite rock dome formation. We were able to see the Great Western Divide and Mount Whitney, the tallest mountain in the contiguous 48 states. We also hiked around Crescent Meadow while in the Giant Forest. Fellow hikers said they had seen a black bear minutes before we arrived in the clearing. The 3.4-mile round trip hike to Tokopah Falls was incredible. The first mile was a nice flat, easy hike, but the last few tenths of the journey was very rocky and steep—especially for my injured spouse. The view of the melting ice caps falling over the ledge was breathtaking. We submerged our feet in the glacial waters on our return, numbing them enough for us to continue our hike down. Of course, the real treat of our stay, was seeing these ancient trees and the pure mass of them. You can’t imagine the scale of these organisms, until you are standing next to one. We even drove our car through the Tunnel Log. In 1937, a giant Sequoia fell from natural causes, blocking a road. A service crew had to cut an 8 ft x 17 ft hole so people could access the park road again, and it has since become a world-renowned landmark.
There are numerous ranger-led programs that take place throughout the year. We were fortunate to listen to a park ranger describe the woodpeckers that live in the park and go on a ranger-led tour at Moro Rock. In fact, the particular park ranger at the woodpecker talk was herself a retiree that had chosen to spend her golden years working at a National Park, and that’s exactly what I want to do when I grow up!
