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After resting at Jay and Cathy's house for two days (thanks, J/C, for the great hospitality, good eats and comfy beds), Dick, Herb and Geno drove to Sequoia National Park in the southern Sierra mountains for 3 glorious days of hiking. This was a first-time visit to this Park for the trio and we were impressed with its vast grandeur and beauty. It's similar to Yosemite but with a fraction of the visitors. From the Sea to the Sierras, a crowning end to our three-week adventure. |
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| A hike through massive granite boulders to Tokopah Falls | Tokopah Falls cascades 1200' but a low snowpack year yields a dribble |
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| At the base of Tokopah Falls | |
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| In a wet year, the falls would be tumultuous | Herb overshadowed by massive granite cliffs |
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| Great wildlife viewing -- a fat marmot and a black bear | |
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| The General Sherman Tree, largest living tree in the world | |
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| Impressive stats | |
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| Dwarfed by the massive trunk of General Sherman -- 38 1/2' in diameter |
Viewing more giants in the Congress Grove |
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| Upper half of General Sherman -- 275' tall | How can these trees survive with the base eroded away? |
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| The Dubya Tree | The Senate Grove |
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| Hike up Moro Rock, a giant granite dome, a major Park attraction |
400 steps to the top |
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| Nearing the top | Kinda scary -- note woman on the right with death grip on rail |
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| Herb and Dick at the end of the line | |
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| Heady views of the Great Western Divide with major peaks in the 11,000'-13,000+' range | |
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| Castle Peak to left of Herb | |
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| Looking down on the Generals Highway, the southern entrance to the Park | Dick checking out some peaks to bag |
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| Class photo | Smiley at the top of the world |
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| Our big hike of the visit, a 9-mile, 2000' climb to Watch Tower and Heather Lake | |
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| Herb on top of Watch Tower, a 2000' monolith overlooking Tokopah Valley | |
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| Tokopah Valley and waterfall (below) and Great Divide on the horizon | |
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| Totally awesome hike with heady views | At the top of Heather Lake Hump, around 9000' elevation |
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| A unidentified tree, looks like a redwood with a ponderosa pine bark pattern, very pretty | |
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| The 9-mile hike in yellow | |
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| [May need to scroll right to see entire photo] Panorama of range across Tokopah Valley with Watch Tower in front (left) of Herb |
| The Plot The Storyboard Home |