Yosemite, Mariposa County

August 20, 2009

Some of few remaining groves of Giant Sequoias are found in the Mariposa Gove at Yosemite’s south entrance. Where the Yosemite Valley is very user-friendly - big parking lots, direct roads, lots of lodging - the south is a more back-to-nature experience – find parking as best you can, catch the shuttle then start walking. There is a tour tram for bucks, but that is not for us.

We did get captured by Ranger John Jackson, former 7th grade science teacher, for the 2:00 “Ranger Stroll and Talk.” What a blessing! He provided the hands-on-experiences of every good teacher to create a lasting impression. Sequoia bark is weightless. A core wood shingle is equally so. The seeds and cones are very small. Yet these unsubstantial, unimpressive parts unite to create the oldest, most massive living being on earth. It’s a staggering contrast.

We were able to witness the benefits of fire, sequoias at 10 years of growth and The Grizzly Giant, at roughly 1800 years of age. The Grizzly is distinctive because a lightning strike killed the tree top, thereby stunting growth. But this same event forced growth outwards to create spectacular branches with diameters of 6 feet.

Ranger John’s tour taught us many life lessons and granted us 3 wishes. We should live long, grow younger, and return often. We need to resist change and destructive forces, but grow stronger if and when adversity does strike. Live long like the sequoia. Grow younger, as scientist have changed their method of aging the sequoia and made them younger than once thought. Resist destruction. The sequoia is fire and insect resistant, but must have fire for new trees to sprout. The sequoia is also resistant to man’s forces by having no real commercial use. When they fall, the giant breaks into many small sections, thus being unusable for lumber.

We returned to the Mariposa Grove with a greater understanding and sense of awe than we had before our first trip. Thanks go out to Ranger John Jackson.

We completely enjoyed our hike of the outer loop then the inner loop of the Mariposa. First, we arrived early enough to park in the grove! Second, we were able to talk about the types of trees and use the knowledge gained in our previous trip. Third – NO CROWD! We hardly saw a soul. What a nice day, and it wasn’t noon yet!

Fred, the Oakhurst information gentleman flatly stated, “If you don’t go to Glacier Point, you haven’t been to Yosemite.” I completely agree.

The views of Half Dome are breathtakingly in your face. With Russell’s binoculars, he found climbers on top! We could see waterfalls, both the Vernal and Nevada, peaks and valleys that were not at all visible from any point below. The two stops we made were well worth the extra miles to get there. Another bonus – no construction crews on the road on this particular Saturday!