We hiked part of the trail around the Mariposa Tree Grove. You wouldn't believe the size of these trees, especially when compared to the already huge hemlocks in the grove. We stretched our arms across the width of many of the trees and it still wouldn't reach the diameter. One of the first places along the way that we stopped was a fallen tree. The root system on the tree was pretty impressive, but apparently the trees actually have really shallow root systems. The roots only go three to six feet underground, but can extend up to 150 feet horizontally. And the thickness of each root is crazy!
Sequoia trees reproduce via cones that contain 200 – 300 seeds. When we first drove into the park, you could see several of these cones hanging from the very ends of the branches and they're monstrous! They grow on the trees for 20 – 30 years before falling. And even after they fall, only one in a million may germinate. In order for them to do so, the conditions have to be absolutely ideal. They need soft, mineral soil; sufficient light, and adequate moisture. The tress rely on external forces to help the trees drop the cones and spread the seeds. Many of the trees in the grove have portions that have been burned by fire. Apparently the park used to work really hard to control natural fires, but later learned that fires actually help the trees reproduce. And in addition, other plants in the grove benefit from the fires as well because the burned out branches allow more light to get in.
A sequoia's bark is a real pretty red color that has deep grooves in it. It's a very distinctive bark and really beautiful. You can look up to see the tops of the trees and just about fall over backwards because of the height. We stopped at the Grizzly Giant tree and the California Tunnel tree. It's truly shocking to see the sheer size of both. The first branch (not the trunk) on the Grizzly Giant is seven feet wide! That's almost an entire foot taller than Phill. And then the California tunnel tree you can walk right through...easily! It's not as if you have to hunch down or anything. You just casually walk right through. The early pioneers used to walk their horses through. And as recent as the 1960s, people used to be able to drive their cars through a similar tunnel in a tree in the park that has since caved in. Obviously this was before the SUV generation, but even so, can you imagine!?!
After the hike, we drove to Glacier Point – a viewpoint at about 7200 feet in the park where you can see Half Dome (the park's most famous cliff) and the two waterfalls. Of all the viewpoints I've seen in my life, this one definitely makes it near the top. It was so spectacular! The contrast of what you can see from that point is unreal. You have gray and black mountain cliffs that have been rounded by glaciers, so they appear kind of like bald mountains. Then 7200 feet down you have a lush, bright green valley. On either side of Half Dome are two gushing waterfalls. And of course the blue sky. The panoramic view seems to go on forever on all sides. It looks so rugged and untouched in many ways.
American Indians believe that Half Dome and North Dome (the predominant cliffs in the park) were once a husband and wife that argued incessantly. As a result, the spirits turned each into stone at each end of the park to forever face each other. Geologists, on the other hand, are still wondering how the cliffs in the park have been formed. They believe that the walls of Yosemite formed into hard stone nearly five miles underground and eventually the top layers have been eroded away exposing what we see today. And it seems to be a work in progress. I'm not sure how part of Half Dome fell off, but I've at least heard that it was due to the immense weight of it that it eventually just fell. When you look into the woods, you can see these enormous boulders (like three times the size of a vehicle) that have just landed in the middle of the woods. Beware of falling boulders...
We came back down to the valley from Glacier Point and headed back to Sacramento. Somehow we managed to take the long way around. Oh well. It was beautiful and sunny out and the right temperate to drive with the windows down. It felt great to have some fresh air. There's so much more that we missed in the park due to our short time to be there, but we certainly feel like we got a good overview and would love to go back and explore more.
When we decided to take this whole trip, we promised ourselves that we would take our time places to explore and really see things rather than rush through. Unfortunately, the past couple of parks have been somewhat rushed, but overall, we feel like we've been true to our promise. Yosemite and Death Valley will have to be parks that we return to another time.
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