Kings Canyon is another National Park
right next to Sequoia. We go and explore this for a few hours and
start off at the Big Stump Grove. Around 1870 some lumberjacks
thought that had struck gold when the stumbled upon the giant
Sequoia's. Fortunately the area received protection in 1890. The huge
tree stumps are still visible like giant warts. The wood is very
dense and it can take another few hundred years for them to rot away.
One particular tree called 'Mark Twain'
gained international fame as it was cut down and segments of the
trunk were sent to museums all over the world for display. The tree
was more than 90 meters tall and 27 meters around the base. It took
two men 13 days of chopping and sawing to bring the tree down!
Yes, it was quite fresh up there at
2000 meters high.
At another walk there is a display
telling the story of how in 1875 parts of another tree were sent to
an exhibition on the East Coast, but were refused as the recipients
thought it was a hoax. They couldn't believe trees that big existed.
Further on we see another world record
holder. 'General Grant' has the widest trunk which measures 12 meters
in diameter. You would need a circle of 20 people to give this tree a
hug. It's largest branch is a tree to itself measuring 4.5 meters in
diameter. The lowest branch is 39 meters high and the whole tree is
82 meters high.
Here are some more photos to give you a
sense of the scale.
Some nice scenery on the way back down.
Today: 65km - 1h18m
Total: 26,971km - 527h44m
