Yosemite Day 2

By Kyndal Goen

Kbg45@txstate.edu

Total Steps Taken: 12,883

Fact of the day: Giant Sequoia trees can grow up to 250 feet tall and can live to about 3,000 years!

Ancient Giants

 

Posing with Giant Sequoias
Photo by Kyndal Goen

Finally feeling settled into our camp, our second day in the park featured another adventure filled with wonder and awe. But between us and that wonder and awe, was another mini road trip of around an hour and a half. My partner and I were just about bouncing up and down in our seats on the ride over to our destination: Mariposa Grove. Our group meandered around the visitor’s center while we waited for the bus, looking at various informational plaques and displays of these ancient trees. For many, if not all of our group, this was the first time we had seen such enormous living organisms. Needless to say, our jaws dropped to the forest floor.

Grizzly Giant at Mariposa Grove
Photo by Kyndal Goen

My partner, Jake was making his mini documentary for Dale’s class over the Giant Sequoias and how fire can positively and negatively affect them, so we made frequent stops along the way to capture some beautiful footage. Near the entrance, we saw a fallen sequoia with its entire root system exposed. Jake and I learned from the plaque in front of the massive tree that locals had named it “The Fallen Monarch”. No one knows quite how old the tree or when it fell. But all that was left was the core of the tree and its roots, which spanned around 18-20 feet tall as it laid on its side. Also joining us alongside the trail was a tiny little chipmunk who quickly scampered from tree to tree, looking for a mid-day snack. We walked alongside huge trunks and limbs, some of them young and thriving and some who had been scarred by fire. At the end of the half mile walk was a tree labeled “The Grizzly Giant”. The tree’s trunk is 96 feet in circumference and is a noble 209 feet tall, about the size of the Statue of Liberty. This ancient giant is one of the Mariposa Grove’s most famous trees, and it will continue to amaze and inspire those who look upon its massive form for generations.