This last week I spent camping up in Sequoia National Park; lots of big trees, high peaks, and deep canyons. Located in the southern Sierra Nevada range, it has elevations ranging from 1300 ft in the foothills to over 14000 ft at the summit of Mount Whitney.
One night I stayed at
Lodgepole Campground and took a hike right from the campground to
Tokopah Falls, a 1200 ft. high cascade on the Marble Fork
Kaweah River. The trail followed the river nearly all the way with terrific views not only of the falls, but the valley below.
Some of the biggest trees in the world are in this park; beautiful, stately giants.
My phone didn't work in the park, so I drove down to Hospital Rock to use the payphone. While I was standing there talking to my sister, it started raining, kind of quiet, soft drops of water, but still raining. After I hung up, I charged down to the river to watch it rage and it only got wetter; but the good news was the rainbow.....a sweet colorful arc of light announcing to the world that God is still faithful and will watch over our weak, pitiful souls.
A bold yellow bellied marmot; curious creatures who are hopelessly addicted to antifreeze and will chew through the hoses of car engines. Each year they damage 30-40 cars up in the Sequoias, mostly in the Mineral King area. Cute little buggers.
The Marble Fork
Kaweah River runs through the
Lodgepole campground. Incredibly beautiful and oh so wonderful.
The night after it rained everything was soaked and it was almost impossible to get my fire started. It took me a full hour even though I had a little lighter fluid,
pinecones, Vaseline and cotton balls!
Crescent Meadow, "The Gem of the Sierras" according to John Muir. I took a hike around the meadow and didn't see anybody. When I got way out there the trail kind of turned to a rough rocky trail and I began to wonder if I had wandered off trail. There in the middle of the trail was a huge pile of bear scat; that's when I started to worry. I started making up a song and singing it, something about how I was not good to eat and how much trouble he would be in if he ate me. Luckily I never saw the bear; my singing probably terrified him enough to hit the hills.
In the Sequoias there is an incredible 1/4 mile hike up to
Morro Rock, a large granite dome in the Giant Forest area. The trail leads you up nearly 400 stone steps to the top of the barren rock at a 6725 ft elevation.
That would be me standing at the top, proud as can be that I made it without any huffing and puffing! Pretty good for an old gal like me.
For my first few days in the Sequoias I camped at Buckeye Flat, a quiet campground right on the Middle Fork of the Kaweah River filled with countless oak trees. Even though there are no Sequoias here, my site overlooked the river and had a bower of oaks shading me from the hot sun. Right outside the campground is a place called Hospital Rock, where I took this photo of
Morro Rock.
This last week I spent camping up in Sequoia National Park; lots of big trees, high peaks, and deep canyons. Located in the southern Sierra Nevada range, it has elevations ranging from 1300 ft in the foothills to over 14000 ft at the summit of Mount Whitney. 
One night I stayed at Lodgepole Campground and took a hike right from the campground to Tokopah Falls, a 1200 ft. high cascade on the Marble Fork Kaweah River. The trail followed the river nearly all the way with terrific views not only of the falls, but the valley below.
Some of the biggest trees in the world are in this park; beautiful, stately giants.
My phone didn't work in the park, so I drove down to Hospital Rock to use the payphone. While I was standing there talking to my sister, it started raining, kind of quiet, soft drops of water, but still raining. After I hung up, I charged down to the river to watch it rage and it only got wetter; but the good news was the rainbow.....a sweet colorful arc of light announcing to the world that God is still faithful and will watch over our weak, pitiful souls.
A bold yellow bellied marmot; curious creatures who are hopelessly addicted to antifreeze and will chew through the hoses of car engines. Each year they damage 30-40 cars up in the Sequoias, mostly in the Mineral King area. Cute little buggers. 
The Marble Fork Kaweah River runs through the Lodgepole campground. Incredibly beautiful and oh so wonderful.
The night after it rained everything was soaked and it was almost impossible to get my fire started. It took me a full hour even though I had a little lighter fluid, pinecones, Vaseline and cotton balls!
Crescent Meadow, "The Gem of the Sierras" according to John Muir. I took a hike around the meadow and didn't see anybody. When I got way out there the trail kind of turned to a rough rocky trail and I began to wonder if I had wandered off trail. There in the middle of the trail was a huge pile of bear scat; that's when I started to worry. I started making up a song and singing it, something about how I was not good to eat and how much trouble he would be in if he ate me. Luckily I never saw the bear; my singing probably terrified him enough to hit the hills.
In the Sequoias there is an incredible 1/4 mile hike up to Morro Rock, a large granite dome in the Giant Forest area. The trail leads you up nearly 400 stone steps to the top of the barren rock at a 6725 ft elevation. 
That would be me standing at the top, proud as can be that I made it without any huffing and puffing! Pretty good for an old gal like me.
For my first few days in the Sequoias I camped at Buckeye Flat, a quiet campground right on the Middle Fork of the Kaweah River filled with countless oak trees. Even though there are no Sequoias here, my site overlooked the river and had a bower of oaks shading me from the hot sun. Right outside the campground is a place called Hospital Rock, where I took this photo of Morro Rock.