Kings Canyon / Sequoia National Parks - Part I

2009-07-31: My morning began in the warmth of the San Joaquin Valley. Still reeling from the epic beauty of Yosemite, I anticipated another day of similarly wondrous experiences. There would be the trees that were said to be the largest in the world, and a canyon that was deeper than the Grand Canyon.

I climbed out of the foothills in the early morning and reached the mountains' sequoia forests. Indeed, the enormity of the massive trees cannot be described - one has to look up and see it there to really understand it - it has to be felt. Because the sequoias, specifically the Generals Grant and Sherman Trees, were so huge, I could not get a proper photo of myself in front of one as I would have had only had ten seconds on my camera's timer to sprint back in front of it, hoping the shot came out as desired, all while other waited for their turn. Thus, it seemed sensible to simply use other people who were posing as a show of scale.

I followed Highway 180, stopping many times along the way, to somewhere named Road's End.

The sign marking it was as plain as one might expect, however, its name hinted at wonderful things hidden in the distance. I pondered this for a moment. Though the road had guided me when I was far from home, perhaps in abandoning it, there could be found a "higher tier" of freedom unknown as of yet. Some day, I would like to find out if that is so.