Visiting the President, Sequoia NP

About a week and a half ago, I received the current issue of National Geographic and saw that it has an article on the President, a magnificent sequoia tree in Giant Forest, Sequoia NP.  According to the article, recent measurements moved the President from fourth largest to second largest tree on earth, and they got cores to date it - 3200 years old.  I realized that I hadn't visited this tree in at least a year, so it was time to go back.  Last Saturday I went up (by myself because all of my hiking friends had other commitments).  I decided to make a long loop approach from Crescent Meadow in order to avoid the crowds on the main approach from the Sherman tree.  On the way in I stopped at Moro Rock; here's looking back to the valley

Looking east from Moro Rock toward the Great Western Divide and the Kaweahs

I could see the peaks that I had climbed this year - to the NE is Alta Peak

And SE to Sawtooth Peak (far right)

From Moro Rock it is a short distance to Crescent Meadow.  A couple pictures of typical views on the way in

I eventually got to some of my favorite trees.  This is the Franklin tree.  Since I didn't have anyone with me I couldn't have someone next to the trees for scale, so I put my pack in front of the tree.  You can spot my pack next to the tree in most of the pictures of the trees.

Close to the Franklin tree is the Washington tree, which used to be the second largest tree until about seven or eight years ago, when the top half of the tree collapsed after a major fire.  Now it is a 150' tall stump with a few small branches.

Close up of the Washington tree trunk

Not far from the Washington tree is the Lincoln tree

Near the President is the Senate Group

And finally, the President.

Pictures just don't convey the mass of these trees.  You have to get next to them and look up at how huge the trunk is

I sat by the President eating my lunch, looking up at the crown.  Imagine, that tree has been growing there for 3200 years.

Eventually, I had to head home.  I took a different route back to the car (about three miles), here are a few pictures along the way

And finally, back at Crescent Meadow.  This time of year all the ferns in the meadow are brown.  It's hard to tell in the picture, but the sequoias on the other side are all 250'+.  It's a wonderful place to spend the day walking around.

On the way home I stopped in the foothills to explore the middle fork Kaweah a little.  This is a typical view in the low elevation foothills.

And signs of habitation - the original inhabitants made bedrock mortars to grind acorns

Nice pictures of the giant tree's! I need to get back there someday. I saw them last in 1980. The acorn mortar holes are neat, I remember seeing them around Yosemite Valley too.  

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