Story Ideas
ANCIENT TREES INSPIRE AWE
The “awe” in “awesome” means something new when referring to the gargantuan trees of the Giant Sequoia National Monument. Sure, they’re “cool, oh-my-god amazing and what-not,” as one recent visitor put it. But they also inspire reverence – of their lifespan of thousands of years, of their neck-cramping heights, of their unapologetic vigor despite their age.
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Copyright © Andrea Clarke |
A member of the redwood family, sequoias grow to average 150-280 feet (50-85 meters) high and 16-23 feet (5-7 m) in diameter. Record trees have been reported to be 307 feet (93.6 m) tall and 29 feet (8.85 m) in diameter. The oldest known Giant Sequoia based on tree ring count is 3,200 years old, which in terms of human history predates Egyptian mummies and hieroglyphic writing.
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Copyright © Andrea Clarke |
For us rootless, two-legged young beasts, a smart and convenient way to see these awesome, coniferous Goliaths is by visiting the Trail of 100 Giants, the most popular grove in the Giant Sequoia National Monument. In cooperation with the US Forest Service, Mountain & River Adventures in Kernville operates five-hour, round-trip, docent-led tours to this site, thereby providing natural history information and lessening the impact of vehicle traffic to the grove. The $48-per-person tour fee, in part, maintains the Sequoia Grove Stewardship Program and includes panoramic views on the drive to and from "The Big Trees," a docent-led interpretive walk among the Giants; a deli spread picnic lunch served in the forest, and photo ops galore. This trip runs: May, September, October and November. Minimum group size is 10. Call for availability during summer months. The highway to the Trail of 100 Giants is subject to snow road closures; call MRA for updates: 760-376-6553 or 800-861-6553; mtnriver.com
President Clinton created the Giant Sequoia National Monument on April 15, 2000, after strolling the Trail of 100 Giants. The 327,769-acre monument protects 34 groves of the colossal trees, found only on the west slope of the Sierra Nevada.
