Visiting giant sequoia trees
Some groves of giant sequoia trees have good trails through them, and some even have paved trails, such as Trail of One Hundred Giants, in Giant Sequoia National Monument.
Walking amidst a grove of giant sequoias is not the same as walking through any old forest. In some groves, there are true giants, with trees over 15 feet in diameter. Then there are the incredibly huge trees that have trunks over 30 feet in diameter, although only a handful of such trees still exist today. Many were cut down during the logging haydays of the latter 1800s.
Trail of 100 giants has quite a few large trees, and the area was groomed and cleared of many smaller pines and firs a few years ago, then the trail was paved, making it easy to walk. The road to this grove takes a while to drive, as one must climb from the central valley of California up a very windy road to reach the area where sequoia trees live. 
The rewards of taking such a drive are pretty amazing, with huge trees of such immense proportions and deep red color as to take the breath away. No matter how many times I have walked amidst a grove of these giants, their size and beauty still capture my attention and I return over and over again. 
The images in this series were all taken along the Trail of 100 Giants, which winds about a portion of the Long Meadow Grove. And indeed, there are at least 100 very large giant sequoias in the area, and many of lesser size. A small meadow sits in the middle of the trailed area, with greenery and flowers during summer months. 
The mountain road that takes you to this grove of giant sequoia trees is a good mountain road, although it is quite windy. Once the road reaches 6000' or so, it straightens out considerably and becomes very pleasant.
6 comments:
Hi Kari, Burned out openings in the trunks of giant sequoia trees is very common. some of those burned areas are huge. Unlike most other trees, sequoias have a chemical makeup that deters diseases and insects, so the wounded area is able to be slowly healed and covered with bark. The trunks are often massive on such trees and are so much wider than the tops there must be a lot of support left in the base. It amazes me when I can walk inside such an opening and see how much was burned, yet the tree is huge and seems totally healthy.
And, remember, the center of a tree is dead, it no longer grows. Only the part of the tree just beneath the innermost part of the bark is where active plant material is growing. So the center gives support, but no sustenance.
Hope this answers your question.
Your pictures have great proportion and composition - they really show the mass of these giant trees. I remember traveling that winding road and feeling carsick at the end!
Thanks Barb! Getting to Trail of 100 Giants involves very windy roads, no matter which way you choose. It helps to go 20mph on those super windy sections, AND to be in the driver's seat.
Fantastic photos Zhakie! I love those Giants. It's such a shame they are now limited to smaller pockets. It would have been nice to see them 200 or so years ago.
Such magnificent trees. It's hard for me to imagine trees so large. Thanks for sharing your beautiful photos.
Great photos. As someone said it's difficult to catch the scale of these trees in photos, but you've done it nicely. I have seen the sequoias in Yosemite but I really have to get to Sequoia National Park also.
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