Kings Canyon - June 24

June 24
It was another beautifully crisp morning at the Sunrise Campground. We were happy to be back in a National Park campground and the setting was idyllic. Our RV was nestled under a canopy of giant pine and sequoia trees.  As we looked out our windows we saw ground squirrels and Stellar Jays scampered about looking for seeds and nuts.  

 We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast and could have stayed there all morning. However, we had a full day of places to go and sights to see so we headed off to the nearby General Grant Grove.

Kings Canyon National Park

There was a very short paved path through the Giant Sequoia Grove to the General Grant tree. It was pretty near impossible to get lost and miss this towering Giant Sequoia. However, Emma and I managed to do it.

I think our problem started when we detoured through the hollow tree and turned left instead of right.

In no time, we had wandered off into the forest along a little used trail. There were lots of big trees around but none that looked like the General Grant tree. In addition, all of the other people were gone.

 Falling back on my innate orienteering skills and backwoods knowledge, I deduced that we had wandered off on a horse trail.

You just have to read the signs in nature to figure out where you are.

We struck out cross country to get back to the General Grant grove. Luck was with us as our fortuitous detour led us to a family of Western Tanagers.

Western Tanager -female

Western Tanager - male

Here's looking at you 

Both parties spent a few minutes eyeballing each other.

Emma beside a Jeffrey Pine Tree.

Down a gully we spotted the main trail and got back on track to the General Grant Tree.

Emma beside the General Grant Tree

The General Grant tree was more than 81 meters (267 ft) tall with a circumference at the ground of 32.8 meters (107.6 ft). President Eisenhower declared the tree a "National Shrine", and a memorial to those who died in war. It is the only living object to be so declared.

General Grant Tree - base

The base and height of the General Grant tree left quite an impression. Equally impressive were the 1,650 years of history that have passed by since it first sprouted.

Giant Sequoia - General Grant Tree

We wandered around the General Grant grove enjoying the grandeur of the mammoth sequoias. Every once in a while we would look up and realize how small we were when compared with these giants. 

We drove east along the Kings Canyon Scenic Byway and deep into the Sierra Nevada.

We got a great look at the high sierra landscape from Junction Overlook. This viewpoint provided a panoramic vista of the junction where the Middle and Southern Forks of the Kings River met.

Kings River - Junction of the Middle and South Forks

We descended to the Kings River then started to gain altitude as we continued east up the South Fork. Initially, the canyon was quite narrow but opened up as we approached Cedar Grove. 

South Fork of the Kings River

 Water rushing down the South Fork of the Kings River

Emma at the tiny ranger station at Cedar Grove

When we got to Cedar Grove we were deep into the Sierra Nevada and well away from the more popular tourist areas. We enjoyed the quieter pace and natural sounds that surrounded us as we wandered about.

We continued to drive east up the canyon and arrived at Roads End. This was our destination and where we would start our hike.

 

The Kings River was placid at this elevation but soon it would start its plunge down the canyon.

We took the Bubbs Creek Trail and followed it east into the Sierra Nevada. After sitting through the long ride to get here, Emma was good to go and set an impressive pace as she strode purposefully along the trail.

Emma motoring along Bubbs Creek Trail

Bubbs Creek Trail

Stellar Jay

A flock of Stellar Jays joined us awhile before realizing that there were not going to be any handouts.

It was a pleasant hike through open pine forests. The only challenge was to keep Emma in sight while I communed with nature and photographed the experience. Fortunately, Emma has an active imagination that envisioned the possibility of bears and mountain lions lying in wait for her around every turn. This helped to slow her pace when she got too far in front of me.

White-headed Woodpeckers were the dominant woodpecker species in the Sierra Nevada. Several were flying about but they kept their distance and spooked easily. Only one woodpecker posed long enough for a telephoto moment.  Yah, It was a lifer for me.

67) *White-headed Woodpecker

Too soon it was time to retrace our steps out of the canyon. It was still afternoon as we followed the Kings River down from the high country but the steep cliff walls were already blocking out the sun and casting long shadows across the bottom of the canyon.

South Fork of the Kings River

The setting sun was casting a warm light over the landscape as we stopped at Yucca Point for a final look back down the canyon of the Kings River.

Kings Canyon with Mount Whitney in the distant background

At the far end of the canyon, we could just make out Mount Whitney in the evening sunlight. I switched cameras and used the telephoto to highlight this mountain. At 14,050 feet, it is the tallest mountain in the contiguous USA and worth a close-up.

Mount Whitney in the background

Tired and happy we returned to Sunset Campground for the night.