Sequoia National Park is immediately adjacent to (in more than one place) Kings Canyon National Park. (Or are they the same park, but I digress?) Of course it has many Sequoia trees, but I neglected to capture any pictures that emphasized them, so you’ll need to find them in various shots. I visited the southern portion, starting in the Mineral King area, even going into nearby National Forests for while. (So I also visited a little of Sequoia National Forest, Inyo National Forest and the Golden Trout Wilderness.)
This area seemed to have an abundance of cascading waterfalls. Usually, parts of the path of the water were hidden, and the total fall was often larger than what could be seen from a single location. It reminded me of Glacier National Park.On the way to Farewell Gap; what does that signify? BTW, how can there be lingering snow in the middle of September?Here, on Coyote Pass, the trees grow weird.The rocks at Coyote Pass reminded me of those in Joshua Tree National Park even though the two parks are very different from each other.Volcano Falls is several hundred feet high, and it’s rather loud.Volcanic rocks are a sporadic occurence along the Volcanic Meadow Trail.A pleant meadow. And this must be the remenants of a volcano that was responsible for all of the lava and the name of the trail.This view reminds me of neighboring Kings Canyon National Park, with its tall, steep rock mountains.
Heading up the Kern River in the morningLooking dwon the Kern river ValleyGetting higher. I will camp tonight above 10,000 ft.Looking back from Franklin Pass shows the valley I had been hiking, a little bit of trail and two small alpine likes hiding from those below.ppppThis view knocked my socks off. In a land of light gray rock, this brown mountain was striking. Down below are the crystal blue waters of Lake Franklin. (The other Franklin Lakes are hidden from view.) In the murky distance the mountains get smaller until they vanish in the vast Central Valley. But their is an aesthetic blemish; can you find it?Coming down from Frankin Pass, two of the smaller Franklin Lakes have come into view.A weird mixture of landformsI found the trees to be interesting here. It’s as if the winds are blowing them uphill.
Totals for Sequoia National Park: 5 days, 63 miles
Adventure After 60 