SEQUOIA (Day 2 - part 1)

After some breakfast outdoors, we drove to Grant Grove. We strolled around the area, admiring the giant sequoias and multitude of wildlife.


It was a lovely morning to eat outside.

The Grant Grove area had many different trails to take. We dedided to start with the General Grant Tree Trail. This informative trail was a 1/2 mile loop that passed by the famous General Grant Tree, one of the world's largest living trees.


See a map of the area (click to enlarge)


Map of the trail (click to enlarge)


A car for size comparison is parked in front of the Twin Sisters (left) and Lincoln (right). Most of the biggest trees get a name.

Sequoiadendron giganteum (Giant Sequoia, Sierra Redwood or Wellingtonia) is the sole species in its genus and one of three species of coniferous trees known as redwoods, together with Sequoia sempervirens (Coast Redwood) and Metasequoia glyptostroboides (Dawn Redwood). The common use of the name "sequoia" generally refers to Sequoiadendron, which occurs naturally only in various groves on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California.

Located at the edge of the parking lot was The Happy Family. This is a group of six sequoia (including one double tree) that are approximately the same age and probably sprouted after a very intense fire cleared the spot.


The Happy Family


Eek! How does one take a picture of trees that big!?

Our first stop along the trail was at the Fallen Monarch. It is not known exactly how long ago this tree fell. A high tannin content makes the wood of giant sequoias undigestible to fungi, bacteria, insects and other decay organisms. Therefore, decay takes place very slowly. This tree has remained virtually unchanged for well over 100 years (based on photographs taken of it in the late 1800's).


The tree didn't shatter when it fell, as is usually the case with sequoias. Perhaps it fell during winter into a deep cushion of snow.


The tree was probably hollowed by fire long before it fell.


A view from inside

The 124-foot-long log has been used as shelter for animals and people alike. In 1890, it was used as an employee camp while creating the national park. It was used by homesteaders Thomas and Israel Gamlin as a house and a saloon to serve visitors to the area. The U.S. Cavalry even used it as a stable for their horses.

The General Grant Tree is the second largest tree in the world after the General Sherman Tree. It used to be third, but in 2005 the Washington tree (which was previously second place) lost half its trunk. For over a century there was a fierce competition for the title of the largest tree. General Grant actually has a larger circumference than General Sherman. Eventually it was decided that volume should be the determining factor.

Height: 267.4 feet
Base circumference: 107.6 feet
Base diameter: 40.3 feet
Diameter 60 feet above base: 16.3 feet
Diameter 180 feet above base: 12.9 feet
Estimated volume: 46,608 cubic feet


Once thought to be well over 2,000 years old, recent estimates point to a much younger age closer to 1,650 years.

The tree was discovered in 1862 by Joseph Hardin Thomas and named in 1867 after Ulysses S. Grant, who was shortly thereafter the 18th President of the United States (1869 -1877). In 1926, President Calvin Coolidge proclaimed it the Nation's Christmas Tree, and in 1956, President Dwight D. Eisenhower declared it a National Shrine, a memorial to those who died in war. It is the only living object to be so declared.


A glimpse into the top of the tree


A mule deer browses among these giants

The Gamlin cabin was built in 1872 by Israel Gamlin, who with his brother Thomas filed a timber claim to 160 acres within Grant Grove. They lived here until 1878 while grazing cattle in the mountains. After the national park was established in 1890, the cabin was used as a storehouse by the U.S. Cavalry who patrolled the park until 1913. Later it became the quarters of the first park ranger stationed here.


Originally, the walls were made using sugar pine logs. Since then, it has been moved and reconstructed three times. It was moved to this spot (its original location) in 1932 after a tree fell on the other cabin.


A peak inside

We continued along the path, admiring the numerous giant trees...


Lower branches die fairly easily from a lack of sunlight. This happens mostly in thick groves. Solitary trees will keep their lower branches.


Trees that are under 100 years old will still have their dead lower branches.


In general, sequoias are fire-resistant but will burn if subjected to prolonged fire that is fueled by other trees or forest matter.


Charred outer bark


The Vermont log was 246 feet long and 16 feet in diameter at chest height. It fell in 1985.


A Golden-mantled ground squirrel stops by for a quick visit.


In comparison is this chipmunk. It is a lot smaller than the ground squirrel and has eye stripes.

In general, giant sequoias are very hardy. Their bark is resistant to fire and few insects and diseases can cause them harm. Their roots, however, are quite shallow (most growing no deeper than 5 feet beneath the surface). Toppling is the therefore primary way these trees meet their end... either from heavy snow, strong winds, or a weakened support from soil fungi and insects.


The thick bark


The Kentucky Tree has an 18-foot diameter at chest height.

In the early days, many of the giant sequoias were named after states. Only a few of the names survive because most were never properly recorded. Today the practice of naming trees has been discontinued.


The Delaware Tree has a 14-foot diameter at chest height.


The Lightning Tree is a double tree. Most of the left tree has been consumed by fire. Fires burning between closely growing trees create an oven effect, increasing the temperature of the fire.


The Oregon Tree has a 21-foot diameter at chest height.


In 1967, the California Tree was struck by lightning. The top 25 feet of the tree shattered and caught on fire. Due to its close proximity to the trail, the Park Service decided that the smoke, burning embers and possible falling branches were a safety hazard. Park forester Charlie Castro climbed the fir tree next to it, swung over to the sequoia, then climbed to a spot where he could extinguish the fire with a hose. If the fire had not been put out, it could have burned for weeks inside the tree.


Heading toward the Lincoln Tree


The Lincoln Tree has a large base, but its trunk tapers too much to make it one of the world's largest.


Eventually we find ourselves back at the Twin Sisters, two trees that have fused together.

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