On Memorial Day, we left the Mountain Chapel campground for our reserved camping spot in the Azalea Campground in Kings Canyon. The drive, while just as trying the second time, was not quite as bad as we knew what to expect. It was at least short, only 45 minutes, which means we arrived by 9:30 and were set up and ready to go before 10:45. Our campsite was perfect. Our tent was set up under three giant sequoia trees with a green meadow surrounded by forest in all directions. Our most beautiful campsite so far.
After checking in at the visitor center for maps and information, we returned to the campsite for lunch. It was great to enjoy a relaxing lunch in such a serene setting. Birds were chirping, the sun was shining and the temperature was perfect. What a day.
We had basically two full days in the park so we could split up our hikes to allow time to just enjoy our surroundings without feeling rushed. We spent the afternoon hiking the campground trail to General Grant trail, which provided us another opportunity to see this natural wonder, and followed that up with a hike of the North Grove Trail. This loop trail wound its way through meadows and mountains full of giant sequoias. Dozens of these trees stand all around, off the beaten path, just as beautiful and majestic as their more famous cousin, General Grant. It took us about two and a half hours to complete both hikes, arriving back to our campsite around 4:30.
Since we had time, we decided that we would have a campfire in the evening, the first of our trip. We gathered kindling and wood before supper, then sat down to enjoy another meal in our ideal setting. The menu consisted of Salisbury steaks (from the Walmart frozen dinner section) to which Beth added a can of mushrooms and white potatoes. I assured her that we were the only people eating so well in the entire campground.
After supper we drove to the visitor center in an attempt to connect to the free wifi there and catch up on emails, texts and WhatsApp messages. While we could connect to the wifi, we were not successful in being able to use anything else, so we decided that it’s time to invest in a mobile hotspot so we can still stay in touch regardless of where we are. It’s tough to have to rely on finding available wifi when traveling and a mobile hotspot should make it much easier. Hopefully between Kings Canyon and our next stop, Yosemite, we can find someplace to set this up.
We have been looking forward to having a campfire, but through the first 26 days of the trip we have not had the time or the favorable conditions to do so. This evening we had both. Beth is a great fire starter. She carefully prepared the kindling and using some homemade fire starters she made out of egg cartons, pine needles from back home and wax, she used a single match to start a blazing fire. For more than an hour we sat back and enjoyed the warmth and light of our controlled inferno. It was well worth the wait. As we relaxed around the fire, we saw four deer meandering through the picnic area across the meadow from our campsite. They were munching on grass and paying no attention to us, only 50 yards away. This certainly added to the ambiance of the evening. We finally decided to let the fire die down so we could get ready for bed. Given the predicted overnight low in the 40s, we began the nightly ritual of dressing. It’s quite an effort to get up to 8 layers of clothes on before crawling into bed, and by the time we were finally dressed, we were exhausted. But we hoped the effort would lead to a comfortable night’s sleep. It didn’t, at least for me. I was up a number of times because of the cold. If only we could have bottled some of the desert heat we had endured as recently as last week, we could have kept ourselves warm. But it was not to be.
Since we didn’t have to travel on Tuesday, we didn’t get up until 6:30. It was cold, so after using the restroom, I crawled back under the covers until 7:30 before getting up. Beth had retreated to a slightly warmer car, where she did some reading waiting for me to appear from the relative warmth of my sleeping bag and tent.
The sun was shining and the temperature was improving as we began our day. We drove the four miles to the Big Stump picnic area, where we hiked the Big Stump Trail. It should really be called the Big Stumps Trail, as there are numerous sequoia tree stumps scattered throughout the hiking area. The Big Stump for which the trail is named is actually the stump of the giant sequoia tree named after Mark Twain. This tree, nearly 300 feet tall and with a 90 feet diameter, was cut down in the late 1800s. A cross section of it was sent to Philadelphia where it was put on display for easterners to see the diameter of a California giant sequoia. It’s kind of a shame that the tree was cut down for this purpose. Many of the people on the east coast who saw the cross section didn’t believe it was for real and thought it was a hoax. That’s how large the tree was.
Beth and I reached the Mark Twain stump and climbed the short wooden ladder so we could stand on top. Being on the stump gave a real feel for how big the tree must have been. I am sure it could fit 2 or 3 cars.
As we looked in awe at the remains of this once magnificent tree, we talked with two young ladies who were there to see it as well. The two sisters were visiting from Oakland and Orlando and we had a nice chat with them about our respective travels. Next a family of three arrived on site. Bill and Heidi, and their son Thomas were visiting from San Diego. Bill, Heidi, and Thomas were also hiking the Big Stump Trail and each of us were uncertain in which direction to continue to complete the 1.8 mile loop. The sisters had an All Trails app map and they confirmed for us where we were to go. Bill, Heidi, Thomas, Beth and I left the sisters, who were turning back, and we continued on the loop toward the parking lot from which we started.
We had a very pleasant remainder of our hike, enjoying good conversation with our new friends, who, like us, have a real love for hiking and national parks. We told them about our trip and they were very exctied for us. Bill said a trip like we are taking is one of their dreams too.
When we reached the end of the trail and had arrived at the parking lot we said goodbye to our fellow hikers and continued on a short trail leading to a big meadow. The 0.8 mile trail was really a continuation of the Big Stump Trail, making the total hike about 3.4 miles.
Before returning to our campsite for lunch, we drove to Panoramic Point, a high point in the park from which we could see Hume Lake, and the mountain range surrounding it. It was a magnificent vantage point to observe the snow-capped mountains in the background and the blue waters of the mountain lake below. Another great photo op. On the way up and down the road leading to the vista, we had flashbacks to our recent travels to the Mountain Chapel campground. It was equally as steep and winding, but it was slightly wider and shorter distance. We made it back without incident.
Having walked almost five miles in the morning, and because our campsite is so amazing, we decided to relax there after lunch. This gave Beth a chance to do some reading and take it easy, while I got caught up on blogs from our last three national parks.
It’s about 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon as I write these words. It will soon be time for supper, and hopefully another campfire, before calling it a day. Today is the 28th day of our escapade. We still have 61 days to go. That sounds like a lot, but if they go as quickly as these first 4 weeks have, we are going to be home in no time. Home to our warm and comfortable bed, home to see our wonderful kids and grandkids, and home to our dear friends back in Nags Head. While we miss you all, we thank God every day for this once in a lifetime trip. We hope you are enjoying our stories and we hope you are all well.
It’s off to Yosemite in the morning for 4 nights there as we continue our northward journey. Keep us in your prayers. Thank you.