Back to the Grind

No, that kid didn't do that for the picture, I'm just a camera phone quickdraw master. And yes, that's a tree that's been made into a tunnel. I don't think I'll ever get over how enormous these sequoias are! It was like walking through some Tolkien-crafted fantasy world! It's quite a humbling experience to be standing at the metaphorical feet of a living thing that's been around longer than the country that claims it.

Adding to the fantastical feeling was the horseback riding trip we took through the sequoia groves. My horse's name was Little Blaze, and we became good friends over the course of the hour-long ride.

Alas, all good things must come to an end, and this morning, our branch of the family packed up and began making its way back across the country, this time with two additional people. It's just as comfy as you'd expect. The trip was a lot of fun, and I'll definitely return someday with my own family. It's given me s lot to think about in terms of my future, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. For now, it's back to the daily grind!

Goodnight!

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Of Mice and Gigantic Trees

Today was wonderful! After a quick breakfast, the troupe drove nearly an hour into the nearby mountains where we explored the Giant Forest among the enormous sequoia trees.

Unfortunately, my phone inexplicably committed suicide half an hour into the trek, so this picture will have to do for now (don't worry, I got some wonderful shots of the world's largest tree which I'll post up at a later time).

This particular monster was called the Buttress. It's estimated to be over 2300 years old and fell without warning (clear, calm, windless weather) on June 3, 1959. Apparently, these hulking things can randomly lose their balance (as was the case here) if the soil around them gets too wet or thin. The Buttress is 272 feet from where its top used to be to where its bottom used to be. That gnarly mass of roots there is about 20 or so feet in diameter. Important note: this was one of the smaller ones. I'll try to post some pictures of my cousins, brother, and I on top of it later so you can get an idea of the scale we're talking about here.

Later on while on a hike the group encountered a small bear just munching his way through an open field. My brother got some fantastic shots of it, which I'll try to remember to post later if I get the chance.

Overall, an absolutely magical day that really hit me hard with a question: Might I want to change my life's course toward being a park ranger of some kind? It's definitely something I need to give serious thought to, and I'll post on it at a later date.

For now, goodnight!

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