Lodgepole and Giant Forest

Our last day at Sequoia National Forest we first stopped at Lodgepole and hiked to Tokopah Falls.  Along the way we say some Marmots hiding in the boulders. They are the largest member of the squirrel family and we were warned that they chew on radiator hoses.  At every stop we made we had to unload all of our food and toiletries from the car and store them in metal boxes due to the bears.  Once we got to the falls we talked with some other hikers who wanted to know if we saw the momma bear and her cubs on the way.  Apparently we just missed them.  The next place we went was the Giant Forest full of Giant Sequoias and the General Sherman Tree, the largest tree in the world. Interesting fact is the tree is estimated to be 2,200 years old and each year grows enough new wood to make a 60 ft tall normal tree. The Sequoias trunks can be up to 40 ft in diameter and 311 feet tall.  Next stop was Moro Rock where we climbed a lot of stairs to the top.  Moro Rock is a granite dome that you can stand on top of and see the Great Western Divide.  Very beautiful view!  Our last stop of the day was Crescent Meadow where we started out on the Eagle View trail.  All day we had been hearing about other visitors seeing bears and we still hadn't and I was a little disappointed.  Well, we were about 3/4 of the way to the top of the trail when Andrew spotted a momma bear down in the meadow, and then i saw her cub come running down the hill to her.  It was really exciting to see, so we tried to get a few pics before we got nervous enough that we decided to head back.  We wanted to keep a safe distance between us.  We headed for Tharp's Log instead, a cabin that a man built in the 1800s inside a fallen sequoia.  The day was a great end to our trip!

On the way to Tokopah Falls

A friendly Marmot

Tokopah Falls

World's Largest Tree

View from the top of Moro Rock

The way up to Moro Rock

Momma bear and her cub.  Probably will have to click on pic to see them

Tharp's Log