Sunday, August 30, 2015

Yosemite Part 2: giant sequoia trees


We were a little bummed while planning our trip to find that the Mariposa Redwood Grove is currently closed for renovations (until next year!), but we knew this in advance and made plans to visit a grove of giant sequoia trees instead. This grove of trees is not quite within the borders of Yosemite, but it's on the way, and well worth the visit.  It was a one mile easy loop for this preggy mama, with lots of stops for kids to explore and climb and pretend. 


Gabriela looking out a "window" of a "house" they discovered in one of the trees. 


Even though it was a 90 degree day, we were very comfortable up in the mountains, in the shade of all these gigantic trees. 
Evidence that I was actually present for this trip. 
The kids loved discovering the fallen tree trunks, looking inside, feeling the bark and moss, and of course, climbing on them and pretending they were pirate ships. 








Then we discovered why this grove is called the Shadow of the Giants. Just look at this sequoia! One of the trees we saw was 272 feet tall and 71 feet around its base. Gabriela and Easton's cries of exclamation echoed through the forest. They couldn't believe the enormity of these trees that can live 2,000 to 3,000 years. 

And here's another one with me because I am always the one behind the camera



The trail guide said the one mile hike would take about an hour. We were there for at least two, with all the playing and exploring Gabriela and Easton did. I was happy to have little breaks to rest along the way and give the kids a chance to really take in what we were there to see. After finishing, we found a shady spot to eat our picnic lunch before heading out. 

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