muir grove hike
Post on 29-Jun-2015
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at Sequoia National Park
© Michael L Brown, 2011
The Muir Grove Trail
This slide show features the pictures I took when I went on a walk in Sequoia National Park. The trail started at the Dorst Creek Campground, and led to the Muir Grove of giant sequoias. Click arrows to advance or reverse pages, click on pictures to view high resolution Picasa versions.
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The trail was level for the most part, winding along side a steep hill surrounded by a lovely redwood forest.
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Directly in front of me was a beautiful tall redwood, catching the California sun.
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The calls of crows and blue jays were all around me. I deeply inhaled the rich, damp smells of the forest.
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The summer sun was still quite hot. Looking up, I could see how tall this tree really was.
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Clinging to the tree was a soft thick blanket of lichen.
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After about a mile and a half, I noticed an opening and a clearing to my right.
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I left the trail and went to the clearing, and found myself on a granite dome. There was a great view of the local hills and mountains. There was also a deep drop-off at the forward edge to a ravine far below.
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I scanned the forest directly across the ravine and observed the late afternoon sun. I noticed I could see the sequoias, rising above the forest, recognizing them by their rounded but not pointy tops. My heart leapt in anticipation!
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Returning to the trail, I made my way gradually along this side of the gorge, until reaching a small creek, and after an easy crossing, I turned right and hiked up toward the grove.
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There it was! The Muir Grove.
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There are hundreds of large old sequoias here, and I had them all to myself.
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Most were blackened by fire.
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They stood guard against the world's enemies.
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I noticed a double-sequoia that had grown a single base. I moved my way around to the other side ...
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... and I gazed upon an opening. Know that this tree is so huge I could walk through the lower opening standing upright.
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Passing through the door into the heart of the tree, I looked up.
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Once inside, I looked out. I was within the womb of the forest. It was quiet and cool.
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Again I looked up. … A deep calm came over me. … I lingered.
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I turned on my flash to better see the heart.
I reached out and leaned on the tree wall and felt something soft and wet ...
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This is what I had felt.
The interior was truly alive, and wise beyond my years. I made my way outside.
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Some of these soldiers have fought many battles.
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The center of this tree has failed, and two limbs turn upward to compensate. What will this look like in two hundred years?
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At the top is another world.
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The surface of the sequoia is intricate. How can it be so soft, and yet so strong?
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I noticed a small cedar that seemed to be glowing.
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No wonder, it was filled with many tiny stars!
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This old man spoke to me as I left, and what he told me stays with me. To learn what he said, you must visit him yourself.
The End
Photography and text by Mike L B - © 2011.
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