For Easter of 2019, Cory and I decided to make a trip to Sequoia and Yosemite National Parks. We had heard about the grandeur of both parks, but I don't think we were truly prepared for what we actually saw and felt when we got there.
From the moment we arrived in Sequoia National Park, Cory and I were just awe struck at the enormity of the trees. The Sequoia trees are slightly shorter than the Coastal Redwoods, but they are 2 to 3 times as massive in width and girth. The Giant Sequoias tend to break at the very top limiting their maximum height slightly. It should be noted that that Giant Sequoias are only fourth to Coastal Redwoods in maximum height of any tree in North America and sixth tallest of any tree on earth. Because they do not loose any width as they grow, there is no tapering or peaking at the top of the tree like most other species, the tops of the sequoias tend to be top heavy and ultimately break off. Still pretty impressive height as you can see Cory here craning his neck to look up to see the top of the massive tree. It is almost impossible to capture in a photo an entire Giant Sequoia tree.
The Giant Sequoias are however the largest trees by mass and volume anywhere in the world, with a trunk volume of 1,487 cubic meters, or 52,500 cubic feet. The width of the trunk of these trees is almost unfathomable, and when surrounded by several of them at once, it is just mesmerizing. For a little scale here, Cory is 6 feet tall and fairly broad shouldered, and he is completely dwarfed by this giant of the Sierra Nevadas.
There are several stands of these superlative trees in the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, the most famous being the groupings around the named trees, General Sherman and General Grant. Cory and I could have spent another several days admiring these trees and the unique wildlife living amongst them.
We would learn that California and the west Coast was home to 3 of the world's most impressive tree species, including these Giant Sequoias, and we were determined to see them all.
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