Mariposa Grove (Part 3)

Another giant we saw was The Telescope Tree which is best viewed from inside of the tree itself. As we walked inside and looked upward we knew how it’s got its name. We’ve learned that this tree was hollowed out almost entirely by one of many fires in the area and survived, and that is one more proof that Sequoia’s has amazing resilience to fire.

We spent some time inside the tree and saw how the outer layer is the only layer of the tree that is growing, the center of the tree was burn away and the tree continued living and growing for centuries longer, as long as it can still stand up.

The Mariposa Grove museum was one of important stops in this tour. It was built in 1864 by Galen Clark who first saw the grove in 1857 and immediately fell in love with its giants. He protects these trees and built the cabin to spend the rest of his live in the grove showing off the majestic beauties to other visitors.

Today it is used as a museum with information on the history of the grove and the life cycles of the giant Sequoia Trees.

There is a drinking fountain and the water is so cold and refreshing, we spent a long minute drinking this refreshing cold water and filled our bottles before continued on our hike.

On this hike we’ve seen so many giant sequoias and got extremely overwhelmed by what we’ve seen. No word can describe this show and we learned so much about those magnificent trees.

 We saw so many trees burned by fires and learned that in fact, Sequoias need fire to survive. The warmth from the fire opens up the Sequoia’s pine cones that have fallen to the ground, along the seeds to fall out and start growing. Small fires also clear out the brush around the area, which makes it easier for the seeds to sprout. But doesn't means we should start a fire
to help the Sequoias grow—
they will do fine by 
themselves relying on natural disasters, some of the trees 
in this grove have been 
surviving because of and 
despite of them for over 
2000 years.

Mariposa Grove (Part 2)

While hiking to our next tree we discover a Snow Plant growing just above the side of the trail in close proximity to a group of pine trees. It was growing in a shady dark area and we almost missed it. This plant is a parasitic plant that derives sustenance and nutrients from fungi that attach to roots of trees and its name derives from the striking red flower that emerges from the sometimes still snow-covered ground of the Sierra Nevada in early spring.

Continuing our hike we arrive at the base of the Faithful Couple tree. At first glance we thought that this is just another sequoia tree in the grove. Then, we looked up and found that actually there are two sequoias that grew very close to each other and have actually fused together at their bases to form one tree, what a pleasant surprise! Interesting enough they remain two very separate trees at the top.

The two sequoias spent their whole lives next to each other and just couldn’t bear being separated.

Is there anymore appropriate picture of Eti and I, a couple that have been faithful to each other for more than 40 years?

Next tree on our list was the Clothespin Tree which unlike the California Tunnel Tree and the Wawona Tunnel Tree is hollowed out by natural causes. We learned that it took many fires to create the tunnel in this tree, and yet the tree survived enough to continue growing despite the large hole in its base. In order not to hurt the shallow roots and kill other plants trying to grow around the tree we kept a distance and took the pictures from a short distance.

Continue our hike we came across the Columbia tree which is the tallest tree the grove and in Yosemite National Park at 285 feet (87 m) and a 16.4 ft diameter at the base.

Even visitor on the tram couldn’t hide their amusement of this tree, they couldn’t hold their head up for too long to see the top of the Columbia Tree.  

We hike a short distance north of the museum to visit the Fallen Tunnel Tree which considers one of the famous trees in the world.  We learned that since 1818 millions of visitors to the grove drove through the large man-made 9 foot tunnel that was carved at the base of it.

 

This tree stood 234 feet high, and was 26 feet in diameter at the base. Heavy snow, wet soil and the weakening effect of the tunnel caused it to fall down in 1969, and today it lays on its side.

A short distance to the west of the Fallen Tunnel Tree we visit the Galen Clark Tree which is named for Galen Clark who spend his life living among trees in his log cabin and protected the grove.

We also learned that he was the one who convinced President Abraham Lincoln to set aside the grove as a protected reserve “for public use, resort, and recreation”. Other than John Muir, no one worked harder to protect this area than Galen Clark.

Mariposa Grove (Part 1)

Upon arriving at Mariposa Grove of Giants Sequoias we felt relieved. It took us about 5 minutes of waiting in line to get into the bathroom but we couldn’t have it any other way.

We visited this grove last year and it was better this year because now we were more familiar with the grove and knew what to look for in the shortest and easiest way.

Starting the hike on the lower trail we noticed it is very well maintained and organized. Every noticeable giant sequoia is marked with a sign describing the name and history of that sequoia, which made it a pleasant and very informative visit.

As we first started along the trail we immediately noticed a gigantic tree on its side.

 This is the Fallen Monarch, and scientists estimate that it has been on its side for centuries. We noticed it has not decayed and there are not very many plants growing on it even through it has been dead for hundreds of years. Acid in the bark makes it almost impossible for anything to grow on it, which preserves the tree better than other trees.

Walked up close and looked at the roots. We learned that the roots do not go deep into the soil, only about 6ft, but they can stretch as far as 150 feet to the side, soaking up all the water it can find, and creating a very stable base that can keep the massive tree up against strong winds.

Continuing on the trail we came across a group of four sequoias called Bachelor and Three Graces which is one massive tree next to the smaller trees. There is no particular story behind these four trees, but it makes for a pleasant sight.

Apparently, the trees were named simply for their proximity to one another. As the Bachelor tries to get the attention of one of the Three Graces.

Next we came across the Grizzly Giant which is one of the main attractions of the Mariposa Grove and is appropriately named. This giant is estimated to be over 1,800 years old, and is 100ft around at its base. Looking up the tree we noticed a very thick branch sticking out to the side that looks like it could be a tree by itself. Well we were not far off:  we find out that the branch is 7ft in diameter and is thicker than any other non-sequoia tree in the grove!
Looking at this massive giant we also learned that it is estimate to survived over one hundred fires in its long lifetime.

The base which is about 100ft in diameter is so big we were wondering how many people will need to encircle it.

We walked a short distance past the Grizzly Giant and found ourselves in front the California Tunnel Tree. The hole or “tunnel” at the base was cut in 1895 so that horse-drawn stagecoaches could pass through as the forest was probably too dense to go around. This is the only tunneled tree in the grove that is still standing today.

Like anybody else that morning Jacob and Amy preserved the moment on picture.

We couldn’t miss the opportunity to examine the inside of that giant and it is amazing to see that bark from the inside.

El Capitan

It was almost midday when we arrived at El Capitan Bridge right below the El Capitan nose. Looking up make me feel a little dizzy and I was thinking “Since El Capitan is so famous for its shear wall and people have climbed it so many times in the past, is there anybody climbing these shear walls at this very moment?”  To my surprise I stood beside a group of people that do just that. It was a group of mountain climbers that scaled these walls just a few days earlier. “You have to be dedicated and very persistent”, said the leader of the group “It’s difficult and extremely dangers. It takes years of preparation and practice to achieve the level of skills needed to climb El Capitan”.  I couldn’t argue with such a statement and watched through a telescope he offered me a team of mountain climbers scaling the treacherous wall of El Capitan and couldn’t stop being amazed by it.

 

A few minutes later I learned that there were two teams climbing the wall and that they have been climbing for the past three days. One team couldn’t continue due to shortage of food and water supply and had to retrieve back while the other team was almost three quarter of the height up and continued on their journey.

It was quite a scene watching those       

mountain climbers inching their way 

up toward the summit, they have 

been doing it for the past three days 

with such dedication that within a few 

hours they were to reach the top of  

El Capitan.  During their climb they 

were supposed to carry with them 

enough equipment and supplies to last 

them for the whole journey, they spent 

the night in a Portaledge which is a hanging tent system, specially designed for rock climbers who spend multiple days and nights on a big wall climb.

 I was so curious to know what a portaledge is made of since they have to spend so many nights in them up there hanging from the cliff. “A portaledge is a fabric-covered platform surrounded by a metal frame that hangs from a single point and has adjustable suspension straps.”  said the group leader, “A separate cover, called a stormfly, covers the entire system in the event of bad weather.” That was amazing since I never knew that a rock climber can actually sleep in such a system hanging from the cliff and wake up in the morning to continue climbing.

A few days later I found that one team has made it to the top the following morning, while the other team bail out, poor guys they must have been extremely disappointed to reach more than half the way up only to be left dry of food and water supplies which caused them to retrieve, next time guys.