Sequoia National Park
Part 3 in my National Parks blog series
I salute the generals. General Sherman. General Grant. General Washington. And the presidents. President McKinley. President Washington. And hail to the Chief, another of the named sequoia trees in Sequoia National Park.
I really don’t know how to describe the majesty and beauty of these ancient giants that stand 250-300 feet tall in the Sierra Nevada. Some of these trees are 2,000, even 3,000 years old. They were here when Jesus walked the earth. Take that in.
John Muir, the great Scottish naturalist, was so taken he called this area the Giant Forest. The name stands to this day.
As for me--self-controlled, balanced, cerebral me—I cried out at one point (to no one)—“This is not real!” I might have watered up a bit once or twice.
It could very well be a callback to when I saw the giant redwoods nearly 40 years ago. It was then that I saw and felt the enormity and presence of God. I remember then feeling both so small and, somehow, so significant. It moved me to pursue a life to be near Him. I felt that again today. I have spent so much time in church and in ministry. It’s refreshing to simply encounter God in the garden of His creation.
I don’t know how much energy I have to write too much about today. So I’ll break it down into smaller bits.
The drive up and down to the main grove of trees takes one hour. One hour straight of switchbacks gaining then losing (on the way back) 6,000 feet. Maybe that’s why my foot is swollen. ONE HOUR winding up, up, up; ONE HOUR braking down, down, down hairpin turns. I’ve driven all over the world. Nothing like this. The breathtaking views competed for my attention with the several thousand feet drop just over the rail. Or sometimes no rail. Talk about mindfulness. I was focused!
One bit of news worth sharing, I think… I was able to solve two problems with one solution. I didn’t share in yesterday’s blog but my root vegetable chips lost all their crispiness when packed in with my tomato and cheese sandwich. I didn’t have any other baggies to pack them into. Then I remembered that German brown bread. I realized in a moment the value of the bread is the bag wrapper. I tossed the bread and used the wrapper to store my chips. So satisfying!
I spent a lot of today thinking about those trees. Once I passed the initial state of awe, I began to look closer, investigating them, getting up close, asking questions. What is your secret, oh ancient trees! And they answered. Or God did. Or something. I will likely write up a separate blog on thoughts about life, leadership and organizations that came to me in my time in the woods.
That’s the leadership and org development nerd in me. Sorry, not sorry.
So until then, I look forward to an early bedtime as I prepare for a sunrise departure for the second leg of this sequoia adventure, Kings Canyon National Park.
Check out the NPS website for Sequoia & Kings Canyon for more info: https://www.nps.gov/seki/index.htm