Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Sequoia National Park and Kings Canyon National Park are contiguous. Effectively they
are one national park and, like all national parks in the West, it is a good-sized one-seventy
milesrromtoptobottom,thIrtymilesacross.BecauseofthetwistingroadsasIclimbedup
into the mountains, progress was slow, though splendidly scenic.
I drove for two hours on lofty roads through boulder-strewn mountains. Snow was still ly-
ing about in broad patches. At last I entered the dark and mysterious groves of the giant
sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum, according to my brochure). The trees were tall, no
doubt about it, and fat around the base, though not fat enough to take a highway. Presum-
ably they would get fatter as I moved deeper into the forest. Sequoias are ugly trees. They
soar up and up and up, but their branches are sparse and stubby, so they look silly, like
the sort of trees three-year-olds draw. In the middle of the Giant Forest stands the General
Sherman Tree-the biggest living thing on earth. Surely the General Sherman was the one I
was looking for.
“Oh boy, Chevette, have I got a treat for you!” I called out and patted the steering wheel
fondly. When at last I neared the General Sherman, I found a small parking lot and a path
leading to the tree through the woods. Evidently it was no longer possible to drive through
the tree. This was a disappointment-name me something in life that isn't-but never mind, I
thought. I'll walk through it; the pleasure will last longer. Indeed, I'll walk through it sev-
erally. I will stroll and saunter and glide, and if there aren't too many people about, I might
well dance around it in the light-footed manner of Gene Kelly splashing through puddles
in Singin' in the Rain.
SoIbangedthecardoorshutandwalkedupthetrailtothetreeandthereitwas,withalittle
fence around it to keep people from getting too close. It was big all right-tall and fat-but
notthattall, notthatfat.Andtherewasnoholethroughitsbase.Youmightjustabouthave
managed to cut a modest road through it, but-and here's the important thing-no one ever
had. Beside the tree was a large wooden board with an educational message on it. It said,
“The giant General Sherman is not only the biggest tree in the world, but also the biggest
livingthing.Itisatleast2,500yearsold,andthusalsooneoftheoldestlivingthings.Even
so, it is surprisingly boring, isn't it? That is because it isn't all that tall or all that fat. What
setsitapartfromotherredwoodsisthatitdoesn'ttaperverymuch.Itstaysprettyfatallthe
wayup.Henceithasagreaterbulkthananyothertree.Ifyouwanttoseereallyimpressive
redwoods-ones with roads driven through their bases-you have to go to Redwood National
Park, way up near the Oregon border. Incidentally, we've erected a fence around the base
ofthe tree tokeep youwell back fromit andintensify yourdisappointment. Asifthat were
not enough, there is a party of noisy young Germans coming up the path behind you. Isn't
life shitty?”
