Sequoia National Park Pt. 2 and Kings Canyon National Park

I slept in a little bit to about 8 am. I had a bit of a slower morning just taking my time. The drive from where I camped to General Sherman Trail was about 45 min and it was a really pretty drive. When I got there it wasn't too busy yet, even though it was getting to be late morning. There are a few sloping switchbacks to get down to the world's largest (by volume) tree. At the little overlook, it explains that there are taller and wider trees but this tree has the greatest volume, making it the largest. It was a little underwhelming from the overlook; the top of it isn't all there anymore and the width didn't seem that big. But they had cobblestones on the ground mapping the width and shape of the base and that did seem quite big. It wasn't until I got down by it that I appreciated how massive it was.

Its base is 36.5 ft in diameter, 180 ft up the tree is 13.7 ft, and the largest branch is 6.8 ft in diameter; so yeah, a pretty big tree. I hiked around the Congress Trail and a couple of others since they all intertwine. Since this is part of the Giant Forest I was seeing quite a few giants around. Some had names and others didn't. I came across the old Cattle Cabin that some cattlemen had built and stayed in while tending to their herd a long time ago. I hiked back to my van and had a little lunch before making the drive to Kings Canyon National Park on the Generals Highway that connects the two parks.

I stopped at the visitors center in Grant Grove and asked for trail recommendations from the ranger. She recommended the Panoramic Point hike. Even though the road going to the point was closed, you can walk it and see it that way. I first made a stop at General Grant tree and did the short little loop hike around there. General Grant was another impressive sequoia. And the loop showcased another gorgeous grove of massive trees. I then headed towards the parking area to start my Panoramic Point hike. The ranger told me it was 2 miles, but it ended up being closer to 4.5 miles, so I don't know if she just meant one way, but she was a little off. The hike was almost all incline and I followed the road through a really nice forest. I passed some type of pine or evergreen that smelled so good. Bright, almost neon green moss covered tons of trees and gave the forest a cool dimension. I finally reached the point and the view was spectacular.

Another gorgeous area overlooking different peaks in the Sierras. Snowcapped and dreamy. From this overlook, I could see Hume Lake and its blue contrast to the rocky forest-covered slopes surrounding it. I was the only one at the point so it was nice to take it in in the peace and quiet.

I headed back down and it felt just as long going down as it did going up. When I got back to my van I was having a snack when a guy on his bike came up to my window. We got to talking and he was from the UK doing a biking trip from San Francisco to San Diego, going through the mountains. He invited me to have a snack and sit on a log in the meadow by the parking lot. He told me about his adventures in sky diving, bungee jumping, and paragliding, along with his livelihood of farming back in the UK. He's also a sculptor and here in the States for that business as well. I told him about my adventures and gave him a lasso roping lesson. We spent time roping the uprooted roots of the log and sharing snacks. We hung out for about an hour before we parted ways. It was nice to make a friend along the way.

I hit the road in search of a camping spot for the night. I drove down towards Hume Lake and the sunset on the mountains was so beautiful. The sun left a warm light across the mountain face, turning everything soft and orange. The first part of the drive down to the lake overlooked the lower part of Kings Canyon, which is still closed for the winter. It was so cool to get to see it since I couldn't drive down there. I got gas down by Hume Lake, where there is a big Christian camp on the shores of a good section of the lake. I decided I wanted to try to find a spot where I had just driven since the sunset was cool. I drove back up but didn't want to park too close to anyone so I went back down. On my way down, I stopped at an overlook to take in the last bit of light leaving the canyon.

I ended up parking in a small trailhead parking lot close to many of the Christian camp's buildings and was hoping I wouldn't get kicked out at some point during the night. Luckily, I didn't.