YOSEMITE, SEQUOIA AND KINGS CANYON 

NATIONAL PARKS

In April and May I had three trip to these beautiful areas. Within just two months time the weather ran the gamut from snow and chilly to sunshine and 80 degree weather!

General Sherman is the world's largest tree. (Some would argue an Aspen grove is one tree). Sherman is the most visited spot in the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park. The new trail around the grove is amazing and surprisingly quiet to walk. One of my favorite hikes is the Mist Falls hike. Lots of effort and somewhat dangerous wet steps leads you to this lovely place. But because of low snow pack the waterfalls were low as well.

I'm standing on a narrow granite precipice on the Merced River as it snakes underneath me before plunging 318 feet over Vernal Falls. This is the signature hike in Yosemite.

The Ahwahneechee tribe in Yosemite used black acorns as their staple food. Over the years I have noticed spots like these pictured above, (Steve Gehman showed me some!) where the tribes spent many generations grinding acorns to make a flour like substance, and leaving these holes. This is very hard granite! Come with me and I can show you these spots, where history is right in front of you, if you know how to find it.

The big cone in this picture is a sugar pine and the small is a Sequoia. Not what one would instinctively think!

These funny plants are one of my favorite things about Yosemite in the spring. They pop up out of the snow and are very eye catching. These Snow Plants do not have chlorophyll and feed on fungus below the surface. They make for a great picture too.

Tuolumne meadows were spectacular to hike because of the lack of snow in the high elevations.