THE GENERAL'S HIGHWAY, SEQUOIA NP

DATE:  Sun, Oct. 23, 2011
HOME: Sequoia NP, Wuksachi Lodge
DISTANCE: 26 miles
ALTITUDE: 3,000ft
WEATHER: Perfect – mid 70’s
NARRATIVE:
Today was supposed to be a relaxed, easy ride with 500ft. of climbing along the general’s highway, stopping along the way to see the magnificent sequoias.  And it was,  except for the climbing.  3,000ft of climbing and 4 1/2 hours later we got to Wuksachi Lodge.  What a beautiful setting, nestled in the trees with the white Sierra granite peaks sparkling in the background.

How did 500ft turn into 3,00ft.? We’ve had trouble with mistakes on the Adventure Cycling maps all along on this Sierra Cascades Route, but this section in Sequoia Park had two maps exactly the same.  We checked the addendum for these two sections, and they had corrections, which still contained major mistakes.  The addendum had us climbing only 500ft, which turned into 3,000ft!

The ride today was beautiful meandering along a windy road that went down to creek crossings and then climbing up out of them.  The views of the high sierras were spectacular, and there is nothing more magnificent than the giant sequoias up close.

Sequoias:  Can be up to 300ft. tall and 40ft. in diameter. Unfortunately, loggers saw $$$$ and in the early 1900’s major groves were chopped down.  Luckily, conservation minded folks won the battle and Sequoia NP became the 2nd national park.  The rest of the twentieth century was fire suppression and the building of recreational facilities in the NP.  Today, all over, we are awakening to the need to truly preserve and save our national parks, and here in Sequoia/Kings Canyon that means preserving the remaining groves, and restoring many areas to its natural habitat.  The conservation or "green ethic" has been prevalent in all the wild lands we have visited all along our route - very encouraging.

We had heard on the news that several big trees had toppled over, which is about the only way sequoias die (there are a number over 2000 years old). When we asked about it, apparently they were in the wilderness somewhere and no one actually knew the location.


The Wukaschi Lodge is quite nice (as compared to the John Muir lodge in Grant Grove).  Good restaurant that looks out over the mountains, deer strolling by, generally nice.  In Grant Grove we had the parking lot outside the restaurant with RV’s rolling by….

Both of us are pretty tired tonight; the continued climbing every day is taking its toll. Tomorrow should be a lot of downhill (6000 feet) so we will see if that is an easier day and we recover.