Road Trip Chronicles - Day 4
Updated: 6 days ago
Wishon, CA ➡️ Hume, CA (Approx. 2.5 hours of driving)
Destination: Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park
Unceded land of: The Mono (Monache), Yokuts, Tübatulabal, Paiute, & Western Shoshone
Stayed: Sunset Campground
This ended up being one of the shortest drives of my entire road trip. As I arrived, I discovered that I was in a pretty central area (Grant Grove Village), close to the general store and all the information on hikes in the area.
It was a lucky turn of events that had me very close to the main hike to see the proclaimed second-largest tree in the world, named General Grant (also apparently coined 'Our Nation's Christmas Tree').
The hike was overfilled with people and families. It made it difficult to be present while dodging people all along the trail.
It was a very hot day and I decided swimming for the second time in one day was the best way to spend my time. So, I drove to Hume Lake which was nearby (approx. 2o mins. down the road) in Sequoia National Forest.
This lake had a bizarre setup. There was no specific beach or shore area. There were just spaces between the trees along the shore where people set down their stuff to go in for a swim. Muck and weeds were in a lot of the little alcoves.
I ended up walking around to a few spots before settling and swimming. The lake was a bit congested with people which meant I had little privacy while there.
Given that this lake was at a higher elevation than Bass Lake, It was much colder and it took me a while to dive in. But, I was still on cloud 9 to be swimming again.
On the drive back to the campground, I came across a scenic view (I believe it is the Vista Point of Hume Lake, here's a list of views along this highway). As luck would have it, I was able to climb down onto these giant rocks to have an even better panoramic view. I could not believe how breathtaking this was, I actually teared up because the moments that I am surrounded by such epic views, I feel a sense of oneness that feels transcendent.
Video below of the panoramic view from Hume Lake road!
After this, I ended up just returning to the campground and exploring that area. There were all these beautiful rock fixtures and wooded areas to explore. This place truly felt like one giant playground.
I attempted to do yoga on one of the rocks but I kept getting stabbed by pine needles and decided to call it quits. I went back to my campsite to focus on reorganizing my car, getting set up for the next day, and starting on reading material for my first class in my Master's program.
My sleep was pretty restless. I woke up long before the sun rose and just waited for the sun to start to rise to pack up all my stuff.
The General Grant tree loop was so near my campsite, I'd decided to go back to this hike as early as the sun would permit and have a more peaceful private experience than the day before.
It was just as I wanted it, not a soul in sight. Just me and the many grazing deer. I was most excited about this hollowed-out tree that was there. It was simply magical.
Comentarios