Hiking is an experience that you cannot really compare to anything else.
It is unlike anything else.
I recently went on a trip to Sequoia National Park for the first time in my life - I went to Yosemite a few months back for the first time as well; but, that is for another article. They both were experiences I never want to forget.
Lately, I have been stressed and midterms alone have made me want to rip my hair out, but after being in nature I can say the opposite. If you don't like nature, I would say this isn't for you - but, I have never met anyone yet that hasn't liked going into nature. Or at least being in it for a half hour before saying "get me the frick out of here!" I can truly say, once you do it, it's like a drug - you want to keep doing and keep doing it every chance you get. No matter if it's Yosemite or a small one hour drive, it's always worth it.
As far as for me, I have recently gotten into hiking (my significant other is to thank for that). I was never really into it, I always wanted to do it; but, I never had the right friends who wanted to go with me. And, on top of that, not everyone has the same schedule; so, when we would try and plan it we would not even get close. With school in session, it is incredibly hard to do any hiking because you are either working or in school and the other half of the time stressing out from both of those things. I got lucky with a significant other who is from NY and loves hiking as much as I have learned to love it. Except it was much colder in NY, then it gets here, so hiking is a breeze for him.
Honestly, breathtaking. Sequoia rules!
I wanted to go hiking before it started to rain and become even colder because at high elevation it snows and I really don't have time for hiking in the snow that's for sure. And, you have to have chains here and I did not want to go through the hassle of that either.
So, we decided to go last Saturday and the day was perfect here in Fresno, so I was hoping for the same in Sequoia. I checked the weather for a good week before we went because I wanted to make sure that it was not going to rain. I did not want rain, I absolutely hate it.
I packed for about two days before my significant other and I even went on this trip. I packed extra jackets, my Nikon, my fish-eye lens, an extra battery pack for my phone, four water's, snacks and that doesn't even dispel the half of it. I tend to pack extra because you never know what could happen. Lastly, I brought my handy dandy Marvel backpack that I bring on every hiking trip because it has yet to fail me yet. And, silently shows everyone I am a Marvel nerd and proud of it!
(Praising myself here a little bit.)
My Marvel backpack in it's prime, in a bathroom stall.
The drive there we ate really good tacos from a taco truck on the way - and they were amazing. Then we were on our way, officially after that. A Playlist was made. Tunes were good. My reception was lost. The day was looking promising. The weather at Sequoia was cloudy and cold, but not that I needed a sweater - it was perfect. I wore a flannel and survived the day perfectly fine without getting sick coming back to sunny Fresno.
When we arrived it took about another half hour to an hour to get into the park and get to where we wanted to go - but, the views before that were fantastic. It made that 30$ we paid previously totally worth it. I could have left after that drive into the park and been perfectly fine.
The trees were making the drive there much more perfect than it already was. I was so excited about the trees - I mean my entire life I had always seen the trees in pictures, especially on Tumblr and sites like that. Saying 'you want to see the trees' and then actually seeing the trees is an entirely different scenario. They are beyond what you think they are. It seems like they would not be that tall, but when you see them they are GINORMOUS.
In California we have palm trees, trees that are slightly tall (not really - depending, where you go), we have a damn pretty landscape, you can see the mountains from any angle you go if you look far enough and In-N-Out.
But, nothing compares to the feeling of seeing these huge trees. I have been called tall my entire life, and seeing these trees I am pretty much like "f you for saying I am the tallest chick you ever saw." Because there are trees taller than 50 of me.
These trees ain't got nothing on me.
We hiked about three times on small trails and checked out the museum, which was cool. The museum was small and you could go through it within the minute - but, it was nice and had a lot of information about the park. I didn't want to go through a long museum because I wanted to hike, more so than anything else. It was a nice little museum on the way to the trail we were looking for, though.
Them realistic tree vibes at the museum, though.
After the museum we went to another trail, before this, we went to see the "big" tree, but too many tourists were waiting in line for a picture so we decided to skip that one. We went around the trail a little bit, but it was way too busy with people. I wanted something more intimate, something that not a ton of tourist were hiking. So, my significant other found a trail before we even went and we hiked that. It was nice, there was no one on the trail and we could really be one with nature for an hour. It was really nice.
The trees were killer, the scene was killer, and most importantly it was quiet. I was more so excited about the quietness because we had been around loudness on the other trail. I was stoked about just walking nd seeing everything. I was praying I was not going to be mauled by a bear, but thankfully I came out alive and well in one piece. Overall, the day was great and the nap on the way home was even better. I don't know how I lasted this long without going to Sequoia. I can honestly say it is my favorite National Park other than Yosemite. Even though we only have these two.
Yosemite and Sequoia are different in many ways. The scenery is different and the vibes are different. There were so many more tourists at Yosemite then Sequoia and I liked that. I don't mind tourist, but they can be kind of rude at times and when you are in nature, you want peace.
I am so happy I decided to go before it got extremely cold. The weather was perfect, I was with someone perfect and I cannot complain. It was one of the better days I have had in a while - and I can truly say I would buy a yearly pass just to go to Sequoia and Yosemite year-round.
Life is good, my friends.
Go out to nature once in a while.
You will want to pull out your hair less.
