2015 Hike #47 - General Grant Trail, Kings Canyon National Park, CA

Named after Ulysses S. Grant, The General Grant tree is second only in size to the General Sherman Tree.  The tree which stands 267.4' high is a shrine to remember all US citizens who gave their lives in war. The trail is virtually flat and one mile total. Very impressive and you must see to believe the enormous size of these trees!

Hike #46 - General Sherman Tree and Congress Trail - Sequoia National Park, California

This popular trail in Sequoia National park, leads to the largest tree by volume in the world.  Named after General Sherman from the Civil War, the tree is estimated to be 2200 years old and 275' tall, 36' across at the base.  The trail is paved and 1 mile out and back with an elevation gain of only 200'.  We continued from there to the Congress Trail to see many more impressive giant Sequoia trees.

Hike #45 - Lakes Trail to Watch Tower - Sequoia National Park, California

The Lakes Trail at Sequoia National Park passes through thick forest and along a deep canyon eventually reaching 4 beautiful glacial lakes.  To reach the furthest lake, you would hike 5.8 miles and climb over 2,200'.  We turned around at the Watchtower (3 1/2 miles), actually I turned around about .5 miles before the Watchtower.  The trail is steep with beautiful views and lush pine forest.  When we arrived, a cross-country track team was using the trail for training.

Hike #44 - Half Dome via Mist Trail - Yosemite National Park, California

Paul secured a permit 4 months in advance for (6) people to hike to the top of Half Dome on Thursday, August 28, 2015.  He announced it to his Toastmaster club and on FB and by August we had (4) more people to join us!  He made reservations early to stay at Curry Village which turned out perfect for getting an early start.  We 
arrived into Fresno late Wednesday night meeting Sunil and Terry.  We stopped for a hearty pre-hike dinner and drove 2 hours to Yosemite National Park and Curry Village.  Our "tent" cabin slept (4) people comfortably and community style restrooms near by.

 The place was packed!  It was after midnight when we finally got to bed only to rise at 4:30 AM to start our ascent up the Mist Trail. I was surprised by how steep this trail was right away.  It seemed to never end. We climb zillions of granite stairs to Nevada and Vernal Falls which provided endless photo opportunities.  The 14+ mile RT trail took us approx. 11 1/2 hours with several breaks including approx. an hour at the top.  The top section with cables was quite intimidating but since we had come this far it would be disappointing not to do it.  We found lots of gloves with rubber lining under a rock at the base of the cables which provided some relief that I would not slip and fall! Being at the top of this rock was so worth it! The views were spectacular!  I am really glad I did this and consider it a bucket list destination that I will never forget.  The hike down was easier but long. Between the (6) of us we had enough water but there were times when some of our group ran out.  I left my pack at some rocks about a mile from the top which helped lighten my load for the final steep section. We enjoyed the best tasting beer and pizza when we finally arrived back at Curry Village!  Our legs were shot but we all felt a great sense of accomplishment!

Nevada Falls

Vernal Falls

Curry Village

Standing at the top of Half Dome

Hike #43 - Plaikni Falls Trail - Crater Lake National Park, Oregon

This 2.2 RT easy trail is one of the newer trails in the park and is wheelchair accessible.  It leads to a beautiful waterfall. Since it is one of the easier trails, it is more crowded but well worth the hike into see the waterfall. The trail travels through hemlock and fir trees until it reaches Sand Creek with beautiful views of Plaikni Falls.  We hiked this in early August, 2015.