A Walk in the Woods (with really big trees)

This post is really different – I’m plagiarizing from one of my favorite humor authors (Bill Bryson) instead of from some rock song. If I think about it, I might find some lyrics which fit, but the book was a perfect match. Bryson’s book (A Walk in the Woods) was about his multi-year attempt to hike the entire Appalachian Trail, partnered with a very peculiar, clueless friend. I recall when I first read the book, I was flying somewhere, and laughing like a madman. Jan was quietly telling people seated around us that she did not know me. Robert Redford made a movie out of the book, which was probably his worst directing and acting effort. I was a big fan of most everything he did, but this one was awful.  But that’s not what this post is about.

Now that I’m finally free from that miserable virus (woo hoo), I needed to get out of the house for a hike. I’m leaving for Colorado in a week, and I needed to get back in shape for the couple of outdoor activities I have planned. During my ‘Cave-A-Week’ mission this past summer, I had heard about a little known state park, Calaveras Big Trees, which has two groves of giant Sequoia trees, and had planned to visit when I traveled to Murphy’s for Mercer Caverns. That would have necessitated an overnight stay, which would have been fun (wineries, nice restaurants, great ice cream) but I did not feel like doing that for some reason, so I passed on the opportunity. But, the weather is still warm, the skies clear, and I’ve got nothing exciting planned this week. Today was the day.

I’ve now done this 2+ hour drive quite a few times, but have never gone past Murphy’s. The highway (Route 4) turns into a winding mountain road – fun to drive, and you go through Arnold, another cute (and small) town. Some nice looking restaurants and bars. Some other time. I love this area.

I had read (and heard) a lot of good things about the park – nice visitor center, really great docents and rangers and easy trails. They were all correct. The visitor center has a nice shop and a small museum, with a lot of interesting information on the history of the big trees and the wildlife – river otters, bears, occasional mountain lions, and lots of birds. Oh my. There are two main groves of the Sequoia trees – the Northern Grove starts at the visitor center so there was no sense in driving any further. I strapped on my Forest Gump anti-foot-flopping brace, and headed off on the trail. I brought the Sony A7 along, but only to play around with – this seemed like the pefect hike to try out my new Pixel phone. 

This trail is well suited for just about anybody – even wheel chairs. And for that reason (maybe some others), the hikers were mostly old. My age. Maybe it was senior discount day or something like that. (I should have asked). No bicycles or dogs allowed. Nice. Just a lot of happy, friendly people.

So what do you see on a trail in the Big Trees State Park? I’ll give you a second. Give up?  Big trees of course. Really BIG trees. The Sequoias are scattered throughout the primarily Redwood forest, and they really stand out. The trail meanders through the groves, with markers (27 of them) at each point of interest (you get a very detailed map of the trail, with descriptions for each of the markers). But most everything is pretty obvious – huge upright trees, huge fallen trees, some burned stumps. Right from the start, there is this enormous stump – shaved down like a dance floor. Part of the tree that stood there is next to it. 

There are quite a few other downed giants – very strange looking. And one giant has a hollow center which you can walk (more like a crab walk) through it. No, it does not count as another cave. 

But mostly what you see are the majestic giants. 

All told, I probably walked about 2 miles or so. It was just a perfect day – not too warm, lots of shade. Does not get too much better than that except for some biting bugs.  There is lots more to see in the park – there was a nice overlook trail which I hiked for a bit, but there were no old folks on it (dirt trail), and I’m sticking with the rule – NO SOLO HIKING. There is another grove of Sequoias (Southern Grove…clever) and more trails to the Stanislaus river, but I had enough. Besides, I had ice cream on my mind. Jo Ma’s, on Main Street in Murphy’s. A perfect end to a great day.

I really like that place. Yum.

This park is a good alternative to Sequoia National Park, if all you want to see are the big trees. Not as far from civilization (easy to get to) and you can see the trees without driving around.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calaveras_Big_Trees_State_Park

And then you are a short drive from Murphy’s, with lots of wineries and my favorite ice cream shop