Kings Canyon & Sequoia National Park 2006

When we arrived at Kings Canyon it was basically deserted. The main tourist season had ended and all that reamained were a few die hard travellers, notably in expensive RV's. We decided to stay at Porcupine Flats campground, nestled amidst pines and scrub at the base of the valley adjacent to rattlesnake Creek. Like the majority of sites we had stayed at during our trip, each pitch had its own 'anti-bear' storage unit to house all food and fragrant items. You would be surprised by some of the bear stories you hear and read about, doors getting ripped straight off their hinges, glass being removed and tents ripped to pieces. As you travel through the parks you constantly hear the phrase 'a fed bear is a dead bear' or a 'fed cougar is a dead tourist' so you try to do your best to preserve the 'natural' and reduce the contact between man and wild animal.


We only planned to spend a couple of nights in Kings Canyon so after a quick look at the guide books etc, we decided to do a short but stunning hike which and went on the Hotel Creek Trail via the Lewis Canyon Trail. We got to the trail head and there were notices warning us of the following: Mountain Lions; Bears; Rattlesnakes and Fires!

After a couple of miles of winding singletrack, we reached the first viewpoint and could see some controlled fires in the distance on the other side of the valley. It was time to sit and take in the amazing yet hazy view. Psychs decided he would climb down the cliff edge and go on the hunt for rattle snakes while i weighed up the options for some global balancing on a nearby boulder that jutted out from the edge. After the obligitory pictures we set off again once again further into the forest, it was amazing, like something off the Blair Witch Project. Not a single person about, almost deathly silence. It was fantastic. We jsut dont get those moments very often in the UK. You almost felt like someone or something was watching your every move.... maybe they were!!


En route to Sequoia, we stopped off at several viepoints to look for some great photo opportunies. Adjacent to one carpark psychs spotted a narrow 30ft long ridge that headed to a small pinnancle and... yes you've guessed it.. an opportunity for a serious bit of global balancing. The rock was also quite crumbly so we gave the ground a good check over before making the move to the edge. It was awesome, the view was outstanding and the drop on 3 sides must have been close to 1000ft.

From Kings Canyon, we made our way to Sequoia National Park. God those trees are freaking enormous and are estimated to be about 2,000+ years old in some cases. It was a momentous experience, being around some of the oldest living things on the face of the earth. Definately worth a visit, makes you really appreciate life.