Sequoia National Park, California

Other than our adventure in Crystal Cave, we went on quite a few hikes during our third anniversary in Sequoia National Park and King's Canyon.

One of the first things we did was to visit the General Sherman Tree, the largest tree in the world. The wide trail drops you down into the groves of trees. It didn't feel too steep for us, but it was slow going for some. While most must hike down to General Sherman, there is a handicap entrance farther down the road. Parking was limited there but buses did run there.  

It doesn't take very long to come upon General Sherman himself. A photograph can't demonstrate just how huge this tree is. 

It is a pretty incredible sight. We saw and met people from all over while we were there. We even tried to guess some accent origins. I'm not sure we were very successful. We definitely need to get out of the country. 

I liked showing the tree's size in relation to this crazy photographer lady. 

While most people stayed near Sherman, we ventured off on the smaller side trails in the grove. They were pretty easy going with spectacular views. It's no wonder these are my favorite trees.

We ended our first day with a short hike, about 3.5 miles there and back, to Tokopah falls. We parked at the visitor's center for the Lodgepole campground and then crossed the bridge over the river to access the trailhead. The trail follows the river into picturesque meadows and towering trees. The climb was nice and easy after a long day of being on our feet. The climb was gradual and pretty clear. An older woman with a walker made it most of the way, until we had to hike up through some rocks, which was one of our favorite parts.

When we got to the waterfall, it was pretty much a tall trickle at that time of year, not at all grandiose, but the beautiful hike was well worth it. 

On our last day in Sequoia, we ended with a couple shorter hikes within short driving distances from each other, one of which included Big Baldy. 

The hike up to Big Baldy felt long to me, since we ended three days of hiking and about three hikes with the climb up, but it really wasn't all that long or very steep. The hike was mostly through beautiful sequoias in tons of lovely shade, and the view at the top was incredible. 

Crystal Cave, Sequoia National Park, California

For our third anniversary, in the summer of 2013, James and I took a trip to Sequoia National Park and King's Canyon. 

The weather was incredible. It wasn't sunny and bright. Quite the contrary. I got to experience my first Sierra thunderstorm. We spent a couple nights together, huddled in our small dome rent, listening to the rain pour down, our tent being pelted by falling debris and shaken by the wind. It was amazing. 

In between the storms, we went in quite a few hikes and visited something on my bucket list: the Crystal Cave. After a bit of a drive down to the parking lot, we walked down about a quarter mile if stairs to the entrance of the cave. We had arrived a little early, so we sat waiting for the cave to start when we heard the tour guide talking on his walkie, being warned about storms in the area. He assured us there wouldn't be any problems and we went on our tour of the caves.

Crystal Cave was sparkling and beautiful. We also learned about its interesting history, including the damage that had been done during self guided tours. Considering the spectacular natural beauty of the cave, it was a little disheartening to learn just how much had been ruined by careless visitors. 

When we got to the last room on the tour, our guide did the customary turn off all the lights to experience true darkness. I found it peaceful and romantic to be clutching my husband in the dark, cool cave, but a little kid did not, timidly asking for the lights to be turned back on.

As we were about to head back out, one of the other tour guides came rushing into the room, telling us that lightening had struck nearby and due to the iron rich entrance to the cave, we all had to stay put until it had passed. Another tour group was ushered in and we took a seat.

We sat around talking, and James joked about the electricity going out. And then it did. Much to the dismay of that little kid who didn't like it the first time. The guides quickly brought in flashlights and distributed them around. 

And then another tour guide came rushing into the room with another announcement. The lightning had passed, but they had just received a flas flood warning so we had to leave, and we had to leave now. 

So, flashlights in hand, two tours worth of people, in an orderly manner, quickly made our way out back through the caves by flashlight and made our way back up the quarter mile of stairs, now in the pouring rain.

I gotta say that Crystal Cave is beautiful and well worth the visit, but it stands out for me as that one time we almost drowned in a cave. Best. Trip. Ever.