Explore Landscapes #51

I've just come back from a wonderful week of hiking, dark sky photography location scouting, and backpacking, in Sequoia National Park.

I’ve been AWOL from Substack for a few weeks, but I have good reason. Firstly, I celebrated my 56th orbit of the sun and took some time off to spend with my girls.

After that, I spent a wonderful week in Sequoia National Park hiking and scouting potential locations for a dark sky (astrophotography) workshop that I’m privileged to be leading for the Sequoia Parks Conservancy Dark Sky Festival on Friday, September 6th.

NOTE: read until the end of this post to see the details of this free-to-attend workshop.

My friends Sydney and Barry Williams (the powerhouse duo behind Hiking My Feelings) are currently the campsite hosts at the Wolverton Service Camp. As well as being the most excellent hosts during my stay, they are also first-class hiking and backpacking guides. I first met them a couple of years ago while volunteering on a wellness retreat they had organized with the Joshua Tree National Park Association (JTNPA). Since then I’ve volunteered on a number of their retreats in JT - and also backpacked with them both. I can’t say enough good things about this pair.

They have upcoming weekend wilderness retreats in Sequoia National Park, Glacier National Park, and Joshua Tree National Park in 2024 and will return to Grand Staircase Escalante and Zion National Park in 2025. Sign up for their newsletter to receive notifications on these events and more.

Also, snag a copy of Sydney’s new book, Hiking Your Feelings - and learn how to blaze a trail to self-love. “With affirmations, prompts, and reflection exercises throughout - all presented from Sydney’s supportive and self-effacing perspective - Hiking Your Feelings offers a toolkit to unpack your “trauma pack” and step into the best version of yourself.”

It was an action-packed week. We hiked for five out of the seven days and, in that time, completed 45 miles and 10,200 feet of elevation gain.

On Sunday, we completed a 10-mile loop that took us from the Wolverton Service Camp through the pine and fir trees forest up to Panther Gap. As you crest the final incline at Panther Gap, the view suddenly opens up 180 degrees, and you come face to face with the amazing vista of the Sierras in front of you.

We then followed a meandering path downhill through pine and fir trees (often decorated with black bear scratches), through flower-filled sun-dappled meadows, and into the sequoias of the Giant Forest.

The giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) is the world’s largest tree by volume. They are simply gigantic. You can’t help but touch them. Their outer bark is flexible and gives a little when you touch it. They have a presence that is hard to ignore.

On Sunday evening, we scouted potential dark sky photography locations. After looking at Cresent Meadow and Beetle Rock, we ended up in Round Meadow, which looked promising.

We waited for the end of astronomical twilight for the Milky Way to appear, but the location wasn’t ideal, so we decided to call it a night early and head back to camp.

Monday saw us hiking 6 miles down through the Giant Forest and towards Moro Rock. This large granite dome is a spectacular feature that can be seen almost as soon as you enter the park through the south entrance (Foothills). It’s a wonderful place to enjoy sunrise and/or sunset, but be prepared for the 350 concrete and rock steps that wind their way up the back face and onto the top of the rock.

On Monday evening, we scouted more potential dark sky photography locations. After looking at several other locations, we ended up in the Wolverton Picnic Area and found our spot. We sat and snacked while waiting for the Milky Way to appear, and this time all three of us got great Milky Way images. It was a successful night. I will share some of our Milky Way images in a future post.

Tuesday was a (much-needed) rest day. We headed back down to Three Rivers for breakfast and coffee and then on toward Tulare and Visalia for shopping. Sydney and Barry had been given a tip about an amazing butcher shop in Tulare, which we had to visit. As we stepped in the door and saw the incredible display of sausages, steaks, and awards, It was unanimously decided on the spot that Thursday night, we’d be eating sausage cooked on the campfire. For good measure, we also purchased a sirloin steak for Wednesday’s dinner.

Most mornings, we’d be joined by deer (or marmots) in camp. We stayed a discrete distance away from them and enjoyed their company while they did their thing before moving on.

We decided we needed another rest day in camp on Wednesday, so we did just that. On Thursday, after 2 rest days, we had a big day out in the wilderness. We hiked another 10-mile loop (with 2,500 feet of ascent), heading up the rocky trail leading to the Watchtower and then continuing to Heather Lake at 9,300 feet. We enjoyed our time at the lake, recharged, had a swim (how often do you get the chance to swim in a pristine alpine lake?), and then headed back to camp to prepare for the Sausage Fest.

The highlight of the week for me was the two-day backpacking trip we completed to round out my stay in Sequoia. After heading back up to Panther Gap from the Wolverton Trail, we turned left, contoured around, and then up towards the incredibly beautiful Alta Meadow.

Alta Meadow looks like it’s been dropped into place straight out of the ‘Sound of Music.’ You expect Julie Andrews to come dancing in from stage left any minute singing ‘The hills are alive …!’

We walked down towards the copse of trees we could see at the bottom of the meadow. Barry was determined to find us a great campsite, so he scouted around while Syndey and I took a breather. And, by golly, he found us the most amazing campsite for the night.

We had perfect conditions for the night. Almost no wind, 100% visibility, and 0% precipitation. We spent the afternoon enjoying the view of all that granite, had an early dinner, enjoyed a snooze, and then got ready for photography.

What an amazing week. Huge thanks to Syndey and Barry Williams for their wonderful hospitality, superb hike and backpacking guiding, and invaluable dark sky location scouting. Most of all, I’m grateful for their friendship.