Back home in California, there is no lack of beautiful landscapes. So, it could hardly be a disappointment to head home for MORE ADVENTURES. Quelle aventure!

The sweet San Diego gang and I headed up in September 2014 to the southern end of Sequoia National Park for some fantastic camping and hiking. Our campground was at Mineral King, a subalpine glacial valley located here:

Fun fact about Mineral King: in the 60s, it was marked for development as an alpine Disney ski resort. The Sierra Club, which had previously supported developing Mineral King in the 40s for recreation, opposed Disney’s plan, and in 1978, Mineral King was annexed from Sequoia National Forest to Sequoia National Park. Disney’s Country Bear Jamboree was originally designed for Mineral King:

Unfortunately/fortunately, we did not get to meet any country bears, though we saw their claw marks high up on the trees!

Proposed Development | Mineral King Today (click to view enlarged)

I saw my first giant redwoods on this trip! The really really big ones were north of where we were, and I’m looking forward to that adventure too.

Some parts definitely reminded me of the hiking in the Alps, above the tree line. My favorite part:

Our turnaround point, the clear waters of Eagle Lake, silent and still:

We love you, Sequoia National, and we’ll be back!