I am starting this story at the TOP of my expedition to an incredible place---Sequoia/Kings Canyon National Park, located in the southern Sierra Nevada Mountain Range of California. I was so delighted to make it to the summit of this peak, that I lifted my hands, in gratitude to God, as a photo souvenir of the occasion!
This particular climb up the rocks does not require technical rock-climbing gear, because a somewhat vertical trail has been carved through the granite, (accompanied by metal hand rails) to get dedicated visitors to the top.
However, if you have a fear of heights, this might not be an enjoyable experience for you, as there are several spots along the way, without hand rails, and all you can see, is a very lllooooooonnng fall to the bottom!
However, once you reach the top of the granite dome, there are guard rails to make you feel more secure. Likewise, there are placards that name and explain the incredible vistas that lay before your eyes.
Once I had successfully made the ascent and descent of this amazing peak, I wanted to get a photograph of my water bottle, with the Solid Rock Climbers for Christ (
www.ClimbersForChrist.org ) carabiner decal, in the foreground, with the peak Christ and I had conquered in the background. I hope you are curious about how an old lady Baby Boomer got involved with a rock climbing group: My son, an avid rock climber, was on a multi-week climbing expedition with four other climbers on Baffin Island, in the Arctic Circle. There was no way to communicate with him, and I was making myself sick with worry. However, through the Bible studies I had completed through First Place 4 Health (
www.FirstPlace4Health.com ) I had learned that worry is a sin, and it is useless. On the other hand, turning to God's Word, and taking your concerns to God in prayer, is beneficial. So I Googled "Bible verses + rock climbing" and an organization called Solid Rock Climbers for Christ came up. They had a place on their website where one could make prayer requests, so I sent them a prayer request, asking them to pray for the safety of my son, who was on a rock climbing expedition. The director and founder of the organization at the time, Calvin Landrus, replied back that he would indeed pray for the well-being and safety of my son. Our prayers were answered in that he returned to the USA, but sadly, without one of his climbing companions----a young man who fell to his death, as he was repelling down a big wall, and unknowingly came to the end of his rope.
The mailing address of the park is the town of Three Rivers, California, and it is an appropriate name, because there are some powerful, raging rivers that flow through this national park:
The Kings Canyon National Park gets its name from the Kings River, that flows through it.
At the park visitor center, I took this photo from inside, to show the contrast between the seed pod (aka, "pine cone") of these famous evergreens, versus the giants they turn into, growing just outside the window.
There are two very famous trees in Sequoia/Kings Canyon National Park. One is called the General Grant, and one is called the General Sherman. I read that the General Grant Tree has been designated as a National Shrine, in memory of the men and women who have served, fought, and died to keep men free. The General Grant Tree is said to be the second largest tree in the world, and is nicknamed "The Nation's Christmas Tree"! Here is a photo of me in front of the General Sherman Tree:
At first glance this may look like a stone cave, but it is actually the fire-scarred insides of a giant sequoia tree, that you can walk through!
This photo shows one of the NPS staff explaining an exhibit of animal skins for visitors to learn about the wildlife of the park. There are bears in the park, but the most common mammals are the pikas (small mammals that are a "cousin" to the rabbit), and yellow-bellied marmots (similar to a large ground squirrel).
If you would like to visit this incredible park, that John Muir called "a rival to Yosemite", start by visiting their website at
www.nps.gov/seki . And, you can remember the Bible verse that is on the Climbers for Christ website from Psalm 61:2 that says, "Lead me to the rock that is higher than I". If you love the outdoors, and climbing on high rocks, it will give you "MILES OF SMILES"! Tricia
