May 14 -- King's Canyon NP

I made it into the park by 8:00 am and was pleased to see that much of the snow had, in fact, melted, at least so that the roads were open. My first stop was General Grant's tree, the third largest tree in the world at 278 feet tall and 40 feet in diameter at its base. It is a massive stick of wood. And since it was so early in the morning, I got to enjoy it all by myself. Nice.

From there, I hiked several hours into the sequoia forest, again all by myself. There were families of deer roaming around and waterfalls made by the melting snow. It was a special time for me, having the forest to myself, surrounded by these giant trees. I will remember it always.

Since the snow had melted somewhat, a section of park had opened that was not open before -- Cedar Grove -- which took me down into a canyon of towering granite walls. The King's River runs through it, and massive waterfalls tumble from the heavens. On my way back from the waterfall, I spotted a couple of backpackers walking down the road. They stuck their thumbs out, so how could I resist? Paul and Sonya are from Quebec. They have been backpacking around California for two months. I drove them back to Grant's Grove, and we're now sharing a campsite near General Grant's tree. We're about 6000 feet up, so it's going to be a cooold night. There is barely room in the campsite for two tents, because the rest of the ground is covered in drifts of snow, some a foot thick or more.

Paul and Sonya are a delightful couple. Canadian hippies. They speak relatively good English and are very down to earth. I am enjoying their company.

Tomorrow, Paul and Sonya and I are going to make our way to Sequoia NP, which is connected to King's Canyon. I will probably drop them off half-way through the park -- by their choice, not by sheer abandonment -- and stay the night near the park entrance, so I can rise early on Sunday and beat a path to San Diego. It will take me nearly all day to make it down there. Sunday will not be a fun day, but I will be happy to see Jan and Jim again before I leave California. My grand vacation is almost over, but it's been a special time. I will always be grateful that I had the time, money and opportunity to make this trip. It was an excellent Plan B to my original endeavor.

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