For a special brothers-only trip, we head to the Sierras in search of snowy giants. We pull over & decide to do some classic turnout "resting" in the foothills before morning.
We spend a couple of hours stargazing & excitedly planning out the next day's misadventures. A huge snowstorm has just passed through the redwood forest. Few sights rival its beauty.
Morning comes quick, but we wake to a grand view. We also find ourselves in a great mood. Funny as it sounds, normal life stress sometimes creeps into a misadventure. But not today!
Feeling cheery among such nice scenery, we take our time eating breakfast & explore the remains of a torn down structure along the river's edge before searching for the snow.
Once in the mountains we head over to the Giant Forest, a place with trees so big we could walk thru 'em.
Ducking the crowds per usual, we endeavor upon finding some of the lesser visited giant sequoias.
Not far down the snowy path one appears. This one forest is home to about 10 of the 25 largest trees in the world.
The true power of these trees aren't felt until up close. Their sheer size boggles the mind & the thought that they're over 2,000 years old is even harder to comprehend.
When we come across some nice hikers who ask us to take a picture them, we don't turn down the return favor. Strapping young lads, ay?
Mid-hike is no excuse for skipping out on the heavy lifting.
We press onward in search of not just the biggest trees, but also some of the weirdest.
Example #1: Two monstrous side-by-side Sequoias sharing a massive fire scar. Even fire struggles to kill these trees. Almost like nothing happened, they keep growing.
Inside the two trees we once again feel completely dwarfed.
Then we reach a city of living skyscrapers. The collection of so many giants created a mesmerizing sight.
I mean, does it get anymore beautiful than this?
Maybe it was just our retro get-ups, but there's a distinct vintage sense of misadventure among these ancient behemoth trees.
Another eye-popping collection of towering redwoods suddenly appears, inexplicably eclipsing the beauty of the one prior.
We walked like ants beneath the feet of mammoths.
Its hard to describe the powerful sensation of exploring this forest in winter. There's the purest silence, broken only by the occasional falling snow clump or chirping bird.
To soak it all in, we just take a seat. Suddenly we realize this is rapidly turning into one of the best days of our lives.
There's something to be said about feeling a part of something larger than one's own self. A hike in this forest of snowy giants certainly provides that.
Another oddity appears when we discover a tree with an arch forged by fire.
So damn cool!
Everywhere we went fire's footprint was found. It often created mini caverns allowing access inside the trees themselves.
Alas we reach the Lincoln Tree, 4th largest in the entire world. Its so massive, even some of its branches alone are bigger than most normal sized trees.
The trail was full of odd features & uniquely beautiful scenes. One of a kind is a phrase often misused, but not when referring to the Sierras.
We wrap up our hike with one last grand view. Fittingly two sequoias stand like pillars of a gateway guiding our exit.
The perfect day ended with the perfect sunset! Right back where we began. Time to grab some fajitas from Los Pinos & head home. Until next time comrades.