6/13/14: Sequoia National Park

After seeing the wonderful redwood trees last week in Muir Woods, we decided it would be great to see the giant sequoias in Sequoia National Park. It also got us wondering, "What is the difference between a sequoia and a redwood?". I found this on the National Park Service website:

So, the redwoods are really TALL, and the sequoias are really WIDE.

Ironically, the pinecones from the sequoia are very small. We left these pinecones in the forest so that more sequoias would grow here. :)

To get a sense of scale of these enormous trees, look at the size of the people in the photo below. The trunk of the tree in the center of the photo is 35 feet wide. The largest limbs are 6'8" wide.

Here is a video of the girls standing in front of the General Sherman tree, which is the largest tree in the world (by volume). It weighs 2.7 million pounds and is the largest living organism in the world.

I think it's difficult to get a true sense of scale from just photos and videos. Standing next to these trees is a unique and awe-inspiring experience.

:) Connie