My Time In The Mariposa Grove
Sunlight peaking through the trees in the early morning.
The day after barely conquering the Upper Yosemite Falls Trail I awoke to sore muscles and slightly chaffed shoulders, luckily we did not have anything too strenuous planned for the day. My partner and I, somewhat reluctantly, stumbled into our morning routine so that we could venture out a bit earlier than we had the previous day. With the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias finally open after a massive restoration, I was just itching to see the grove and walk among the giants, of course, parking would be a problem if we arrived at the welcome area too close to peak time. We managed to arrive before the shuttles were running, so we were able to continue down the road to the small parking area right at the entrance to the grove.
The famous fallen tunnel tree.
The morning was cool enough to warrant a light sweater, the trees provided constant shade, and we were welcomed into the grove by the silence that one can only find in a forest. The silence was not empty, but full of the sounds of water flowing through channels among the trees, birds singing in the morning light, and a slight breeze whispering through the conifer branches above our heads. Before beginning our journey into the heart of the grove, we stopped at the map to plan out our route, we did not want to forget to visit any of the famous trees hidden in the forest.
A cluster of wildflowers.
Our conversation fell to barely a whisper once we stepped out onto the new boardwalk and began our stroll beneath the sequoias. The sunlight was filtered through the branches and did not seem to quite reach the ground below but despite this lack of direct light, the forest floor was bathed in the color of wildflowers perfectly adapted to survive at the feet of giants. I found myself stopping every few steps to gaze at another patch of flowers or watch the path of a tiny creek that was doomed to be dry as soon as the snow finished its yearly melting cycle. The grove was simultaneously the same forest I had visited many years prior with my father and a brand new place waiting to be explored, thanks to the restoration that had reopened the channels for snowmelt to supply the thirsty trees with the water they needed to survive.
The Grizzly Giant.
At the Grizzly Giant, we crossed paths with a group of does and a fawn grazing along the trail in the morning light. We took this as an opportunity to stop and enjoy a snack with the deer while we took in the sight of the massive tree. Throughout the rest of the day, we spotted birds and deer by nearly every stop and the sunlight never quite reached the ground for more than a few steps, it was easy to forget that summer was in full force outside of the grove.
Inside the scar.
I doubt that I can properly articulate the emotions that I felt as I walked among the trees in the Mariposa Grove, as the trees command respect and reverence from their visitors. I felt a comforting smallness standing at the base of the ancient trees and the worries of the world outside seemed to melt away for the duration of my stay in the forest. Petty problems and selfish worries instantly become unimportant when one is enveloped in the cool warmth of the sequoias, and everything melts away entirely when you stand inside a lightning scare and look straight up through the tree at the sky.
If anyone reading this is planning a Yosemite trip and wondering if as stop at the Mariposa Grove is worth the detour, I strongly recommend that you make the stop. There is no telling what you will learn from the giants, and the experience is one that you cannot get from looking at photographs alone. These are the trees that John Muir so loved and persuaded Teddy Rosevelt to protect not just Yosemite Valley, but the surrounding wilderness, let them awaken something within yourself that you may not even know is asleep until you walk beneath their branches.
