Day 2: Kings Canyon National Park

/ alliwanders

My day started about 6:00am. With my windows and sunroof open, the early morning light woke me just before then, and the sounds of another camper leaving made me think I’d might as well get up. I had slept okay, warm enough in bed but it was a chilly 50°F outside. Warm enough to make my coffee on my little stove but not warm enough to sit outside and enjoy it. So I packed up and headed out to the road that was blocked yesterday and on to the General Grant tree in Kings Canyon NP.

It was pleasantly cool and quiet at the Grant Grove – I saw just one other tourist plus one employee. There’s a myriad of little loop trails around General Grant so after walking the main one with all the info signs I hiked the lesser used North Grove Trail and Dead Giant Loop off the lower parking lot as well as headed back around the outside of the Grant Grove on apparently a horse trail; 5 miles. I would love to stay longer in Kings but I’ve a reservation to enter Yosemite today that I must honor and it’s about a 3.5 hour drive so I have to carry on.

The Fallen Monarch tree
People used to camp inside, it was even used as a stable!
This is the General Grant tree; my phone failed to capture its grandeur…
Twins! I even saw triplets. There’s so many magnificent sequoias, I wonder if they don’t publicize them so as to keep the tourists away…
The poor Dead Giant, he must have been massive when alive…
Guided horse ride passing the Oklahoma sequoia

It was a constant steep descent out of Kings, from approximately 8000’ down to nothing, 3 hours of driving past golden farmland bleached dry in the 98° heat, then climb, climb, climb towards Yosemite. Again, I was wrecked from sitting so many hours in the hot car so after checking into my lovely little campground just south of the Park’s gates I vowed to go up to Yosemite just to activate my reservation then come right back to the campground to relax.

I lucked into a spot right on the creek with fairly good shade, spitting distance of the toilets, and close to the exit which is good for not waking my neighbors when I take off in the morning. I put the car into my Subaru Car Camping Setup mode so I could take some photos for you all, then eased myself into the creek for a refreshing soak.

Summerdale campsite- rear awning up
Backpacks and food – my essentials in the front seat!
Rear seats: clothes, garbage bag, privacy curtains, sunroof mosquito netting, toiletries under bed, netting “envelope” on windows
Bits and bobs in bins on left, bed on right, storage under with chairs/table fitting in empty space on right

My neighbors on either side started arriving around 4pm. Both are towing campers and it’s quite entertaining watching them set up. One is a cozy little classic model, here’s a sneaky pic:

Dinner was a Curried Chicken & Rice, eaten al fresco, of course. By 7pm it’s just getting cool enough and just enough little bugs to retire to my Subie Setup and read until bedtime. My neighbors are all starting their fire pits and sitting down to dinner but I’m too much of an early bird for that!