Off-trail direction and course. Limited visibility on each path over a long distance. Intercepting a trail here and there. Fog density varies, but that adds to the mystery of where you are and where you’re going. Where the atmosphere is still and thin, there is a quality about the area very unique compared to seasons more familiar. With a still quiet, soaked forest floor, a fresh wet scent, and a stinging cold biting at the nose.
Even under grey skies, the Marble Fork of the Kaweah River gives a most beautiful view of the natural order. After decay, forceful winds, raging storms, and harsh exposure, every element comes to settle in a most restful way. Where there are peace and perfect solitude, or where there are uncertainty and restoration. Where the heart grows full by closely listening to what such a place would say.
The initial growth conditions of this forest group were just right to support the early development of these conifers. Sequoias are conifers because their cones bear seeds which in turn can generate new growth. For these living beings to continue their growth over such a large period of time really says quite a lot about where they were and what lies beneath them.
Quite often when you break trail, you navigate through the brush, over the boulders and make your way to areas that invite you to set up camp or just remain awhile. Here I was out on a heading to Aster Lake below Alta Peak in Sequoia National Park. The peak in the distance is Alta Peak.
Aster Lake at dusk makes for an inviting location off the trail and away from easy access. Unspoiled and fresh, this pristine upper sub-alpine lake captures the imagination with its history and its season-by-season change.
At Ten Mile Creek within Kings Canyon National Park, the range of color and the softness of the forest invite you to explore and get their good tidings. The lakes, the streams, and the rivers are all cleansing forms of energy to refresh and renew the body and soul.
When you consider the forest and its Sequoias, it hosts an endless variety of life. It is the place to return to peace and centeredness that reminds me that I am alive. That life is not just about work and personal success, but this is what it is to return to balance. To experience the wilderness is to experience the forests and what it brings to the soul.
Sometimes the height of the trees leads your view upward. And the contrast of hues and textures leaves so much open for the imagination. The growth and population of pines in the area of Zumwalt Meadows are quite distinct in richness and quality.
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