AFTERWORDS
National parks humble and inspire
Courier ’ s graphic designer takes his artistic eye on the road
BY JEFF QUIRE
I LOVE NATIONAL PARKS and hope to visit as many of them as I can in my lifetime . My wife and I had kept Yosemite National Park on our list for a long time , and in April we finally got to experience it . Weather and geography persuaded us to parlay that into a visit to Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks as well .
Yosemite offers completely different experiences , depending on what time of year you go . We wanted waterfalls , and after the wettest winter in years , they were abundant and awe-inspiring .
As we entered Yosemite , we were prepared for large crowds . It was National Parks Week , and despite our shoulderseason travel timing , our first full day was the perfect storm for a crowd : a holiday weekend , free admission day and the end of spring break for many . There was heavy traffic on the way to Yosemite Valley Lodge , but after parking the car ( there is a shuttle to transport visitors throughout the valley ), things got more manageable .
Shortly after arriving , we took in an enlightening stargazing program led by an interpretive guide / astronomer . If the towering monolith of El Capitan doesn ’ t make you feel small , learning your place in the cosmos definitely will .
To get away from the congestion on the valley floor , we planned our most strenuous hike ( which is probably a leisurely stroll for the more adventureminded ) for that first full day . We climbed to the top of Vernal Fall and Nevada Fall along the Mist Trail and took part of the John Muir Trail to get back down . Every step was breathtaking , and being accustomed to a much lower altitude , I mean that both figuratively and literally .
We also walked a few shorter , more level , paths , all of which rewarded us with sweeping vistas , majestic waterfalls or some other wonder . One doesn ’ t have to walk or ride far to see nature ’ s finest on display in Yosemite ; accessible viewpoints and routes are abundant in the park . Mirror Lake Trail offered more unremitting beauty and , at the time of our visit , about every shade of green I could imagine .
After a couple days of light , intermittent rain , the precipitation got heavier and steadier . And with Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias closed for renovation ( scheduled to reopen this fall ), we decided to make the drive down to Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks to see the massive trees .
We started our southern swing at Grant Grove in Kings Canyon , featuring General Grant , the third-largest tree in the world . Just in case my ego was starting to rebound , standing among the sequoias put me in my place again . Resistant to fire , insects and old age , these ancient mammoths grow to unbelievable sizes — truly unbelieved for years , as many who had not seen the trees in person wrote off their existence as a hoax .
The next day we got an early start and took a hike in the Giant Forest of Sequoia National Park . Being the first to arrive on a weekday afforded us a few minutes of quiet solitude with General Sherman , the largest tree on the planet . We walked the paved , but snowy and icy , Congress Trail to see many other
Lower Yosemite Fall
giants in the silence of the morning .
From there we hiked out to Moro Rock and up the 350 steps to the top of the granite dome for an incredible panorama of the Great Western Divide . If heights aren ’ t your thing , this may not be your favorite experience , but the scenery among the clouds is pretty hard to beat .
One thing that was impossible to miss along our journey was the number of international travelers ( and employees ) we encountered . We talked to a couple from Colombia , one of whom was realizing her lifelong dream of seeing giant sequoias . We shared a bus stop shelter with a group of Chinese travelers , hiked alongside a student group from Wales and exchanged trail closure info with some Australians . We also got a good tip for local ice cream from our Thai server at one of the lodge restaurants .
We met people who had traveled from every corner of the world to visit or work in our national parks , and it made us appreciate even more what we have in our own ( relative ) backyard . We ’ re already talking about which park we ’ ll visit next .
Jeff Quire , a freelance graphic designer , works from his Crestwood , Kentucky , studio . He has been the designer for Courier since 2011 .
JEFF QUIRE
64 June 2017