I don’t know why the following idea came upon me. But it does sound fun.

What if I were to take a couple weeks off in late May and early June to find and photograph as many of the sequoia groves as possible, which are kinda’ hidden in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains?

Well, ok. They’re not really “hidden.” The 4 or 5 that I’ve been to required no rugged trekking. You drive a paved road right to them – like the ones in my recent post entitled Sequoias. Others are probably easily accessible too.

But others perhaps aren’t. There are only 75 total sequoia groves in California. That may seem like a lot. But it’s not. Considering how vast the forest on those mountains are – and how BIG those mountains are – you realize it probably took decades to find and mark those 75 groves.

Thank goodness for the internet! I’ve got the GPS coordinates for all of them. According to the terrain I see on Google Earth, some groves look remote. They look like you have to trek off a trail.

Perhaps that would be dangerous. You could get lost. But likely not. One, there are probably unofficial trails clearly followable to the isolated groves. Two, if you have even the slightest familiarity with topographic maps, you have to be a total dingdong to get lost.

Regardless of how easy or difficult reaching those groves may be, by no means am I passing myself off as some John Muir type. That man was fearless. Probably a little nuts. He would be gone for weeks trekking into the Sierra Nevadas with a blanket, tea and bread, and would drink water from springs, and eat wild berries, while searching out the other Giant Sequoias, alive and dead.

That took balls. Without GPS, maps, roads, trails or any trace of civilization within miles, and with grizzly bears still roaming, and unexpected freezing temperatures and even snowfalls in summer, again, balls.

As for me, I’d take my truck and sleep warmly in a sleeping bag. I’d have plenty of gas, water, food and clothes. I’d have my routes on roads and trails planned out. Whenever GPS would fail, I’d use paper maps. And of course my cameras would go with me. This wouldn’t be “roughing it.”

And where exactly would I go? Good question!

Below is a map of California. It’s centered on the southern portion of the Sierra Nevadas. The dark brown splotches are the sequoia groves scattered across the mountains east of Bakersfield and Fresno. They appear mostly to be in the Sequoia National Forest and Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park, with a couple of groves in Sierra National Forest and Yosemite National Park – I’ve been to the Yosemite groves.

Of course, the above map is vague. You can’t use it to direct your footsteps. However, below is a snippet from Google Earth of the exact latitudes and longitudes of all groves. You can zoom in closer to the pegs, and more accurately see the groves’ exact locations. Again, where I’d lose GPS signal, I’d already have them correlated to paper maps.

It would be fun. Summer nights in mountains can be perfect. Not too hot or cold. No need of fire. Just a sleeping bag.

Then you wake up in cool air and may need a fleece. However, hot, black coffee guarantees you don’t need other layers. When buzz hits you before sunrise, its optimism is doubled.

Then I’d get into my truck. I have my maps beside me. Maps of National Parks are easy. The map and terrain don’t deviate.

National Forests, however, can be more difficult. Map and terrain do deviate. Just know the number of the road you’re currently on and verify your position with every intersecting road you see with the map. If the crossroad’s number on the map matches with what you see in reality. Great.

If they don’t match, well, maybe it’s because that road you see is just not on the map, or vice versa. Keep going, and you’ll likely find your bearings again. If after all a while you don’t, turn around, and go back the way you came, until you do find your bearings. It’s easy enough.

Then I’d find my sequoia grove, and start shooting. If the light is right, I can be in my happy place for hours and shoot. I’d capture some good shots. No doubt.

However, all this would be at God’s good pleasure. He controls Heaven and Earth. If life throws a curve ball, and I wouldn’t be able to go, so be it. God’s allowed me to see much already, and I’ll always be grateful for this. Again, it could have been that I never existed.

And I’ve traveled enough to know this excursion wouldn’t be fun every single minute. Excitement always fades. The reality of travel sets in. You get tired, bored and lonely. Truck camping can feel cramped, and sometimes all you want are the comforts of home.

Still, there always seem to come imaginings of perfect moments under the sun that get me on the road. Spring does this a lot to me. May does this most.

So, this is a trip in mind. I’ll see what happens.

Plus, New York is a higher priority.