kings canyon

We spent most of our second day in the area at Kings Canyon Nat'l Park. The lesser named of the two natural playgrounds, I didn't originally plan on spending much time here. However, I wish we could have spent more. It seemed that many of the crowds gathered at Sequoia and it was often difficult to get a moment just to take it all in. Kings Canyon was different.

Heading towards Roads End where numerous trail start, we wound our way down into the canyon, dropping at least a few thousand feet in less time than an episode of Sponge Bob.

Arising from the Sierra Nevadas in plain view, we followed the South fork of the Kings River west as it gouged it's way through the glacial valley, over tree trunks and boulders.

At the end of Roads End we wandered through a clearing in the woods to the river. Walking out onto a rock the size of a two-story house partially submerged underwater, I marveled at the view. 

Lying on my tummy, exposed skin feeling the warmth of the rock and my neck feeling a cool breeze I watched the pristine water flow past. Recalling pictures of John Muir standing on this same rock 150 years earlier delivering impassioned pleas for conservation of this valley to any who would listen, I imagined those early conservationists were there with me, happy to see that the scenery had not changed.

Except, perhaps, then a picture would have looked more like this:

 Climbing out onto a fallen log, Adam insisted I put my feet into the waters and walk with him back to shore. As soon as the tips of my toes made contact I could hardly believed that the icy current had had any time to warm since flowing from snow drifts thousands of feet above. Drying our feet in the sun further downstream we spotted this little guy

 

Craving more warm weather and an ocean breeze, we're heading back to the coast in the morning.