Giant Sequoias

massive · Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2009 9:32 pm Post subject: Giant Sequoias

Saw the largest living thing (I don't count the giant fungus thing) a week ago: The General Sherman. The tree has the mass of about 10 adult blue whales, or 2 fully loaded 747s.

Sequoias are actually a type of redwood. Sequoia National Park is a must see if you make it anywhere near Fresno or Bakersfield. Froze my nuts off only wearing tshirt and jeans - some snow was still on the side of the rode in early June.[/img]
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Vlad Piranha wrote:

I'm offended that a zombie holocaust isn't on the list. It would be terrifying, sure, but it would be pretty sweet if you think about it.

Brutus · Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2009 10:09 pm Post subject:

Awesome place.

Did you climb up to the hole in the tree struck by lighting? Makes for a good pic and impresses/scares the ladies. Wink

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massive · Posted: Tue Jun 16, 2009 1:21 am Post subject:

Somehow I became scared of heights in my 30s....used to be able to rock climb 300' + np. Confused

so no gigantic tree climbing for me (and there is a ranger there most of the time). Also the lowest branch is about 13 stories up Shocked

There is a large branch that fell off that tree in the 70s. It's 6 feet in diameter and if it was a tree itself - it would have been the largest tree in the US east of the Sierra Nevadas!
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Vlad Piranha wrote:

I'm offended that a zombie holocaust isn't on the list. It would be terrifying, sure, but it would be pretty sweet if you think about it.

Raed · Posted: Tue Jun 16, 2009 2:02 pm Post subject:

Here is another interesting scene from the Sierras.

It's a hollow sequoia with a fire going up from the base, apparently it got hit by a bolt of lightning which cut the top 60 feet of the tree off. Shocked

EDIT: I think it's what Brutus is referring to two posts above me. Smile

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-=|CT|=- Raed

Last edited by Raed on Tue Jun 16, 2009 7:38 pm; edited 1 time in total

anonymousity · Posted: Tue Jun 16, 2009 3:23 pm Post subject:

Nice pics

I went backpacking around the general and in the Sequoias a lot in Scouts. That's funny that you saw snow there - one of the most intense camping experiences of my life was a freak snowstorm up there in August. I didn't have any snow shit being that it was late summer so that was a pretty good time.

Cold up there...
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♥♪!?

Messy Recipe · Posted: Tue Jun 16, 2009 4:00 pm Post subject:

Awesome....that thing must be really old.
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ABC News wrote:

Birds can disable planes, Ostrom said, by flying into the engines and shutting them down.

massive · Posted: Tue Jun 16, 2009 5:22 pm Post subject:

USAF 777 wrote:

Awesome....that thing must be really old.

3200 years they estimate.

Most of the giant ones are around 2000-2200 years.
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Vlad Piranha wrote:

I'm offended that a zombie holocaust isn't on the list. It would be terrifying, sure, but it would be pretty sweet if you think about it.

Brutus · Posted: Tue Jun 16, 2009 8:57 pm Post subject:

That display there with the rings for years is pretty enlightening. Like the tree has seen almost all of mankind's history as we know it. Spooky.

Yea, that looks like the tree I climbed. Smile

its kind of hollow inside, like a big chimney. but you can shimmy up it. to a port-hole thing. If I wasn't so lazy i'd root through my old pics and post my "idiot in his element" pic. Razz

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xsupermage · Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2025 8:56 pm Post subject: