Politician trees... and a BEAR!

I really have to pick up the pace with putting these August photos up... because in December I went to Death Valley, and boy do I have photos to show you from there!

So here are a few more pics from Sequoia National Park, this time the Congress trail.  Saw this on August 29, after visiting the cave.

Here's the entrance from the handicapped parking lot.  You pass through this fallen tree.  I entered at the handicap parking lot as I was dropped off there for a bum knee- it was bothering me all week.  I sure wasn't going to miss any hiking though, which was part of the reason it wasn't recovering!

Here are the weathered roots of a fallen tree.  I took lots of pictures like this one but will bore you with only one:

Little baby sequoia!

Sequoia devouring a rock...

The still-standing burned out trees can be very beautiful and eerie:

A lot of these trees are named after past presidents, political figures, and military leaders.  This one is generically "The President"

This grove is "The House"

And this one, "The Senate".

Me passing through another tree tunnel cut in the path:

Towards dusk, we were headed back along the Congress trail when I saw a strange looking hiker up ahead, coming towards us on the trail.  I looked closer... a BEAR!

We switched over to another trail after that, and beat it to the car.  I was surprised to see a bear on this trail as it is not backcountry at all, but I guess it was getting late in the day and the bear wanted his trail back.

Next up will be a visit to Grant Grove, so stay tuned, despite my history of slow updates...