Monday, January 12, 2015

Spring 2014: Long weekend camping at Sequoia National Park

This is a late post so my apologies. We always think of how it is that campers go out of the comfort of their homes and live in the wild for one unique wildlife experience. And so we made our camping quest finally come true. Wildlife camping for real! Three adults and four small kids with the youngest still on potty-training (during that time - and yes we survived!) went camping for the first time. The result? Not too bad for the first time campers.




According to our calculation, we will arrive the national park around five in the morning if we leave Orange County right after dinner and that's what we did. It was just perfect as the kids were asleep the whole duration of the trip. It was a good 6-hour road trip and no one seemed to complain (except my restless leg syndrome).

We had to be very early in the camp site because we do not have a reservation. It is said that spring and summer are the most popular seasons to camp so the campsites will all be full. First come, first serve basis applies to those who have no reservation. We arrived at the place before five in the morning and they were not kidding when they said we have to be there early. Luckily, we were able to find a perfect spot to put up our tent.

Good morning giants! We meet again!

We took a nap and woke up at the first sign of the sunlight. The temperature was really cold. We left Orange County with an extremely warm weather forecast but in the mountains the temperature was frosty.

Our ever reliable grill stove.

Cold morning!


Sequoia National Park is indeed one of California's pride and joy, a land of giants that is genuinely enchanting.  There are no words to describe how beautiful nature is in this side of the globe. Old and insanely large trees seem to tell stories of people and life that existed a long time ago.






Our tent stood up in a spot no less than 100 feet away from the wash room and rest room. Exactly the convenience I hoped for on our way to the mountains. There were also spouts in each campsite only intended for hand washing. Beside our tent is the storage box to seal the smell of our food and toiletries which will help prevent the presence of unwelcome guests. Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks are also known for bears coming down the mountains but we came there early spring so aren't they still in hibernation? Maybe not.

Our 8-person tent just some few walks away from the wash room.

Thou shalt not forget to store food, kitchen utensils, and toiletries inside this box.

There will be no cellphone signal or whatsoever so we left our mobile phones off to save battery. We instead brought our two-way radios for communication. There were many hiking trails to follow but we chose the easiest one for the kids.



 




The General Sherman Tree, the largest tree in the world.

The Twin Giants

The kids bravely took off their shoes and played in the running stream. They love the coolness of the water that tickles their young feet. I say it will be one of the best spring vacations the kids will remember as they grow older for that day, we discovered that they not only love the experience, they look forward to more camping!

Very cool running water.

So never leave children unattended at all times!

Why hello there giant pine cone!
Seven days earlier, we checked out our favorite stores REI and Bass Pro Shops for the camping gears we needed for our camping expedition. And these are the things that came with us to the land of the giant forest:

8-person tent
Sleeping bags
Air bed
Air pump - make sure it is fully charged
Lamps
Heater for the tent
Spray bugs
Hand warmers
Thick and water resistant jackets
First aid kit
Poison Ivy Ointment
Bath wipes
LED flashlights
Two-way radios
Paper plates
Plastic cups
Plastic spoon and fork
Ziplocks
Trash bags
Toiletries
Canned goods
Reusable bottles on the go for hiking
Gallons of purified water
Jug for the water
Matches
Wood - available at the park store
and of course as what they say, the camping is incomplete without smores.


This baby works wonders.

My youngest now is potty-trained so we have a list of camping activities to experience this year. Our next camping expedition will be this coming spring and summer with our favorite youngsters of course. Will keep you posted! =)


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