Sequoia trip – June 27th through July 1st, 2021

I took this picture yo

Our 4-day trip to YMCA Camp Sequoia Lake, a 10-minute drive to Sequoia park via King’s Canyon entrance: This has been a one-week annual trip for my step-mom and her family/friends for over 30 years. This year, one of her daughters dropped out so me and my daughters got slotted in. We were bench players to a starting lineup of friends and family who knew each intimately at the camp.

We set out on Sunday morning, June 27th for a 5-hour drive to our destination, and world war 3 quickly ensued. As a part of camp check-in paperwork, we needed to document our body temperature readings for the 14 days leading up to arrival day. Hanna was designated this task since she can read and write in the car without nausea. The weekdays on the worksheet were not aligned to Sunday as the last day, so we need to get creative. After a healthy 3-way shouting match, we resolved the conundrum and drove 2.5 hours to an In N Out before Bakersfield, and what a super spreader event it was. This is during a period when COVID-19 restrictions were relaxed because of vaccinations, but at the onset of the Delta variant which was evading the vaccine some, and wreaking havoc on some of the countries that were previously successful in containing the virus, e.g. Israel.

After we arrived at camp, we unloaded a buncha stuff, including sleeping bags to be used as blankets, and pillows - these were not provided at the camp. A short time later, at 5:30, dinner was served. At this camp, breakfast, lunch and dinner were included. Our cabin (or apartment as they were referred to), had a bathroom and shower, considered VIP of the lodging space there. Many other cabins had no toilet or shower; residents had to use communal facilities.

Day 2: Monday morning after breakfast, the girls and I joined the climbing wall event which was a 10-minute walk from camp. In our group, there were four kids and me, so naturally, I felt the pressure to perform. Elin and I were the only ones to climb the 3-story high wall, and twice. On the way back, we encountered prisoners in orange jumpsuits doing forest maintenance work. One had a chainsaw and turned it on as we passed by.

Day 3: Tuesday. High rope obstacle course, no prisoners on the return trail – I was hoping I’d take a selfie with one. We kayaked in the lake and returned to the lake later for a memorable directionless rowing stint with my dad, stepmom and kids in a boat. It took all our energy as we tag teamed to the middle of the lake and back in an embarrassing display of rowing skills. My dad complained that I splashed him a couple of times when he did the same to me earlier.

The Fallen Monarch

Day 4: Wednesday. Sequoia national park, archery and no swim across the lake because it was scheduled at 10:30 a.m. during our Sequoia visit, plus I lost interest. Sequoia trees are the largest trees in the world, straight out of Lord of the Rings. We followed a tour guide, a 59 year old female (male? Couldn’t tell for sure), and he/she had lots of interesting stories about these trees and Sequoia national park. The wood from huge old-growth giant sequoia trees does not make good lumber, despite its resistance to decay, because it is brittle and has little strength. That, and legal protection has preserved these trees over centuries. They can live as long as 3,000 years, slightly older than our current president (Joe Biden). The fallen tree in the picture to the right  called the Fallen Monarch is 26 feet in diameter and 80 feet long, and was hollowed out by fire before it fell who knows how long ago. It was turned into a hotel and saloon in the 1800s by the Gamlin brothers. It was used for other purposes over time, e.g. as a shelter by native Americans prior to the Gamlins, then the Gamlins lived in it for a couple of years from 1870 to 1872 until one bro got married and his wife said something to the effect of, “no way Jose, we’re not living in this dump. Let’s get a cabin built nearby, which Thomas or Israel (her husband) obliged.

Day 5: Thursday. Ate breakfast, packed and left. On the way back, I asked the kids what they rate the trip on a scale of 1 to 10. Elin said 8.5, Hanna 7.25. Hanna’s rating was reduced because I was harsh to her that morning for packing too slowly – she often stares into the abyss motionless when she’s tasked with something she abhors.

Floyd's rental and the tree he introduced it to

During our stay, we met an affable gentleman by the name of Floyd who would tell us interesting stories about himself during lunches and dinners.  One of the more interesting stories was about his wrecking of his rental car during our week of stay.  He hit the gas pedal instead of brake and hit the tree in front of him - see picture.  In his youth, Floyd was drafted by an MLB team, but before he played in the majors he nearly paralyzed himself during a run/drop kick to home base.  His baseball career ended right then and there with a year of physical therapy to follow.

I should mention the kids and I played cards at nights in the cabin, and backgammon with my dad almost on a daily basis (I never lost a match). In fact, my dad refused to play for money after he lost the first two sets for $5 each. I lost almost every game of Spot-It with Elin, but dominated Stress (card game), and Brooklyn Poker was a toss-up. Davie, my step-mom’s grandson showed up in our cabin the first night and informed us by tradition, we’d be playing a week-long game of Monopoly, put the board on the table and left, never to be seen again in our cabin. Whatevs….

Elin stuck on zipline at the end of high rope obstacle course, Day 3