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The giant trees are still ahead.

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For now, the road winds
through open hillsides, where

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broad views give way to rock,
leaves, and another bend.

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This is Sequoia National
Park, on the western side

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of California’s Sierra Nevada.

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As we climb, we will follow a change in

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the landscape, from the
foothills into the forest, then

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leave the road for a
closer look at the trees.

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The journey begins in bright spring light.

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There is room to settle into the drive, and

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watch the country change around us.

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Here in the foothills,
trees are spaced apart, and

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much of the hillside
remains open to the sky.

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This lower country has a different
rhythm from the forest above.

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Rain falls mainly in winter,
followed by a long, dry summer.

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Oaks and shrubs are adapted
to that seasonal change.

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In spring, the hills can
feel remarkably fresh, but

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the plants will have to
conserve water as the

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months grow warmer.

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The road carries us through
that first landscape, with

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time to notice its smaller details.

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Each bend changes the view.

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A rock face draws close, then
the hillside opens again.

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There are brief glimpses
beyond the road, but the

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mountain does not reveal itself all at once.

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The climb is gradual
enough that the change in

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vegetation arrives in stages.

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Watch how the gaps
between the trees begin to

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close, and how the light shifts from an open

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wash of sunshine into alternating
patches of brightness and shade.

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The road is part of the experience here.

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Its curves slow the journey
and keep bringing the

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foreground back into view: a wall of rock, a

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slope of leaves, branches
beside the windscreen.

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The distant landscape comes
and goes between them.

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We are still moving toward
the famous trees, but

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these stretches give the ascent its shape.

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The forest ahead belongs to
this mountain setting, rather

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than standing apart from it.

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By now, the view has changed.

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Tall trunks stand close to the road, and the

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hillside is layered with branches and shade.

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This is a mixed forest.

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Giant sequoias grow alongside other
conifers, including firs, pines,

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and incense cedar.

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The giants command attention,
but they are only part

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of the community around them.

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Look between the largest
trunks, and there are smaller

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trees, patches of undergrowth, and
openings where light reaches the ground.

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The forest is more varied than
its famous name might suggest.

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The size of a giant sequoia is easiest to

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appreciate at close range.

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A broad trunk can dominate
the scene before its

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crown is even visible.

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These trees are among the
largest living things on

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Earth by volume.

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Their great mass is
supported by a history of

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growth that can span thousands of years.

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Yet size alone does not
tell the whole story.

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A mature tree depends on
the surrounding forest, its

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soil, and the conditions that
allow another generation to begin.

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Fire has long been part of this forest.

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Under suitable conditions,
it can open gaps in the

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canopy and expose mineral
soil where sequoia seeds have

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a chance to grow.

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Thick bark gives large trees
some protection, but it

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does not make them invulnerable.

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Severe fires can kill even mature giants.

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The relationship is a balance:
the conditions that help

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renewal can become destructive
when a fire burns too intensely.

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A living grove carries
both the resilience and the

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vulnerability of that landscape.

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Now we leave the road and
enter the forest on foot.

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The pace changes immediately.

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Bark, fallen wood, and the spaces
between trunks become the foreground.

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Looking upward gives a sense
of height, while looking

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across the ground reveals
how much of the forest

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lies below the canopy.

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The trail sign marks the Sherman Tree Trail.

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Here, even a short walk offers
a different understanding

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of scale from the view through a moving car.

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We began with open hillsides
and followed the road

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into a world of tall trunks and deep shade.

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On foot, the forest becomes
a collection of textures

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and small changes in light.

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There is no need to take it all in at once.

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One tree, one patch of bark, or one opening

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between branches is enough
to hold the attention.

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Thank you for joining this journey
into Sequoia National Park.

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We will leave it here, among the trees.