The Snowy Day in the Grove

We woke up in the John Muir Lodge at Grant Grove to an extra wintry sight - the snow was coming down fast and hard! We thought this was a nice little twist for our vacation, sort of like icing on the cake. We got dressed and started making our plan - grab some breakfast at the restaurant, and head over to the Giant Forest part of the park and check out the museum while the snow was coming down. This plan lasted until I actually started clearing the snow off the car (about six inches) and found a thick layer of ice underneath. We drove over toward the restaurant and determined that if we stopped in the car for long, it would have to be scraped off again. That's no fun on a vacation! So I ducked into the store and got some muffins while Nancy checked in with the rangers to find out what road to take to the Giant Forest. Jacob and Nancy look forward to an exciting day in the blizzard!

In the meantime the surrounding roads were changed to "chains and 4 wheel drive" required, essentially stranding us at Grant Grove. The ever resourceful Nancy instantly came up with the idea of snow shoes, so it was off to the nearby market to rent snow shoes. The "helper" at the market didn't really know anything about snow shoes, other than to strap them around your boots. She seemed clear on which one was the right and the left, but even that didn't make the greatest sense. We went with it, and hoped we didn't need any training or instructions for snow shoeing. Nancy tracked down a map of snow shoe / skiing trails in the area, which we decided would be of some value if you had a guide for the first lap or two. As it was, we were blundering around in the blizzard, which really wasn't bad at all. We grabbed some cheap umbrellas from the gift shop just to keep the blowing snow from blinding us.

We loved snow shoeing around Grant Grove. We were the only ones there for a long time and there was something magical about that.

Our snow shoes were made of high impact plastic, formed into a grid pattern. Rows of metal cleats dug into the snow directly below the ball of your foot. Though your foot is strapped in also at the heel, the shoe pivots up and down there, just like a cross country ski. This is important to know, because a step backwards is a recipe for disaster. I know Jacob and I both took spills when we forgot the rule to only walk forward. Sliding side steps were also bad ideas, as the snow shoe would dig in and your body would continue sideways.

This is the famous General Grant tree (in the center) which is called the second largest tree in the world - based on the width of the trunk.

Jacob and Jim (maybe!) stand inside the tree trunk for a moment of shelter from the snow.

Later in the afternoon the snow storm stopped and the blue skies took over. We went for a bit of a hike up the hill, topped by a grove of trees gleaming in the sun.

We walked by a group of empty cabins which must be lovely -and full - in the summertime. I can imagine them surrounded by cars, making this "No Parking" sign make more sense than it does now.