Capturing the Scale of Yosemite’s Grizzly Giant
The Grizzly Giant Sequoia
The Branch That Puts Other Trees to Shame
Digging into the archives today, I pulled out this shot of the Grizzly Giant from Yosemite’s Mariposa Grove. I captured this eleven years ago using the widest-angle lens I had in my bag at the time. Even then, I remember feeling like I was trying to fit a skyscraper into a lunchbox.
For those who haven't had the pleasure of standing at its base, the Grizzly Giant is the elder statesman of the grove. It’s estimated to be between 1,800 and 2,400 years old. To put that in perspective, this tree was already a few centuries old when the Roman Empire was hitting its stride. It stands about 209 feet tall, but its real claim to fame is its girth—the base is nearly 30 feet in diameter.
What always gets me about this tree is that massive fire scar at the bottom. It looks like the entrance to a very exclusive, very charred studio apartment. I’m half-convinced there’s a secret doorbell in there somewhere that leads to a hidden forest-spirit speakeasy.
The most "Grizzly" thing about it, though, is the large branch you can see reaching out on the left. That single limb is over six feet thick—which means that one branch is actually larger than the trunks of almost any other non-sequoia tree in the forest.
Capturing this required me to practically lay flat on the pine needles, much to the amusement, I’m sure, of the tourists passing by. Eleven years later, I’ve gained a few more grey hairs, more joint pain and a different camera. Meanwhile, this sequoia has probably added maybe half an inch of diameter. It just sits there, an absolute beast, growing so slowly it probably views my entire 77 year lifetime as a brief afternoon, barely a blip for the Grizzly. I'm over here worrying about deadlines, and this tree is just vibing, fire scar and all, having seen it all. I’ll bet it’s got stories.
