Episode 30 Seeing the largest tree in the world

An acquaintance of a central government department manager said that his debt increased by 150 million won during the two years he was in the United States. But he said he had no regrets.

Of course, the 150 million won debt would also include tuition incurred while pursuing a master’s degree at a university in LA. But the bigger cost would be the money invested in the trip.

Seniors at the company who attended full-time, one-year training also said that they had spent more than 100 million won 7 to 8 years ago. This includes traveling around the American continent, rent, food expenses, etc.

Because I work, I can’t use my vacation or my children’s vacation to travel around the country like my friends (in fact, I don’t have the money to do it ;;), but I’m trying to make as many good memories as possible.

The fortunate thing is that my current workplace is LA, and most of the most popular travel destinations in the United States are in the West. (Of course, I know that there is a lot to see in the central and eastern parts of the country.) Many famous tourist destinations other than New York and Washington, including Universal Studios, Disneyland, Pacific Beaches, San Diego, San Francisco, Yosemite National Park, and Grand Circle, are located in the western United States.

I am trying to travel as much as possible as my physical strength and time allow. The destination this time was Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park, which is home to the world’s largest tree.

As soon as I finished work on Thursday (October 30th), I headed to Sequoia National Park with my family. It took about 4 hours. I ran and ran through a pitch-black road with no street lights. Only countless stars were with us.

As I approached the accommodation, I saw a sign saying ‘Sierra’. We have finally arrived at the ‘Sierra Nevada Mountains‘, the epicenter of the gold rush. There was nothing I could do on the first day, so I went straight to bed at my dorm.

On the second day, as soon as we ate at the hotel, we headed to Sequoia Park. Paid 35 dollars. It took more than 1 hour and 30 minutes to get to the desired destination. I always feel this, but the size of America’s national parks is beyond imagination.

As I approached the parking lot, sequoia trees that I had never seen before began to come into view. It was so large that it appeared to be the same size as the pillars of Hannam Bridge and Seongsan Bridge in Korea.

We decided to walk a place called ‘Moro Rock Trail’ that overlooks the Sierra Nevada Mountains. As I walked leisurely, it seemed like it took over 2 hours just for one way. However, because it was close to the walking trail, the children were able to walk without much difficulty. Looking down the mountain from the top, I felt a sense of awe. We returned the same way again and moved to see the ‘General Sherman Tree’, which is said to be the largest in the world.

The General Sherman Tree is finally in sight. People were asking for photos so they could take the photo of their lives. It was a thrilling feeling, like when I saw the Mona Lisa at the Louvre Museum in France almost 20 years ago. The General Sherman Tree is said to be 83 meters tall, the height of a 14-story apartment building, and with a circumference of 31 meters. It is said that the thickness of the shell is up to 30 centimeters and it is still growing. I felt that humans are mere insignificant things in front of Mother Nature and that we should always live humbly. Now that I’m in the U.S., I can’t even dream of saving, but I think the happiest time is being able to walk through the beautiful scenery with my family and smile. Right now, I’m saving up memories that money can’t buy. The story of ‘Kings Canyon’ is in the next story.

The author, who is close to 190 cm tall, looks like a little kid.