Tuesday, May 17, 2022 | 2 a.m.
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A number of years ago, I made my first attempt to travel south through California and visit the Sequoia National Forest. I failed.
This was in the days before mobile GPS, and my map didn’t show me how difficult it is to reach this forest and the little town of Kernville which lies next to it.
So, having business recently near Sacramento, I decided to give it another try. I succeeded, but the big trees were gone.
The internet tells me that 10-20% of the trees have been destroyed by fire. I believe this loss has been strongly understated. I could not get to the grove containing the giant General Sherman tree, but the 30 miles of forest I was able to travel via car showed nothing but devastation. I saw no living sequoia of any real size.
Kernville depends on tourist travel to see the trees, river rafting on the Kern River, and fishing on both the river and Lake Isabelle. The lake is drying up. The river’s water level is way down, and the trees are simply gone. This city will be blowing away with the dust or embers.
Yeah, I know, global warming is just a myth.
