We returned to Sequoia this year. We watched the sunrise streaming through the trees, bathing the world in gold and bringing with it, the beginning of a beautiful day.

Given snow levels were relatively low, we hiked among the Sequoias up towards Panther Gap from Congress Trail. Yaktrax, which easily slip onto your hiking boots came in handy for a few icy sections. We didn’t find deeper snow until much later in the hike, but the patches of snow, vibrant greens, and yellow glow of sunlight left beautiful views like this below:

Earlier in the day, we also used heat packs strapped to our camera batteries to prevent them from depleting rapidly and to our lenses to avoid condensation. As we continued uphill and the day grew warmer, we shed our heavy winter jackets.

Here’s one of the three mini snowmen we made along the trail:

Regardless of how many times we visit Sequoia, we never tire of the views.