60 PUNCHMAGAZINE.COM {due west} As we drive along Sequoia National Park’s Generals Highway, I watch the trees grow larger as the numbers on the elevation markers continue to climb. The pressure in my ears builds as the altitude steadily rises from 1,700 feet to 2,500, then to 4,000—and still those numbers keep going up, seemingly in a race with the trees to reach the sky. Just shy of 6,000 feet, we finally reach our trailhead. This central California park will make you feel puny. Everything here looms large—from towering trees to soaring domes, from expansive panoramic views to a seemingly never-ending road. Driving from one winding end of the Generals Highway to the other without stopping takes about two hours—and don’t look too closely at the plunging drop-off a few feet from your wheels. In the far distance, across cavernous canyons, you’ll catch sight of Sierra Nevada’s snow-dusted mountain peaks. I’m here to meet the park’s biggest resident—which also happens to be the world’s largest tree: General Sherman. Hopping out of the car, I join a procession of pilgrims on a trail flanked by lofty sequoias, their warm reddish-brown bark practically glowing in the afternoon light. As I wind between trees that rise like pillars holding up the sky, it’s hard to imagine anything larger. Is this the biggest tree? Surely this is the one? When at last I encounter the General, he proves me wrong. This big fella is packing enough lumber to build 120 standard-sized houses. He could go toe-totoe with the Statue of Liberty. Already a few hundred years old when the Roman Empire was born, he’ll probably still be around when kids are riding hoverboards to school. What does this silent giant make of the stream of ant-sized humans seeking an audience? After visiting with the GenPHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF: VISIT VISALIA ABOVE: General Sherman is the largest tree in the world by volume, while Hyperion at Redwood National Park is the tallest. California is home to both giants.
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