It’s the ultimate in historical irony: felling millennia-old giant sequoia trees in the 19th century as ‘trophy trees’, just to prove to the world that they had existed in the first place. Here’s what happened.
I can’t even remember the first time I learned about the existence of giant sequoia trees. I must have been quite young, because my fascination with them held an almost mythical quality, as if these trees were more a product of imagination than reality, like the Loch Ness Monster, or Bigfoot. I distinctly remember seeing a picture of a car driving through a tunnel carved through one of these trees, but still, it was hard to believe that a forest of these trees could exist. Which was why I promised myself that someday I would venture to Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks in California if for no other reason than to see these trees for myself.
Half a century later, that someday happened…
Even if you find yourself in Wytheville, Virginia while en route to another destination in the U.S., a couple of days spent exploring this charming small town can be a wonderful part of that road trip. Because whether you are a history buff, a nature lover, a culture vulture or a road warrior, there are plenty of things to do in Wytheville for all of you.
