Sequoia National Forest - A Travel Guide

Hey guys! 

I have always been a spontaneous person so when Roberto asked me if I was down for a weekend getaway to the Sequoia National Park of course my answer was yes. We had been itching to head into a colder climate so we could relate to our friends and family on the east coast. It was also probably that LA temperatures had us so confused that Christmas was right around the corner and honestly I just couldn't wait to layer on the scarves. I quickly found us a little lodge right in the middle of the forest called Wuksachi Lodge (I may love the outdoors but not enough to camp in them in the freezing temperatures). This lodge was perfect because it was one of the few that was actually in the forest and it was close to all of the beautiful hikes and attractions. Roberto and I decided to go later in the day which resulted in us driving late at night up the mountain in pitch black darkness (not quite recommended). And if I knew how close we were to the cliff I definitely would've wanted Roberto drive 5 MPH.  SO pretty but SO high up! Anyways, when we arrived we knew how out of place we looked (Roberto in shorts and a t-shirt and me in skinny jeans and white zara booties *face palm* WITH snow on the ground, we weren't prepared at all). We quickly unpacked our bags, grabbed dinner and wine, and went to bed early to catch the sunrise in the morning. 

This was from a pit stop we made on our way into the forest. Yes, even the views on the way there were awesome too!

I set my alarm for 5 am this morning and one of us struggled to get out of bed... and it wasn't me. I know, hell has frozen over. Once we got to our first hike we were amazed and our exhaustion quickly turned into excitement. The best thing about sunrise hikes is you usually have the place to yourself. There was only one other couple soaking in the sunrise which came in handy so we could take a picture together. 

This hike also made me realize how much I have turned into my Mom. This nut-job pictured above had me in panic mode every picture he took near the edge of the cliffs so my mom voice would come out.

Honey I Shrunk Carleigh

Chubby cheeked Indiana Jones wannabee ^

The coolest natural bridge out there

My favorite human

My current iPhone background

On our last hike of the day we ended up getting lost and finding a giant rock that had the most AMAZING view! We had the view all to ourselves (yes, we took the pictures above on a tripod. I would never torture strangers to take these mooshy pictures lol). The trees made me feel like I was an ant, the crisp air felt refreshing, and the stars made us speechless. I highly recommend checking this out if you want a little mountain weekend getaway!

XOXO,

Carleigh Elise