Letters: Majestic Places

Big Basin has been my most favorite place since I was 5 years old! It is the oldest CA State Park and home to some of the oldest largest trees on the planet. Grizzly bears used to roam free, and if you go up the mountain, you can still see grizzly bear claw marks, all the way down the side of a tree. Sometimes starting 6-10 feet up! I was very lucky to grow up in the most beautiful place in the world. And even more lucky that I got to live up there with my children. I grew up in those trees, my children grew up in those trees, and I want my grandson to see them… Beautiful places like this are so majestic and overpowering, and with their destruction we realize how insignificant we really are at controlling natural processes.

The last camping trip me and the Mustang ever went on was to Little Basin. It was five years ago. I tried to make a reservation for Big Basin, but they were full. I figured I’d give Little Basin a try! As a kid, field trips, events were always about Big Basin, so I never really got to know the Little. I fell in love with it right off the bat! I had such a great time sleeping on the ground alone, cooking my food over sterno alone, hiking the trails alone! For the most part I had all the trails and campgrounds to myself. Awesome hidden views and lots of places to feel like you’re the only person in the world! My most favorite trip I ever took by myself.

No matter where we go, to all the ends of the globe, wherever life takes us, we take that little town with us. We might not all be able to be there physically right now, but we are definitely all there in spirit

Karrie Klemm, Modesto

Photos contributed by Karrie Klemm