You feel it in your heart, gut, and mind. A valued item, a reminder of a time long ago and a person no longer with us. He was Curt and the possession is a brochure. More than a brochure, a booklet called Big Stump Trail. I remember picking it up and buying it for 10 cents. I’m selling it on ebay for $10. It’s worth five times that amount. I’ve had it for 45 years.

Curt and I roamed california as two wanderers looking for what’s around the next bend. We were in Yosemite and decided to shoot over to sequoia. No planning. No reservations. But plenty of curiosity and a mutual interest in taking risk to gain some unknown experience. We got that at Big Stump Trail.

At the time we did not know it was a formal trail or destination. You can’t see it from the road unless you know what to look for. This is probably 1981. We’d be driving and come to a hair-pin turn where there is a waterfall and we’d stop and climb past the waterfall and hike up the creek. We did this a few time and often the trail gets so steep we have to turn around and go back. Many of these hair-pin turns in Yosemite and Sequoia.

On this day, off to our right, something caught our eye. maybe it was a place to pull over or maybe we spotted a large stump. Probably both Occurred at the same time. We got out and explored the stump. We were so amazed at this giant stump in the midst of the forest, surrounded by brush. We got on top of it. It was Definitely a giant sequoia. We were elated at this discover. Then we looked and there was another about 50 feet along an old clear-cut. we went to it. then we saw another across the clear-cut, I went to it. He went to yet another. We were now exploring one giant stump after another. Our mood turned somber. A scene which once brought us excitement turned to sadness. what went on here? total Devastation of these forest giants.

We learn later that each stump has a name and the clear-cut is called big stump trail. One of the stumps is called mark Twain and we were in Kings Canyon National Park. Later, seeing the booklet, I bought it thinking it might be where we were. I wasn’t sure until I was sure. It is one thing taking a tour of something presented to you. To discover these stumps behind a bank of trees, feeling the taking of these trees a crime. The fact that we discovered the stumps, having no idea that there was a legitimate hike here, stirred our emotions and a bit of anger. We are often insulated from the impact of historical events. In this case what emerged was raw and true. Curt and I continued to find many discoveries on our road trip, but nothing turned our stomachs like big stump trail.

Now I sell the booklet for $12, less shipping and fees.