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79
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79
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4
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Description
The Big Stump Trail leads to...
well, as you may have guessed: a big stump.
But this big stump has a story. This tree was known as the "Mark Twain Tree," a "1,350 year old sequoia that was felled in 1891 after a team of two men spent 13 days sawing it," according to [AmericanSouthwest.net](https://www.americansouthwest.net/california/kings_canyon/big-stump-trail.html). The tree was cut down so that "sections of the trunk could be displayed in the natural history museums of New York and London," according to [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Stump_Grove#:~:text=Mark%20Twain%20Stump%3A%20the%20stump,grape%20stakes%20and%20fence%20posts.).
Now, once you reach the stump, a small staircase will let you climb on top of the mammoth stump to get a sense of the scale of sequoia trees.
You still probably won't be able to wrap your head around them! Technically, this meadow, which was home to a timber mill in the late 1800s, offers plenty of other stumps to check out as well.
You can even (thankfully) enjoy some still-standing sequoias. The trail itself is quite mellow and smooth, with very little elevation gain and loss, making it fit for the entire family. Sources: https://www.americansouthwest.net/california/kings_canyon/big-stump-trail.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Stump_Grove#:~:text=Mark%20Twain%20Stump%3A%20the%20stump,grape%20stakes%20and%20fence%20posts https://www.travelagewest.com/Travel/USA-Canada/6-Can-t-Miss-Hikes-in-Sequoia-and-Kings-Canyon-National-Parks