Camp Far Horizons was founded in 1954. One of the founders, G.V. Hull, was instrumental in helping to develop King’s Canyon in ways that have made this natural wonder more assessible for visitors. Partially as a result of his work, the Theosophical Society was awarded an extended lease on National Park land with provisions to develop and improve said land. The first buildings went up in 1955 , and many of these are still in use due to the skillfulness of Mr. Hull’s construction design.
Upkeep is a continuing consideration for any facility. Landscaping and building maintenance are key concerns at Far Horizons, which functions as a camp only 3 out of 12 months a year and is heavily snowed in during winter months. Recently at Camp there was the necessity of removal of several large trees. These trees had become diseased by natural causes and were at risk of falling into buildings. In these photos I have captured the process of removing 100 + foot trees, which is not an easy task physically or psychologically. The team of arborist, Joel Bawcum, was exact in their duties and Camp is grateful to them for their expertise.
A famous Biblical quote acknowledges “To Everything There Is a Season”. These majestic trees had many ” seasons”. Moving forward, there is the certainty that many fledgling Camp trees will mature into their times as well.
For a complete view please click back and forth on the photos.
Photo captions:
#1. Diseased kitchen tree, approximately 100 feet tall
#2. Limb removal, note proximity to cabins
# 3. Almost done, sawing the base
#4. Dining Room Stump with volunteer beauties!
#5. Diseased tree, minimum 150 feet tall
#6. Note proximity to Sugar Pine Cabin
#7. Joel among the limbs
#8. On top, 100 feet up
#9. No top or limbs
#10. Debris at the base, note notch for felling
#11. Ready to fall
#12. After the fall, now a home for chipmunks
Anne Nowell 