Marble Fork Trail to Marble Falls in Sequoia National Park - Incomplete

This does not happen very often. When I start hiking a trail, it is my honest intention to complete it successfully, which is why I always research the difficulty of the hike, elevation gain, length and other factors (for example, a trail might state "elevation 900 ft", but in reality it could consist of constant switchbacks making it more difficult). I even check the air quality, which is what I did on the day I hiked Marble Fork Trail to Marble Falls in Sequoia National Park in mid-October. One thing, I knew the air quality was bad because of the fires, but hoped that in the mountains it would be a bit better. Wrong!

As I approached the entrance to Sequoia National Park, I could smell the smoke, I could see the smoke; the air was so heavy that the sun had a halo around it. I decided to give it a shot and at least start the hike. Parking was relatively easy and was located in the depth of the campground. I ended up just parking near the front entrance sign instead of the small dirt-road parking lot. The trail is well-marked once you find the trail head.

As I started hiking, flying insects thought I was a meal. There were so many of them in the first mile that I wanted to give up just from that. Nevertheless, I continued. But not for long... The further up I went, the denser the air became to the point when I had a hard time catching my breath. This was the turning point of my hike. I knew I did not want to suffocate to death, at least not yet, so I turned around. Sad, but ultimately the right choice. I will have to come back...