Sequoia National Park, California — A row of giant sequoias encircles a meadow high in the Sierra Mountains. The sunlight first hits the tree tops hundreds of feet above the forest floor. Slowly it crawls down each trunk, illuminating the cinnamon-colored bark. Inside the forest, the early sun is filtered and split by the ancient giants above. Song birds begin to bounce on the meadow floor searching for breakfast along a meandering stream. The only place in the entire world where these giant sequoias grow naturally is right here on the western slope of the Sierra Nevadas. Their immense presence offers a sense that life passes slowly, revealed anew each morning.