Trip Report: Muir Woods, CA, (solo day hike 12-30-97)
Map
Since, in my mind it is the local natural environment, not the cultural and commercial attractions that makes a region unique, my first adventure while visiting the greater San Francisco area was to drive across the Golden Gate Bridge (very impressive despite all) and visit the wonderful natural areas to the north. One of the most striking of these, Muir Woods National Monument, is accessible via some very dramatic roads which twist and turn through numerous precipitous switch-backs down into a peaceful valley. Since this valley was so inaccessible (as evidenced by the highway gymnastics), it was never logged and is one of the only stands of virgin Coastal Redwood in the area. Also, being so close to a major city, it is very popular.
I arrived at the National Monument at around noon. All the parking lots were jammed full of cars so I followed the road past rows of shoulder-parked vehicles for a full mile until finding a space. This did not bode well for my chances of being alone to commune with nature. However, the hike back along the road served as a nice prelude to what was to come, gradually transitioning from the quickfire world of freeways and freon to the long world of trees. At the entrance station I paid my $2 and spoke with a ranger about how best to avoid the hoards of stroller-pushers and camera-clickers. "Go up" was his advice, "If it has any sort of grade at all, there won't be people on it."
There are far more trails in this area than the guide-books let on. There is a one-mile loop that goes through the valley on paved, fenced paths. But there are dozens of miles of significantly wilder trail in the National Monument and neighboring Mt. Tamalpais State Park. One can get pretty much any caliber of hike one wants by choosing judiciously. The map even mentions some backpacking shelters up on the ridges.
Crowds would not be an issue, it turned out. While I knew full well that these trees were among the largest on the planet, I was unprepared for their sheer immensity. Even the dozens of dozens of people present within a hundred yards of me were lost amongst the towering trunks much as a squadron of ants is insignificant at the base of a picnic table. I drifted down the path developing an ache in my neck and a strong suspicion that my jaw had dropped a little lower than usual.
Did I mention that these trees are REALLY BIG? They have bark that is a foot thick (to serve as fire insulation, more on this later) and a typical tree may be ten feet across at the base and 250 feet tall. The first foliage is usually a significant ways up the trunk and fairly thin at that, so you are often presented with a great height of tapering reddish-brown tree soaring into the heavens. The trunk taper probably helps to make the trees look bigger as does the lack of undergrowth. At first this lack puzzled me as did the black scars visible on many of the trees.
Fire plays a key role in the lifecycle of these trees. The periodic wildfires that sweep the area serve to clear away all the dry dead material on the ground so the seeds can reach soil. The large trees are protected from the small fires by the thick bark and the great height of their foliage. The cones containing the seeds only open in response to great heat, such as that generated by fires.
It should be noted that Coastal Redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens) and Giant Sequoias (Sequoia giaganticum) are different species and surprisingly, it is the former which are taller. The Giant Sequoias grow inland in the higher mountains and are thicker in the trunk, giving them their name. There is also a third type of redwood called the Dawn Redwood which grows only in China and is much more modest in terms or height.
I wandered through the main tourist part of the trail past the Redwood Creek, through the aptly named Cathedral Grove where the main trail turns back to the very head of the valley. Embarking on the Bootjack trail, I began to rise up out of the valley following the course of the creek as it bubbled over rocks and through small gorges. The vegetation began to open up as I gained elevation. Redwoods were still present along with other trees, but they were smaller in size--more managable. Views began to open up of Mt. Tamalpais and the valley in which Muir Woods sits. The trail turned into a good, healthy climb and, as promised, I encountered almost no one (maybe a dozen people in all, good enough).
From the Bootjack Trail I headed south along the TCC trail slabbing level across the face of the valley wall. The trail wound in and out through lovely canyons crossing minor rivulets here and there and alternating deep forest with occasional scrubby views. It was along here that I struck it rich.
In 1849, prospectors came to California in the hopes of finding gold. Well, I was about a century and a half too late, but lying there in the middle of the trail was gold! (in the form of a rather ugly gold bracelet composed of two curved solid bars with a light chain in the middle, obviously broken from someone's wrist.) Far too small to fit my wrist or even that of a smaller woman, it must have come from a child. Picking it up, I noticed it's weight, quite a bit heavier than expected. On a hunch, I put a portion in my mouth and bit down gently. A tooth-mark on the surface revealed it's softness. Could it be real gold? I don't know, but the possibility was there. In the generous spirit in which Muir Woods was created, I left it with the park ranger from the base station and told him that, if it was not claimed in two weeks time, to drop it in the donations box. I can only hope that it will help...
The TCC trail eventually let out at a great nexus of trails high on top of a bare ridge looking over the area. To the west could be glimpsed what must have been the Pacific Ocean though there was no division between sky and sea. In the distant south the outskirts of the Metropolis could be glimpsed and in between lots of greenish brown hills and valleys rolling along. I wandered down the ridge a while on a fire road. A quartet of deer were seen over to the left so I left the trail and went to investigate. Quite fearless creatures, I approached within probably a hundred yards before they ambled off. A large hawk regarded me cautiously from a tree overhead.
Attempting to regain the fire road which led back to the valley, I bushwhacked down into a canyon filled with trecherous, soft tree-detritus and back up the other side. Success! There was the fire road and right around the corner, the turn-off to the Ben Johnson Trail leading back down to the populous sections of the Wood. Light was failing as I reemmerged at the top of the Muir Woods loop. Back down on the other side of the creek I hiked marvelling once again at the majesty of the trees.
Words trully fail to do this place justice. Even with the teeming tourist life, the paved, handicapped-accessable, fenced-for-your-protection trails and interpretive signs, it is one of the most peaceful, timeless places I've ever been. Perhaps that is because you're always looking up. If I had to build a church, it would be here. And it would have no walls or roof, only reclining pews. A steeple would be superfluous and bells would be a shame.
With a smile on my face I wandered back to the car and back to a civilization I could again deal with...
Trip distance (including hiking to and from car): 8.5 miles, time ~3.5 hours.
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