Reflections from a Trip to Muir Woods

I spent hours wandering Muir Woods and time slipped by as fast as the rain poured down over San Francisco that day. Despite the weather, my mom and I had set out early that morning, picked up by a tour bus filled with other curious minds, eager to learn more about the wilderness that lay awaiting, just across the Golden Gate Bridge. The bus ride wasn’t long, and roughly thirty minutes later we were dropped in the midst of the towering redwoods. I was spellbound by both Muir’s descriptions of the wild and the trees themselves, as they stood untouched by civilization aside from the pathways carved between them. They were breathtaking as they loomed above us, painted against the overcast gray sky.

I had no idea what to expect from my time in San Francisco, and it was on a whim that my mom had suggested a guided tour of the national park. She knew how much places like that had meant to me, but neither of us truly thought that it would change my life in the ways that it did. Our tour guide was incredible, and I clung to my seat in anticipation, hanging on to every word. I remember pulling my phone out of the pocket of my Patagonia jacket, and clicking record so that I could remember his words as I ventured into the forest. Every sentence left me wondering more, and I was captivated by Muir's transcendentalist ideals as I too saw nature as home.

When we returned to our hotel later that night, I immediately opened my laptop and began typing out what I’d recorded from that day. I pulled as many quotes as I could, adding in further thoughts and research that I later conducted. I wanted to turn this project into something. I wanted to tell a story, just as Muir had done. By the time I’d returned to my sophomore biology class, the ball was rolling and I’d had a project in mind; the Sophomore Science Honors Project. I wanted to talk about the redwoods and highlight why Muir loved them so much. I resonated with Muir in a way that I’d never resonated with anyone, and sixteen year old Mackenzie was beyond thrilled to have found someone who could articulate the ways she’d felt about nature with such authenticity and care. I wanted more people to understand why the wild was so important to me.

This brought me to find my favorite quote of Muir’s; “I only went out for a walk, and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in.” Nature was the only place where I truly felt connected to a higher power. I’d spent much of my late teen years trying to find that sort of connection, and I explored everything from the religion in which I was raised to simple spirituality. What I’d later realized, however, was that I’d had this connection all along–in nature. Nature was what raised me, and it was the thing that had instilled the most power in me. John Muir and his writings helped me to realize that, and I will always be grateful for the time I spent in Muir Woods for bringing me to his work.