Looking up at the giant redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) forest on the Main Trail near the border of Mount Tamalpais State Park at Muir Woods National Monument.

Near 1 Muir Woods Road, Marin County, California: 29 January 2013

part of the Muir Woods album

The first stop on my 2013 birthday of nature, trails and photography was the one and only Muir Woods National Monument in Marin County. It was the natural place to begin, considering its proximity to the other destinations scheduled.

At times like my last visit in the mid-1990s, Muir Woods can be too popular a place to fully enjoy and immerse yourself in its wonderful, peaceful surroundings. Only twenty minutes north of San Francisco, it is a popular tourist destination especially for those who have never seen a great redwood tree. On 29 January 2013 though, Marc and I had the place basically to ourselves.

Over the course of three hours, we meandered down the Main Trail all the way to the signed border of Mount Tamalpais State Park and then back, taking a slightly different route where available. Crisp, cool and especially fresh oxygenated air flowed through the dimly lit forest. Tranquil and pure, chirping songbirds were the only soundtrack heard.

Muir Woods is a beautiful place and we were lucky to be there on a quiet, seemingly tourist-free day. However pleased I may be with some of my photographs from this visit, there is an ineffable quality to a place like this impossible to capture truly.

And just as I experienced six days earlier at Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park, it is an interesting juxtaposition being secluded in a wonderful natural place like Muir Woods yet so close to over seven million people.