Muir Woods II
Muir Woods had long been on my list, and today I finally had the chance to visit. Just a short drive north of San Francisco, it felt like a world away the moment I stepped out of the car. The shift from the city’s hustle to the relative calm of this ancient forest was immediate. I couldn’t help but think about John Muir, the naturalist who fought to preserve this place back in 1908. Muir Woods, named in his honor, became a national monument to protect these towering redwoods.
Walking into the forest, it felt like entering a massive cathedral. The coast redwoods, some of the tallest trees on Earth, rose straight up into the sky, their thick trunks covered in rough bark that had weathered centuries. Some of these trees are over 1,000 years old. Alongside the redwoods, I saw Douglas firs and bigleaf maples, adding variety to the scenery. The forest smelled of damp earth, moss, and wood, and the soft trickle of streams mixed with the rustling of leaves in the breeze.
I had my camera ready, but the place was packed with tourists. Every time I set up a shot, a bright jacket or a selfie stick would find its way into the frame. I started to get frustrated, realizing it wasn’t going to be easy capturing the peacefulness of the woods with so many people around. That’s when I knew I had to get creative.
Instead of waiting for the crowds to thin out, I started using the trees to block them. I’d position a massive redwood in front of one group or use a patch of ferns to hide another. Bit by bit, I found ways to frame my shots that kept the focus on the forest’s quiet beauty, even with all the chaos around me.
It took some patience, but in the end, I found the angles that worked. They captured the calm, timeless feeling of Muir Woods, with not a single tourist in sight. It reminded me that sometimes, you just need a little creativity and persistence to find beauty in the middle of it all.