Muir Woods

"When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world."  -John Muir

Last week I visited a friend in California and we took a day trip to Muir Woods to see the redwoods. It was a Saturday and we were worried it would be crowded so we almost didn't go.  But I am so happy we went because it was a place unlike any other.  Although there was a decent crowd of tourists there is an air of majesty and quietude that permeates these woods.  The tallest tree is over 250 feet, the widest over 14 feet, and some of them are over 1,000 years old..  One feels dwarfed by these giants and it is easy to feel that we are just a blip on their aged radar.

It is ironic that my favorite photo from Muir Woods was of a giant horsetail (above) and not a giant redwood.  But if you follow this blog you know I love repetition and getting up close to things.  And I really liked the way the many thin threads of the horsetail perfectly illustrated John Muir's quote. I picture myself trying to tug on just one thread knowing that it will move all the threads.  I also learned that the roots of the redwood trees only go down 10-13 feet, but they spread out nearly 100 feet interconnecting with the roots of other trees.  I picture them helping to hold each other upright when it is windy.

It was also interesting to learn the importance of fog to these giant trees.  Apparently the trees are able to take in fog that has condensed on the leaves through tiny pores.  I never thought about trees "drinking" in the fog before this trip.  (I learned here redwoods were the first trees found to move water in both directions.)

Maybe it's because I am reading Sally Kempton's book about the many-armed yoga goddesses, but when I saw this last photo it appeared to me to be a goddess looking down at me waving all of her arms. Just looking at her now I feel her power and am humbled to have had the chance to stand at her feet and observe her majesty.