Muir Woods

I’m realizing that my contract in Northern California is nearly up, and there is still so much I haven’t done. Every time I drive by the Muir Woods exit, I want to get off, but never have the time. I didn’t have to go into the office this morning, but I still got myself up early so that I would finally have time to stop. Amazing.
I got there right when they first opened, so I was alone on the trail, surrounded by the towering redwoods in the chill of the early morning with only the sound of the stream in the background. After 2 weeks of LIVE craziness at work, it was the perfect place to stop and remember what matters. Looking at the small piece that a human lifespan represents in the life of a redwood, we are reminded that life is short. Carpe diem.

And so even though it meant cutting it close at the airport, I took the time to stop at Muir beach as well. Nothing makes me happier than burying my toes in the warm sand and then dunking them in a cold ocean. I climbed up the steep 900 steps to the overlook. San Francisco emerged out of the fog on one side, the Pacific opened up on the other, and the green rolling hills of Mt. Talampali rose up behind me.

The morning was a nice pause for reflection. The quiet of the woods, the steepness of the trail, and the narrow windy roads with sharp drop-offs on one side forced me to slow down from my usual frantic pace.