My Trip to Muir Woods Essay Example for Free

My Trip to Muir Woods Essay Just about anyone can tell you of a trip they’ve taken that was truly memorable. If they were like me, perhaps they took family road trips in the summer when they were kids, or maybe they had the chance to visit a foreign country. Whatever the case may be, there were events that occurred on these trips that created memories that will be cherished for the rest of their lives. I have been fortunate because I’ve traveled many places and those trips have always been memorable. My trip to Muir Woods National Park in California is one good example, and it proved to be memorable because it impacted me in ways I did not expect. My first trip to Muir Woods National Park happened on Thanksgiving Day in 2009. My roommate and I had just moved to San Francisco in March of that year and this was our first Thanksgiving there. My younger sister had flown out from Minnesota to spend the holiday with me, and we all agreed that it might be fun to drive up to Muir Woods since none of us had been there yet. The day dawned bright and clear and rather warm, which is unusual for San Francisco in November. Usually it is very cold and foggy that time of year. We were on the road pretty early in the morning and I remember when we drove over the Golden Gate Bridge, the hills to the north were still wreathed in fog and the sun was coming up behind us. It gave the fog an ethereal glow and made the hills look so mysterious from that distance. Between the fog that still lingered in pockets and the sunshine peeking over the hilltops, I felt like we were riding through some mystical land in a fairytale. The drive held a little spice of fear for me as well. My roommate was the one driving and she could be a little reckless at times in the car. I am a somewhat anxious passenger even at the best of times, so when she would take the turns in the road so quickly, I would be biting my nails 3 and holding onto the door handle for dear life! For the most part though, I was so entranced by the landscape that I paid little attention to my roommate’s antics on the road. I kept searching for glances of the legendary redwoods we were to see, but although I saw many awe-inspiring vistas on that drive, I caught no hint of those ancient giants. It was not until we pulled into the entrance to the park that I got my first glimpse of the monstrous redwoods of Muir Woods. As we walked into the first groves past the gate, I was nearly overwhelmed by the sheer immensity of the trees around me. I couldn’t help but feel as though I was surrounded by hundreds of ancient sentinels that guarded some deep, secret knowledge of the world that I was far too young to comprehend. It was still early enough in the day that the sun had only reached the tops of these giants, so the forest floor was still dark and coolly moist. Wisps of fog wound through these enormous trunks like the ghosts of hunters past. I remember walking into one grove that is called the Cathedral and feeling like I had just stepped onto sacred ground. The weight of silence and age was almost a living, tangible thing and every single one of us spoke in reverent whispers. For me, standing in the presence of creatures that had witnessed the dawn of civilization on this continent was a humbling experience. I will never forget how small I felt standing in that ancient forest, nor will I forget the sense I had of walking in the presence of a being far greater and older than I. The majesty and wonder of the redwoods of Muir Woods captured my heart and my imagination, and that is why I consider this trip to be one of my most memorable.