Muir Woods

John Muir

Redwoods

Sierra Club

Preservation

Yosemite National Park

Giant Sequioa National Park

Are any of the words above familiar? If it wasn't for a man named John Muir, read about him here, there would be very few, if any redwood trees to admire. Here is a video that explains more if you are interested. John Muir spent months and months exploring Yosemite, redwood forests, sleeping outside, scaling mountains, and writing letters to persuade government officials to preserve the magnificent land he was so find of. It was Teddy Roosevelt who spent a couple of night with Muir in Yosemite who decided to protect the land and make it an official national park. Giant sequoia trees were being cut down by the dozens due to their size. One tree could easily build a whole house. Again it was Muir who helped give voice to what was happening and the government stepped in to protect the land as well.Muir founded the Sierra Club in order to protect the trees and natural areas he so dearly loved. Muir woods is home to coastal redwoods. Giant sequoias are the worlds biggest tree as far as girth, but coastal redwoods are the worlds tallest living things, averaging 200-240 feet. The Statue of Liberty measures 305 feet. The tallest recorded coastal redwood measured at 379 feet. They live for about 2,000 years! I was SO excited to walk through these woods dedicated to such an important man. 

 I gained my love of nature from my parents. Growing up we had a house in the pocono mountains and spent time hiking and swimming in the lake. My mom taught me plant and flower names. I've always leaned toward "being green". In college I was part of the Earth Group on campus. It was then I learned about redwood trees and made it a goal to hug one. Well I did it! Most of the trails through Muir woods are on boardwalks to prevent humans from destroying the delicate ecosystem. However, there was one tree on the trail you could get super close to and even hug.


Some redwoods grow in clusters, called families, as pictured below. Others grow by themselves, as pictured right.

 If you are looking for a fun adventure story to read for the summer check out The Wild Muir. In the book are 22 short stories of Muir's truly wild adventures and near death experiences. Totally worth reading!