Duncan was dozing when we got there, and stayed asleep through the process of getting into the sling and getting the backpack with our spare diapers and picnic lunch in it onto my back. We were a couple hundred yards from the entrance to the park and were lucky to have found parking that close. We followed the path and gave them their $5 entrance fee and went in to marvel at the big trees. Duncan woke shortly after we started walking among the trees. Happily, he woke in a good mood and was easily distracted by looking at the creek that winds its way through the park.
We pointed out the different kinds of flowers we saw on the forest floor and commented on how even if we all held hands we couldn't reach around the biggest of the trees ... We went over a bridge on the creek and Sayer read the sign they have posted on it. It said:
Help keep the creek clean. Do not throw coins in the water.
We kept wandering along the paved path with the other tourists. We stopped at one huge tree that was hollow at the bottom to take a pic with the kids standing *inside* the tree. Eventually off to our right Sayer saw a set of log stairs and we headed off the paved path to go on the dirt path that climbed up from the valley floor several hundred feet. I had to keep my eyes on Sayer and my hands on Duncan (who was out of the sling and walking now) because the path had a nice steep fall off one side. Lots of times we crowded ourselves up to the hill side to let others pass us because we were moving at a toddler's pace.
Duncan saw one of the hostas along the trail had something shiny on it's leaf and exclaimed 'glass!' and reached for it ... it was the slime trail of some enormous slug spread across a hole in the leaf. As soon as he touched it he was all 'ewwww' and held out his hand to get it cleaned off. Sayer was off ranging ahead of us on the trail. We found a creepy crawly centipede on the trail and had to stop to investigate. Log covered with fungus. I showed them the mosses and the lichens growing on the trees and rocks ... Did I mention Muir Woods is fricken gorgeous?
The trail we were on was 1.3 miles. Duncan walked a good chunk of it. Sayer walked it all. At the end of the trail we were back down on the valley floor on the paved paths and were .9 miles from the park entrance. Along that part of our hike Duncan needed a stop for 'bies.
We were back down on the valley floor and found a place where the trees parted and they'd put up a fence so you could look out over the creek.
Picnics in the park are technically not allowed. During our hike the kids were hungry so I'd peeled two tangerines to eat while we walked. Now that we were back on the path they were asking for lunch again. So we ambled back to the park entrance to sit down and eat our leftover homemade pizza and goodies. We had to stop on our walk back though so I could try to show the kids the deer hiding in the bushes 10 yards up the hill from the path ... Here's a random pic of Sayer being cute :)
Muir Woods is *gorgeous* and if you have the chance to go, DO!
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