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A Modern-Day Quest in Muir Woods

As we continue to watch the old redwoods grow.
Behold you have entered Bohemian Grove.
Stand inside the hollow tree and imagine what it is like to be
as ancient as this old-growth tree.

    Do these lines sound like something from a children’s adventure story, one set in the woods a long, long time ago? While the adventure part is true, the lines are actually an excerpt from “A Quest at Muir Woods,” a self-guided activity your whole family can take part in. The quest is eight pages long and written in verse, giving you a fun and interactive way to meander through the forest, finding hidden clues on the trail as you approach the final clue — the secret code for the treasure box! The crowning glory of the park, the majestic coastal redwoods, are the highlight of the quest, and though they’ve been towering high for centuries, the delight of walking through them is something we can enjoy to this very day.
     My cousin Melody and I decided to take the magical stroll on a misty Sunday afternoon with light showers, our 8- and 3-year-old daughters Maya and Maddy trotting alongside us in their rain boots and winter coats. With the quest in hand and our trail mix at the ready, we felt like adventurers through and through, ready to explore the call of the wild.
     But here’s where Muir Woods gets so much of its charm. The forest is lush and protected, but the path going through it is paved or boardwalked for easy access, even for strollers. Here, nature and civilization meet, finding a harmonious balance. And that’s precisely why the quest was developed — to help us maintain a sense of awe among the great trees, encouraging us to walk slowly and listen along the way as we take a moment from our busy lives to ponder the passing of leaves and time.
      According to Mia Monroe, site supervisor at Muir Woods, quests like this are used as community-building tools, generated as a way to explore an area’s history and involve locals in appreciating little-known aspects of their home. After former Muir Woods Ranger Jim MacDonald realized how exciting a treasure hunt in poetic form could be, he received a grant from the Save the Redwoods League to host a workshop of educators, youth leaders, rangers and students to develop a quest for Muir Woods. Joining this group, Monroe, Steve Glazer, who helped develop the quest, and a few inspired, nature-loving families put their creative minds together to research and write the delightful stanzas and sketch the artwork.
      “Most people report that it really brought their family together in a way that doesn’t usually happen,” Monroe says. “The fun of each child taking turns reading stanzas to everyone else is great!”
      The same was true for our giddy foursome – Melody, Maya and I took turns reading rhymes aloud, while little Maddy joined us in finding clues, pointing with glee to the windows in trees, fallen logs, giant burls and tree caves used as markers in the quest.
      In addition to enjoying the poetry and practicing our teamwork, we learned a lot about the forest along the way. Without the quest, we wouldn’t have known that a giant bay laurel once grew where sunlight now warms a patch of ground, that the tree we saluted for its sheer size is named the Bicentennial Tree and has been standing for more than 200 years, or that the black scars on the trees in Bohemian Grove are burn marks from a fire long ago, which helped the forest grow even taller.
      In addition to connecting with the ears and eyes of the living forest, we got a history lesson about the park, discovering how and why William Kent founded the national monument, preserving the area from milling and pollution and naming it after a personal hero. The quest also leads you to various signposts, where you can read more about the park’s background and your kids can find hidden letters for the treasure box clue.
      Most families take about an hour to finish the quest, but we took closer to two, with Maya huddling in tree caves and hunting for salmon in Redwood Creek, and Maddy falling asleep to the rhythm of a quiet rain. By midway through the adventure, the pages of our quest were soaking wet. Yet even amid the shower flowing through a canopy of leaves, the foliage in Muir Woods was like something from a fairytale, bursting with green, with streaks of sunlight shining in through the trees. We can’t wait to go back in the spring!
      “A Quest in Muir Woods” is in its third reprinting with minor tweaks and with continued support from the Save the Redwoods League. “Occasionally people miss the cues, sometimes a clue has needed to be changed due to a tree falling,” Monroe says. “Sometimes the treasure has been hard to figure out ... [Overall], the appeal to all ages is wonderful.”
      Monroe says feedback from families has been overwhelmingly positive, so much so that new quests are underway in Marin County. “The process of developing a quest has caught on. MacDonald suggested the workshop to the Crissy Center, which sponsored one that led to quests on the Presidio and in the Marin Headlands. We hope to do the same at Muir Beach soon to highlight not only that area’s stories but also the restoration work underway.”
     The quest is downloadable for free on the Muir Woods page of the National Park Service website, http://www.nps.gov/muwo/index.htm, and provided upon request at the Muir Woods Visitor’s Center.
      In addition to questing, Joanne Jarvis, park ranger and volunteer coordinator, says kids 6 to 12 years can become junior rangers, pledging to be stewards of the park after completing a free, two-hour activity booklet geared just for them. Ecology talks and volunteer opportunities are other opportunities for exploration at Muir Woods.
     In spite of the rain, we finished our quest and even had time to check out the gift shop. Maya was the first one to the treasure box, but the real prize was the time we had all spent together, enjoying an adventure beneath the trees.

Renee Macalino Rutledge is a columnist for Red Tricycle, a copyeditor for Eucalyptus Magazine and an Oakland elementary school tutor. She has been a regular contributor to Parents’ Press since 2008. She lives with her husband and daughter in Alameda.

If You Go
Muir Woods National Monument is located off of the Highway 1/Stinson Beach Exit. From there, follow the signs leading you through the winding roads to the entrance. The park is open daily, rain or shine, from 8 a.m. until sunset. There is a $5 entrance fee for adults. Kids 15 and under are free. Annual passes are available for $20. Pets, with the exception of service dogs, are not permitted in the park. Check with Golden Gate Transit for the weekend shuttle service to Muir Woods. Fares are $3 for adults and $1 for senior, disabled or youth passengers age 6–18.