My husband and I went to San Francisco at the end of December through the New Year this past year. We went because after the loss of our son, we just wanted to escape life. Of course, you cannot escape such a horrible event, but I think most people get the urge to leave wherever they are when something goes wrong in their life - losing a loved one, losing a job, the end of a relationship, fill in the blank. In my opinion, getting away is a bit of a double-edged sword. Wherever you are, you are reminded you would not be there but for the unexpected event. Our New Year was supposed to be spent adjusting to sleepless nights with our newborn son. Instead, it was spent hiking around the West Coast. And that is something that we had to, and still must, grapple with when we do things people with a new young child do not get to do.
But in spite of the emotional complexity that comes from an escape, is also good to try and distract your focus, if only for a moment here and there. In this case, San Francisco was a beautiful distraction. That is why we hiked a lot, which in hindsight, I do not recommend to any women who are 7-weeks post-emergency c-section, but to say I was thinking clearly would be a total lie. And I don't regret it.
To blatantly steal from Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muir_Woods_National_Monument), the Muir Woods is an old growth forest 12 miles north of San Francisco. The tallest tree in the Muir Woods is 258 feet tall, and the trees range from 500 to 800 years old. One is allegedly 1200 years old. Most of the pictures don't do justice to the scope of these trees. I have included the picture of me hugging the tree. I am 5'8", and I have extremely awkwardly long arms, making my wing span even longer than 5'8". As you can see, I am barely a blip on the corner of the tree.
I think Muir Woods is amazing because it provides you with the self-awareness that all humans need every once in a while - the world is much bigger than ourselves. These trees have been here for hundreds of years and will be here long after we are gone, which is somewhat comforting. We are little specs in a big and spectacular world and life continues on. I am not sure exactly how far we hiked. There are a number of trails we did not go down that weave through the woods. It was very quiet. One added bonus - there are no cell phones - which automatically gives points to any place that I go.
The other place that I have to highlight is Devil's Slide (on the right). The hike is relatively short. I think 3-4 miles round trip (but I honestly cannot recall because the trip was a blur). I am including the Wikipedia link again for your convenience (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devil%27s_Slide_(California)), but there is a sign at the entrance giving you the gist of this portion of hiking. This hike is up road and gravel that used to be a portion of the Route 1 California Highway until 2013. This portion of road suffered from tons of landslides over the years that kept requiring this portion of route one to be closed. In recent years (corresponding with the increase in cell phone usage), people were also accidentally driving off of the cliffs. Not joking. Though short, it was probably one of the most beautiful hikes I have ever taken. These pictures are unfiltered. The water is just naturally that beautiful. Apparently, if it is the right time of the year, you can see whales on their journey up and down the coast for breeding. It was the wrong time for us, but it was still stunning.
I cannot recommend San Francisco and the surrounding area enough, especially if you want an active trip that will require some exercise. It is tied with New York as my favorite city in the US (sorry, DC), and up there as one of my favorites in the world.
I don't have much else to say because I cannot remember much, nor can I do the scenery justice; therefore, enjoy the ridiculous amount of pictures.
