Photochrome Camera Club

Images and trip report from our member’s field trip to Muir Woods:

On a gray drizzly morning in late May, seven Photochromers: Gary Larsen, Bob Nelson, Willis Zhoe, Garrett Griffin, Alan Heald, Weronika Patena and Bing Huey along with former Photochromer and past president Jim Service and guest Carolynne Griffin, met at the entrance to Muir Woods for the club’s monthly photography field trip. The woods, a protected National Monument, are among the last stands of old-growth redwoods in the world.

Members strung out quickly and began recording fog-shrouded images of the thick-barked Redwoods. Redwood Creek provided an attractive lead-in to the bases of the huge trees. Twisted roots and burled trunks made good subjects. The giants were captured from every possible angle and even impossible ones. By chance, some members stumbled upon two very young fawns still covered with spots that belied their recent entrance into this world. Several images of the baby deer ended up on members’ SD chips. Fern and Sorrel cover the banks of Redwood  Creek, the drainage for the coastal valley where these magnificent giants live. The flowing brook and lowgrowing flora make fine foregrounds for photographing the ancient Redwoods. The creek is home to native salmon and steelhead, and the forest is home to and supports a wide variety of birds including Spotted Owls and Stellar Jays as well as the diminutive Winter Wren, seldom seen but constantly trilling his beautiful song. This lovely and wild spot has thankfully been protected by the Department of Interior for over a hundred years.

At about the three quarter mile mark some members crossed the creek at Bridge Four and came back on the Hillside Trail. This route reveals a more sunlit microclimate where different kinds of flowers thrive and California Bay Laurel trees lean toward the light. It also affords an alternate view, looking downward onto the valley floor through the thick forest. Continuing on, the Hillside Trail hooks back up with the Main Trail at Bridge Two. From there it is a short walk to the entrance. Total distance traveled: maybe two miles. Experience gained: incalculable.

The members did well as seen in the PicSix display of early June. From redwoods to laurels, mushrooms to burls, deer to banana slugs, sorrel to ferns and horsetails, the moist valley provides shelter to all. Usually hidden during the day, the forest also hosts skunks, raccoons, owls, bats and Bobcats, all mostly nocturnal. It is a rich preserve in so many ways and only a stone’s throw from the big city. The members finished their work and met at the park café for coffee and conversation under the Redwood canopy. Inevitably, the conversation revolved around photography and the great outdoor experience we all gained because of our fascination with the still image.