February tent camping in Muir Woods. People signed up knowing it would be chilly and wet. They showed up anyway—rain boots, tent heaters, and all. That's when we knew we had something special.
We walked down to Muir Woods with our necks craned the whole time, those impossibly tall redwoods stretching up and up, the creek running alongside us. Then suddenly: ladybugs. Thousands of them in migration season, covering everything. Our kids just stood there mesmerized, trying to count them, letting them crawl on their hands.
Warm lunch at the Visitor Center before looping back, and that's when the kids took over—running ahead, older teens watching the younger ones, parents trailing behind and letting them lead. Our kids owned that trail, feeling empowered, claiming it as theirs. We camped at the only site in Muir Woods, tucked under those ancient trees. Cold? Yes. A little wet? Yes. But we had heaters and each other and woke up grateful we came.
Our first winter tent camping trip. Chilly, wet, absolutely perfect. We showed up. We stayed. Leave anyway.