John Muir

John Muir (1838–1914) ranks among America's most important and influential naturalists, and he is closely associated with Yosemite National Park. He wrote magazine articles that encouraged its foundation, assisted in drawing its boundaries, and co-founded the Sierra Club to ensure its protection. Muir explored virtually every inch of Yosemite, which he called "nature's landscape garden, at once beautiful and sublime," and made detailed studies of its geology, plants, and animals. This volume of classic nature writing reflects the extent of the beloved conservationist's intimate connection with the region and his appreciation of its majestic landscapes. Muir's lyrical celebrations of natural wonders range far afield, from rivers, lakes, and waterfalls to serene forests and meadows, rugged canyons, and snowy mountain peaks. An essential companion for park visitors, The Yosemite exudes an almost mystical love for natural beauty and the spiritual power of wilderness areas.

The Yosemite

😭 i have a strong urge to become a dirtbag

tianna

"But where do you want to go?" asked the man to whom I had applied for this important information. "To any place that is wild," I said.

It was the most divinely beautiful mass of rejoicing yellow light I ever beheld-one of Nature's precious gifts that perchance may come to us but once in a lifetime. 

The falls, too, are quiet; no wind stirs, and the whole Valley floor is a mosaic of greens and purples, yellows and reds. Even the rocks seem strangely soft and mellow, as if they, too, had ripened. 

screeching with anticipation and yearning

It appears, therefore, that Hetch Hetchy Valley, far from being a plain, common, rock-bound meadow, as many who have not seen it seem to suppose, is a grand landscape garden, one of Nature's rarest and most precious mountain temples. 

These temple destroyers, devotees of ravaging commercial- ism, seem to have a perfect contempt for Nature, and, instead of lifting their eyes to the God of the mountains, lift them to the Almighty Dollar.

The Yosemite quotes

Join the club