Travels in Alaska

<p>Travels in Alaska which John Muir was working on at the time of his death is based on journals Muir wrote during his visits to Alaska in 1879 1880 1881 1890 and 1899. From the moment he embarked from San Francisco in May 1879 off for icy Alaska Muir sensed he was on an extraordinary adventure. Venturing on foot by canoe and dogsled he experienced equal excitement discovering an unfamiliar species of flower bird or tree or the spectacular Glacier Bay -- all of which he conveys with consummate artistry. Here also is a record of such harrowing experiences as rescuing his companion while the two hung over a thousand-foot precipice and narrowly escaping. death between grinding walls of glacial ice. Travels in Alaska culminates with Muir's vivid description of the supreme serene supernal beauty of Alaskan auroras observed during his penultimate trip in 1890. Men like Muir (Robert Marshall was another) continue for us the spiritual reclamation of North America. At their keenest they evoke for us something of the freshness of an hour and a day when before the intervention of culture men saw the world for the first time as something wonderful and new. - John Haines from his Foreword</p><p> </p><p>About the author:</p><p><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>John Muir (21 April 1838 - 24 December 1914) was a </span>Scottish<span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>-born </span>American<span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)> </span>naturalist<span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)> author and early advocate of preservation of United States (US) </span>wilderness<span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>. His letters essays and books telling of his adventures in nature especially in the </span>Sierra Nevada mountains<span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)> of </span>California<span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)> have been read by millions. His activism helped to save the </span>Yosemite Valley<span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)> </span>Sequoia National Park<span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)> and other wilderness areas. The </span>Sierra Club<span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)> which he founded is now one of the most important conservation organizations in the United States. One of the most well-known hiking trails in the US the 211-mile </span>John Muir Trail<span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)> was named in his honor. Other places named in his honor are </span>Muir Woods National Monument<span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)> </span>Muir Beach<span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)> and </span>Muir Glacier<span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>.</span></p><p><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)> </span></p><p><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>In his later life Muir devoted most of his time to the preservation of the Western forests. He petitioned the </span>U.S. Congress<span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)> for the National Park Bill that was passed in 1899 establishing both Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks. It was due to the spiritual quality and enthusiasm toward nature which he expressed in his writings that he was able to inspire his readers including presidents and congressmen to take action to help preserve large nature areas. </span></p><p><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)> </span></p><p><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>Muir's biographer </span>Steven Holmes<span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)> states that Muir has become one of the patron saints of twentieth-century American environmental activity both political and recreational. ...</span></p>