Analysis Of John Muir's ' The Solitude Of Now '

When I crossed by the snow covered sign that read “Welcome to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness National Park” and looked at what surrounded me, I was beside myself. I didn’t know that trees could ever be so beautiful. The towering trees were the perfect shade of dark emerald green, and the way the snow piled on them looked like painting. I thought I was living a fairytale. It was the most beautiful sight I have ever laid eyes on.

“Even staid, prissy Thoreau, who famously declared that it was enough to have “traveled a good deal in concord” felt compelled to visit the more fearsome wilds of nineteenth- century Maine and climb Mt. Katahdin. His ascent of the peak’s “savage and awful, though beautiful” ramparts shocked and frightened him, but it also induced a giddy sort of awe. The disquietude he felt on Katahdin’s granite heights inspired some of his most powerful writing and profoundly colored the way he thought thereafter about the earth in its coarse, undomesticated state. Unlike Muir and Thoreau, McCandless went into the wilderness not primarily to ponder nature or the world at large but, rather, to explore the inner country of his own soul. He soon discovered, however,

Topic Sentence: Out of all the beautiful flowers, different places and trips John Muir has experienced, his most favorite expedition was the Calypso Borealis.

In Wallace Stegner’s “Wilderness Letter,” he is arguing that the countries wilderness and forests need to be saved. For a person to become whole, Stegner argues that the mere idea of the wild and the forests are to thank. The wilderness needs to be saved for the sake of the idea. He insinuates that anyone in America can just think of Old faithful, Mt. Rainier, or any other spectacular landform, even if they have not visited there, and brought to a calm. These thoughts he argues are what makes us as people whole.

It was John Muir one of the first advocates for the national park idea who developed the idea and also scientific theory that Yosemite Valley had been carved by glaciers. Muir was a very spiritual person coming from a religious family in which his father was a itinerant Presbyterian minister. John Muir had such a huge love and appreciation for nature, and being the religious man that he was he believed that “God is revealed

At Yosemite National Park I got a chance to truly experience the nature and wildlife around me. The Merced River ran through the valley, and I could hear the sound of the rushing water from far away. I could hear the whistle of the wind and the birds chirping from high up in the trees. The vivid colors of the flowers there were incredible. On top of Pride Rock, there was a splendid view of famous landmarks including the Half Dome. From OMG Point the view of the valley below was absolutely breathtaking. --Some plants and trees had a nice scent to them.-- The Jeffrey Pine tree had a pleasant aroma of vanilla. I also got a chance to smell the fresh scent of earth when rain was falling on the last but one day of the trip. --We got to taste the leaves

Muir was captivated by nature at an early age and he traveled to explore the environment. An early memory of a walk was with his grandfather. Muir heard a sound and “dug into the haystack until he uncovered a mother field mouse with half-dozen tiny babies clinging to her teats. In that moment the wondrous world of nature began to open for Johnnie Muir.” Ever since that walk with his grandfather, John Muir was

Muir believed that the stunning beauty of the Yosemite valley deserved to be protected so that people from all around the world could view. From the first time Muir saw the Sierra Nevadas he regarded them very highly, “a landscape was displayed that after all my wanderings still appears as the most beautiful I have ever beheld. At my feet lay the Great Central Valley of California” (Muir 2). Muir goes further in detail as to why it was the most beautiful sight he had ever seen, “Along the top and extending a good way down, was a rich pearl-gray belt of snow; below it a belt of blue and dark purple, marking the extension of the forests… from the blue sky to the yellow valley smoothly blending as they do in a rainbow, making a wall of light ineffably fine. Then it seemed to me that the Sierra should be called, not the Nevada or Snowy Range, but the Range of Light” (Muir 2 and 3). This beauty that Muir describes in his book The Yosemite was one of the major contributors to his founding of the Yosemite valley as a national park (Muir 1-3).

Attending college, beginning a career, starting a family, and ultimately getting trapped in a daily routine are components in life that many see no means of escape. The lure of living off the grid with no responsibilities or connections to adult life are attractive but unattainable to most people. The experiences of Chris McCandless chronicled in Jon Krakauer’s book, Into the Wild, mystify the nation, along with many of the people he meets during his journey. From stories of those who meet McCandless along the way, people were able to put the pieces together and make a few assumptions for the reason he chooses to go into the wild. Individualism, living a minimalistic life, nonconformity, going into nature, and trusting oneself are fundamental Transcendentalist principles that McCandless also exemplifies. Two well-known proponents of the Transcendental movement, writers Henry Thoreau and Ralph Emerson, also have a strong connection to nature, that are also shown in Chris McCandless’s journey. This connection with nature requires someone to go into nature to clear the mind of meaningless things, and to open up their consciousness to what nature has to offer them. In doing so, a bond with their surroundings that has a direct impact on their well being and mental wellness. Chris McCandless, as described by Jon Krakauer’s Into the Wild, demonstrates becoming one with nature through nature’s impact on his well being and mental health.

First and foremost a researcher of the environment, Muir believed that by spending time in nature, he could more deeply understand the earth and all of the knowledge it has to offer. During one of his numerous expeditions in the Yosemite Valley in 1869, Muir remarks that “…these lawless wanderings will be valuable as suggestive beginnings… if I should return to the awkward rules & laws of civilization & be buried as a strand into the thick of society.” He knows that if he returns to civilization, his excursions will be no more than beginnings of research that will serve no real purpose. He further comments that, “These sweet free roamings be as little chinks & seams on life’s horizon whence I may obtain narrow glimpses of the treasures of the Kingdoms of Nature beyond.” Just as the horizon blocks out sunlight, Muir argues that civilization blocks out the opportunity to discover

The first time I every experience the Wildcat Hills was during a difficult time in my life. My parents were going through a custody battle over my siblings and me. They were also both in the process of being remarried. So, when my step father brought us to the Wildcats to explore for the first time I realized how amazing our earth can be. Here in the county known for the Scotts Bluff National Monument, sits over 1,000 acres of land. It wasn’t just the sight at the top of the escarpment that took my breath away. It was the fact that whether you were at the bottom of the hills or the top, when the wind blew that’s all you can hear. It isn’t overwhelming, it is

     Often times Abbey tries to appeal to our emotions through connotation and metaphors by creating a picture perfect image of what Glen Canyons used to be like with its varied flora and fauna and beautiful landscape. Unfortunately this attempt is flawed because anyone who has ever been to Lake Powell or seen pictures knows that it is equally as beautiful as and maybe even more so than the common river and surrounding landscape scene.

In our society, we have our ideals set on the values of Yosemite National Park as gateway to explore nature. As Yosemite is a tourist attraction, its breathtaking scenery is one of the marvels that brings people together. As others have seen or heard of Yosemite, only a few can personify and connect with its elements. Yosemite is home to the Ahwahneechee tribe as they live religiously and spiritually.

When my dad first talked to me about Yosemite, he described it as “the most epic place on earth.” I thought it would be pretty, but I never predicted how unreal it would actually be. My experience there was one I can never fully put into words. It was liberating, refreshing, and calming. I felt like a light inside of me had been lit again.

There is a place in the woods of Shepherd's Fold Ranch; it is a special place, a place where a visitor can go to feel closer to God and His creation. The contrast between the loud campsites and the forest devoid of human voices gives the place a peaceful atmosphere. To get there, a camper must first climb a short hike of about ten minutes through the forest, which is filled with the sounds of robins, cardinals, and other birds having conversations above. The trail is not steep, nor is the hike strenuous, and one can relax and enjoy the scenery while walking. After rounding several bends, the climber will eventually reach a large, rocky clearing. In