My First Summer in the Sierra

"My First Summer in the Sierra," a classic written by John Muir, relates his experiences as part of a crew of shepherds enlisted to drive a flock of 2500 sheep to Yosemite National Park at the headwaters of the Merced River. Muir's account, which covered an experience that took place in 1869 but wasn't published until 1911, inspired many to visit the Yosemite region and also became a classic of environmentalist literature. Easier to read than Henry David Thoreau's "Walden," "My First...
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"My First Summer in the Sierra," a classic written by John Muir, relates his experiences as part of a crew of shepherds enlisted to drive a flock of 2500 sheep to Yosemite National Park at the headwaters of the Merced River. Muir's account, which covered an experience that took place in 1869 but wasn't published until 1911, inspired many to visit the Yosemite region and also became a classic of environmentalist literature. Easier to read than Henry David Thoreau's "Walden," "My First Summer in the Sierra" offers a humble, gentle, yet optimistic criticism of the path much of society takes. In the words of Muir, "it is easier to feel than to realize, or in any way explain, Yosemite grandeur." As a naturalist, Muir focused on the Sierra: the trees, flowers, brush, insects, lizards, bears, dear, dogs, humans, and on the rocks, mountains, and waterfalls. The only mad rushes in "My First Summer in the Sierra" are those of the sheep in and out of streams. Fascinated by the beauty of nature, Muir had little use for sheep, shepherds, or even the money shepherding brought. Comfortable on the mountains and under the stars, John Muir felt truly blessed by his experiences in the Sierra wilderness and Yosemite. Because he knew how much money he needed to live well, Muir considered himself wealthier than Edward H. Harriman, the railroad magnate, who Muir enlisted to help create the national parks. Today, there is still much we can learn from John Muir and "My First Summer in the Sierra."