Journal for Muir (Tahoe- E.C.)

Francesca Cricchio
Journal for Muir
English 48
March, 2011

“So here’s what reading John Muir for the first time had taught me: that you can start over again. Repeatedly. Season after season, year after year. Even decade after decade.” (145)

“As a wilderness explorer, he is renowned for his exciting adventures in California's Sierra Nevada, among Alaska's glaciers, and world wide travels in search of nature's beauty. As a writer, he taught the people of his time and ours the importance of experiencing and protecting our natural heritage. His writings contributed greatly to the creation of Yosemite, Sequoia, Mount Rainier, Petrified Forest, and Grand Canyon National Parks.” (Bio of Muir from Sierra Club. org)

The Chapter “John Muir” from Tahoe Beneath the Surface talks about John Muir, a man who fell madly in love with Tahoe. His love for Tahoe, and nature itself, was evident in his literature, and when Tahoe faced destruction, Muir himself felt emotional breakdowns as described in Tahoe- “Muir’s normally voluminous daily journal entries shrank to the size of a few broken, spare, brittle sentences” (149). This lack of passion came as a result of the destruction of flatland across Tahoe. The chapter discusses his tireless effort to preserve Tahoe’s natural environment, and the overall achievements in Muir’s lifetime.

After reading this chapter I understood how Muir could be know for his regional writing. It is clear how much he loved Tahoe, and this love is evident in his work. “This grand show is eternal. It is always sunrise somewhere; the dew is never all dried at once; a shower is forever falling; vapor is ever rising. Eternal sunrise, eternal sunset, eternal dawn and gloaming, on sea and continents and islands, each in its turn, as the round Earth rolls” (145). This everlasting sunrise and sunset and eternalness with nature is a direct transference to Muir’s everlasting passion for Tahoe and nature. When you read his work, you can feel his emotional pull to the land. Such a strong influence, Tahoe became the core of Muir, and thanks to his valiant efforts, we have national parks that have survived capitalism to this very day.