The Annual Celebration of John Muir’s B-Day and Earth Day!

“Geological studies and theories
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Muir

John Muir in 1907 Pursuit of his love of science, especially geology, often occupied his free time. Muir soon became convinced that glaciers had sculpted many of the features of the valley and surrounding area. This notion was in stark contradiction to the accepted contemporary theory, promulgated by Josiah Whitney (head of the California Geological Survey), which attributed the formation of the valley to a catastrophic earthquake. As Muir's ideas spread, Whitney would try to discredit Muir by branding him as an amateur. But Louis Agassiz, the premier geologist of the day, saw merit in Muir's ideas, and lauded him as "the first man I have ever found who has any adequate conception of glacial action."[19]

In 1871, Muir discovered an active alpine glacier below Merced Peak, which helped his theories gain acceptance. He was a highly productive writer and had many of his accounts and papers published as far away as New York. Muir's former professor at the University of Wisconsin, Ezra Carr, and his wife Jeanne, encouraged Muir to put his ideas into print. They also introduced Muir to notables such as Emerson, as well as leading scientists such as Louis Agassiz, John Tyndall, John Torrey, Clinton Hart Merriam, and Joseph LeConte. [citation needed]”

A large earthquake centered near Lone Pine, California in Owens Valley (see 1872 Lone Pine earthquake) strongly shook occupants of Yosemite Valley in March 1872. The quake woke Muir in the early morning and he ran out of his cabin "both glad and frightened," exclaiming, "A noble earthquake!" Other valley settlers, who believed Whitney's ideas, feared that the quake was a prelude to a cataclysmic deepening of the valley. Muir had no such fear and promptly made a moonlit survey of new talus piles created by earthquake-triggered rockslides. This event led more people to believe in Muir's ideas about the formation of the valley.[citation needed]”

"John Muir (1838-1914) was America's most famous and influential naturalist and conservationist. He is one of California's most important historical personalities. He has been called "The Father of our National Parks," "Wilderness Prophet," and "Citizen of the Universe." He once described himself more humorously, and perhaps most accurately, as, a "poetico-trampo-geologist-botanist and ornithologist-naturalist etc. etc. !!!!" Legendary librarian and author Lawrence Clark Powell (1906-2001), (anticipating an event that was not to occur until 2006), said of him: "If I were to choose a single Californian to occupy the Hall of Fame, it would be this tenacious Scot who became a Californian during the final forty-six years of his life." "

"John Muir made the first ascent of 13,300-foot Mount Ritter in October of 1872. As is clear from his report, the summit posed no small challenge. "After gaining a point about half-way to the top, I was brought to a dead stop, with arms outspread, clinging close to the face of the rock, unable to move hand or foot either up or down. My doom appeared fixed. I must fall. ... When this final danger flashed in upon me, I became nerve-shaken for the first time since setting foot on the mountain, and my mind seemed to fill with a stifling smoke. But the terrible eclipse lasted only a moment, when life burst forth again with preternatural clearness. ... Then my trembling muscles became firm again, every rift and flaw was seen as through a microscope, and my limbs moved with a positiveness and precision with which I seemed to have nothing at all to do."

"In God's wildness lies the hope of the world - the great fresh unblighted, unredeemed wilderness. The galling harness of civilization drops off, and wounds heal ere we are aware." — from John of the Mountains (1938)

John Muir on the Summit of Mt. Rainer:

http://content.lib.washington.edu/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/warner&CISOPTR=595

Transcribed from "John Muir's Ascent of Mt. Rainier"
(As recorded by his photographer, A.C. Warner). (1956, December 28). The Mountaineer 50 (1), 38-45.

http://content.lib.washington.edu/warnerweb/essay.html

128523 Johnmuir is a main belt asteroid with an orbital period of 1363.9459897 days (3.73 years).[1]

The asteroid was discovered on August 11, 2004.

John Muir has certainly become a legend, but let's not be too hasty to build a cult of idolatry. After all, he wasn't the President of the Galaxy!

And, klimmer... I've always wondered that if Muir hadn't had such a puritanical father, would he have invested so much time memorizing the Bible? Indeed, Father believed that "...the Bible is the only book human beings can possibly require throughout all the journey from earth to heaven." After dinner and "family worship", everyone was ordered straight to bed in that bleak household. Only after striking a deal with the old man, was John allowed to get up (as much as five hours earlier) to resume the lessons he had been be denied since leaving Dunbar, Scotland. John did become a polymath and trained scientist, after all. HIs beliefs may not have been what you imagine. (I'd caution against reading too much fundamentist Christianity into his more fundamental belief in natural philosophy.)

Here are a few books on this topic . . .

God's Wilds: John Muir's Vision of Nature (Environmental History Series) (Hardcover)by Dennis C. Williams
http://www.amazon.com/Gods-Wilds-Vision-Environmental-History/dp/1585441430/ref=wl_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=I29LJ8A404UUO8&colid=2GL3DFQ4AXH2G

Baptized into Wilderness: A Christian Perspective on John Muir (Environmental Theology, Book 1) (Paperback) by Richard Cartwright Austin
http://www.amazon.com/Baptized-into-Wilderness-Perspective-Environmental/dp/0804208697/ref=wl_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=I2VQ8ZGL3KQIS5&colid=2GL3DFQ4AXH2G

The Gospel According to the Earth: Why the Good Book is a Green Book
by Matthew Sleeth
http://www.amazon.com/Gospel-According-Earth-Good-Green/dp/006173053X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1271914077&sr=1-1

http://www.sierraclub.org/john_muir_exhibit/john_muir_national_historic_site/most_often_asked_questions.html

14. Was John Muir a draft dodger during the Civil War?
No, we do not feel that he was because he often wrote home to see if he had been drafted. However, he would not volunteer. "War is the farthest reaching and most infernal of all civilized calamities." This was his feeling about the Civil War in America for which he refused to volunteer.
( Son of the Wilderness , pg 17, 68, 90; John Muir and His Legacy , Fox, pg 42, 43 )