In the summer of 1869, John Muir made his first long trip to Yosemite.
When a friend offered him the chance to accompany his flock of sheep and a shepherd to the high pastures of the Sierra, it was an opportunity Muir could not resist.
Setting out from the foothills near the Tuolumne River, Muir welcomed every excursion that carried him deeper into the wilderness. The expedition moved by slow stages through the lower forest belts toward the higher granite country.
Between camp duties, Muir filled his notebook with meticulous studies of towering sugar pines, Douglas squirrels, and glacier-sculpted domes. The trail led him along the sheer brink of Yosemite Falls and across the rugged pass of Bloody Cañon to Mono Lake.
My First Summer in the Sierra is the journal he kept of those summer days, of the wildlife and plant life, and of his explorations into the magical places of the mountains.
- Natural History: Muir records intimate observations of the region’s fauna, from the aquatic diving of the little water ouzel to an unforgettable standoff with a five-hundred-pound cinnamon bear.
- Travel Adventure: Daily life with the sheep herd brings rugged backcountry hazards, including midnight bear raids on the corral, a severe bread famine, and treacherous crossings over rushing glacial streams.
- American West: Accompanied by a faithful St. Bernard named Carlo, Muir explores untouched terrain alongside Indian shepherds, miners, and native inhabitants during California’s post-Gold Rush era.
- Also by This Author: Travels in Alaska and A Thousand-Mile Walk to the Gulf.
