John Muir was born in Ireland and emigrated to the united States with his father and the rest of his family early in his life. Sometime in his life after visiting some tropical location he contracted malaria and almost lost his eyesight. After making a full recovery it was apparent that the tropics were no longer in his future and he made his way west where he discovered the Sierra Nevada. I don't know if any one man's love for any geographic location has ever or ever will rival what John fealt for the Sierra.
Muir was a certified back country gangster. Often times he would head off into the wilderness with only a little bread and meat, covering miles of wilderness on foot with seemingly little regard for his safety or health. To really grasp how insanely captivated by these mountains it really helps if the reader has some familiarity with the "range of light". Clinging to a granite rock face that forms a two hundred foot tall waterfall with thousands of gallons of water pouring over the ledge and spilling into oblivion is described by Muir in his book. He also writes of climbing a hundred foot tall pine tree in the middle of a strong sierra storm, with the tree top swaying thirty or more feet with each gust.
Luckily for us, Muir was implored to write of his adventures and discoveries, and later became one of the first real environmental stewards of this country. All of his books are great collections of stories and information from his extensive time spent in the mountains, drawing from experiences all over the Sierra Nevada and even early trips to Alaska.
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