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Travels In Alaska: John Muir's Classic Adventures―Spine-Tingling Encounters with Arctic Nature and Glaciers
John Muir first saw Alaska in 1879, only twelve years after it was purchased from Russia by the United States. Four more times, in 1880, 1881, 1890, and 1899, he was drawn back to this land of rivers and glaciers, sunsets and northern lights, campfires and Arctic stars. Few people have lived so many adventures, yet Muir was not a mere collector of adventure; the hazards he encountered - and many were spine-tingling - came as a result of his intense desire to examine new aspects of the natural world.
368 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1915
About the author
John Muir
660 books1,491 followersJohn Muir was far more than a naturalist; he was a secular prophet who translated the rugged language of the wilderness into a spiritual calling that saved the American soul from total surrender to materialism. Born in 1838 in the coastal town of Dunbar, Scotland, Muir’s childhood was a blend of seaside wanderings and a brutal religious upbringing. His father, Daniel Muir, was a man of uncompromising faith who forced John to memorize the New Testament and most of the Old Testament by age eleven. When the family immigrated to the frontier of Wisconsin in 1849, this iron-fisted discipline continued on their farm. However, for the young Muir, the "Book of Nature" began to rival the Bible. He saw the divine not just in scripture, but in the black locust trees and the sun-drenched meadows of the midwest.
The pivotal moment of Muir’s life occurred in 1867 while working at a wagon wheel factory in Indianapolis. A tool slipped, piercing his cornea and leaving him temporarily blind in both eyes. Confined to a darkened room for six weeks, Muir faced the terrifying prospect of a life without light. When his sight miraculously returned, he emerged with a clarity of purpose that would change the course of American history. He famously wrote, "This affliction has driven me to the sweet fields. God has to nearly kill us sometimes, to teach us lessons." He immediately set out on a 1,000-mile walk to the Gulf of Mexico, beginning a lifelong odyssey of exploration.
Muir eventually found his "true home" in California’s Sierra Nevada. To Muir, the mountains were not mere piles of rock, but "the range of light." He spent years as a shepherd and guide in Yosemite, living a life of extreme simplicity—often traveling with nothing but a tin cup, a crust of bread, and a volume of Emerson’s essays. His scientific contributions were equally profound; he defied the leading geologists of the day by proving that the Yosemite Valley was carved by ancient glaciers. While the state geologist, Josiah Whitney, dismissed him as a mere "shepherd," the world’s leading glaciologists eventually recognized Muir’s genius.
His transition from explorer to activist was born of necessity. Seeing the "hoofed locusts"—domestic sheep—devouring the high mountain meadows, Muir took up his pen. His landmark articles in The Century Magazine and his 1903 camping trip with President Theodore Roosevelt became the catalysts for the modern conservation movement. Under the stars at Glacier Point, Muir convinced the President that the wilderness required federal protection. This meeting laid the groundwork for the expansion of the National Park system and the eventual return of Yosemite Valley to federal control.
As the co-founder and first president of the Sierra Club, Muir spent his final years in a fierce philosophical battle with Gifford Pinchot. While Pinchot argued for "conservation" (the sustainable use of resources), Muir championed "preservation" (the protection of nature for its own sake). Though he lost the battle to save the Hetch Hetchy Valley from being dammed, the heartbreak of that loss galvanized the American public, ensuring that future "cathedrals of nature" would remain inviolate. John Muir died in 1914, but his voice remains ubiquitous, reminding us that "into the woods we go, to lose our minds and find our souls."
The pivotal moment of Muir’s life occurred in 1867 while working at a wagon wheel factory in Indianapolis. A tool slipped, piercing his cornea and leaving him temporarily blind in both eyes. Confined to a darkened room for six weeks, Muir faced the terrifying prospect of a life without light. When his sight miraculously returned, he emerged with a clarity of purpose that would change the course of American history. He famously wrote, "This affliction has driven me to the sweet fields. God has to nearly kill us sometimes, to teach us lessons." He immediately set out on a 1,000-mile walk to the Gulf of Mexico, beginning a lifelong odyssey of exploration.
Muir eventually found his "true home" in California’s Sierra Nevada. To Muir, the mountains were not mere piles of rock, but "the range of light." He spent years as a shepherd and guide in Yosemite, living a life of extreme simplicity—often traveling with nothing but a tin cup, a crust of bread, and a volume of Emerson’s essays. His scientific contributions were equally profound; he defied the leading geologists of the day by proving that the Yosemite Valley was carved by ancient glaciers. While the state geologist, Josiah Whitney, dismissed him as a mere "shepherd," the world’s leading glaciologists eventually recognized Muir’s genius.
His transition from explorer to activist was born of necessity. Seeing the "hoofed locusts"—domestic sheep—devouring the high mountain meadows, Muir took up his pen. His landmark articles in The Century Magazine and his 1903 camping trip with President Theodore Roosevelt became the catalysts for the modern conservation movement. Under the stars at Glacier Point, Muir convinced the President that the wilderness required federal protection. This meeting laid the groundwork for the expansion of the National Park system and the eventual return of Yosemite Valley to federal control.
As the co-founder and first president of the Sierra Club, Muir spent his final years in a fierce philosophical battle with Gifford Pinchot. While Pinchot argued for "conservation" (the sustainable use of resources), Muir championed "preservation" (the protection of nature for its own sake). Though he lost the battle to save the Hetch Hetchy Valley from being dammed, the heartbreak of that loss galvanized the American public, ensuring that future "cathedrals of nature" would remain inviolate. John Muir died in 1914, but his voice remains ubiquitous, reminding us that "into the woods we go, to lose our minds and find our souls."
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December 21, 2018
In my year of reading Canada and Alaska, nobody has written as eloquently about glaciers as John Muir. His reverence for the natural world and his fearlessness in exploring it shines through in Travels in Alaska, the book he was writing when he died in 1915. I spent some time comparing his photos to present day and some of his observed glaciers from the 1870s-1890s are only rivers now.
Considering the era it must be said that his descriptions of the native populations are at times somewhat horrifying. He travels with missionaries because they have preexisting relationships with the indigenous people and better trekking gear, but he makes some side comments about how he is spreading the gospel of glaciers. He also titles a chapter "Discovering Glacier Bay" which, I mean come on, he didn't discover it, he was led there by local guides. .
But this is a classic for a reason. I bought it in Alaska at an indie bookstore and that made my armchair return to that place even more special.
Considering the era it must be said that his descriptions of the native populations are at times somewhat horrifying. He travels with missionaries because they have preexisting relationships with the indigenous people and better trekking gear, but he makes some side comments about how he is spreading the gospel of glaciers. He also titles a chapter "Discovering Glacier Bay" which, I mean come on, he didn't discover it, he was led there by local guides. .
But this is a classic for a reason. I bought it in Alaska at an indie bookstore and that made my armchair return to that place even more special.
December 6, 2014
A little embarrassed to say this is the first of Muir's books I've read. After all, this is a man with plants, animals, mountains, a glacier, trails, a wilderness, and a forest named after him, is the founder of the Sierra Club, and a true original. He is part of, arguably the father of, an era when environmentalism was innocent love of nature.
To share his pure joy of being in the Alaskan bush is more than worth the effort of working through his archaic style. The anecdotes of what he experienced are an added bonus: "Then a box was brought from some corner and opened. It seemed to be full of tallow or butter. A sharp stick was thrust into it, and a lump of something five or six inches long, three or four wide, and an inch thick was dug up, which proved to be a section of the back fat of a deer, preserved in fish oil and seasoned with boiled spruce and other spicy roots...I was unable to taste it even for manners' sake." And: "While we were yet half a mile or more away, we heard sounds I had never before heard--a storm of strange howls, yells, and screams rising from a base of gasping, bellowing grunts and groans...Our guides quietly recognized this awful sound, if such stuff could be called sound, simply as the 'whiskey howl'...the whole village was afire with bad whiskey. This was the first time in my life that I learned the meaning of the phrase 'a howling drunk.'"
If you don't try taking this all at once, but dip into it occasionally, you'll enjoy discovering a sense of who John Muir was as well as his descriptions of the vast natural wonders of Alaska.
To share his pure joy of being in the Alaskan bush is more than worth the effort of working through his archaic style. The anecdotes of what he experienced are an added bonus: "Then a box was brought from some corner and opened. It seemed to be full of tallow or butter. A sharp stick was thrust into it, and a lump of something five or six inches long, three or four wide, and an inch thick was dug up, which proved to be a section of the back fat of a deer, preserved in fish oil and seasoned with boiled spruce and other spicy roots...I was unable to taste it even for manners' sake." And: "While we were yet half a mile or more away, we heard sounds I had never before heard--a storm of strange howls, yells, and screams rising from a base of gasping, bellowing grunts and groans...Our guides quietly recognized this awful sound, if such stuff could be called sound, simply as the 'whiskey howl'...the whole village was afire with bad whiskey. This was the first time in my life that I learned the meaning of the phrase 'a howling drunk.'"
If you don't try taking this all at once, but dip into it occasionally, you'll enjoy discovering a sense of who John Muir was as well as his descriptions of the vast natural wonders of Alaska.
March 21, 2016
I thought I would completely enjoy this book, but I didn't.........at all. This was a little on the painful side to get through. Primarily, it dealt with what Alaska looks like which isn't the detail I enjoy reading. I grew up in Alaska, so I'm already well acquainted with what it looks like. I wanted something a little more personable and a little less factual.
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August 2, 2013GOING TO ALASKA BYE GUYS
July 28, 2014
Even today Alaska is one of the few unspoilt wildernesses in the world. This vast part of America still has glaciers, bears, eagles and wolves, and still has the capability of filling people with awe at the scenery. In the late nineteenth century, John Muir made a number of trips to Alaska. At this point the land was barely explored, and was relatively untouched. Travelling by boat to a variety of places to camp, from there he climbs high onto the pristine glaciers.
We read of his encounters with the locals as well, Indian clans who forged an existence from this harsh and unforgiving environment. They people welcomed him into their villages and as acted as guides on some of his more adventurous walks too.
The writing is lyrical and elegant, along with his descriptions of the scenery, the long fjords, the forests, the glaciers and the moraines are beautiful making this an enjoyable read. But in lots of ways this is a time capsule, taking us back to a time and a landscape that we are unlikely to see with the way that climate change is going.
We read of his encounters with the locals as well, Indian clans who forged an existence from this harsh and unforgiving environment. They people welcomed him into their villages and as acted as guides on some of his more adventurous walks too.
The writing is lyrical and elegant, along with his descriptions of the scenery, the long fjords, the forests, the glaciers and the moraines are beautiful making this an enjoyable read. But in lots of ways this is a time capsule, taking us back to a time and a landscape that we are unlikely to see with the way that climate change is going.
September 23, 2015
John Muir is amazing. He's like a nature-based superhero. Hiking for days with no food other than a pocketful of grain? Fun! Falling into glacial crevasses? Sure! Fending off hypothermia by doing jumping jacks all night? Of course! Snow blindness? Bring it on! And he does it all with a smile and an eagerness to do it all again tomorrow.
Reading this book was delightful and exhausting. Muir's descriptions of the Alaskan scenery and surroundings were wonderful and exuberant. He used "Yosemitic" as an adjective to describe scenery he loved--and I loved him for doing it. His adventures would sound overwhelmingly stressful if told by anyone else, but he talks about them with joy and energy. He expresses some concern for his wellbeing at times, but is sustained by the love he feels for his majestic surroundings.
This book was a wonderful pick-me-up. It is more of a series of stories about his adventures, rather than one overarching narrative, so you could easily read it in parts and chunks and still feel his amazing energy and joy.
Reading this book was delightful and exhausting. Muir's descriptions of the Alaskan scenery and surroundings were wonderful and exuberant. He used "Yosemitic" as an adjective to describe scenery he loved--and I loved him for doing it. His adventures would sound overwhelmingly stressful if told by anyone else, but he talks about them with joy and energy. He expresses some concern for his wellbeing at times, but is sustained by the love he feels for his majestic surroundings.
This book was a wonderful pick-me-up. It is more of a series of stories about his adventures, rather than one overarching narrative, so you could easily read it in parts and chunks and still feel his amazing energy and joy.
September 8, 2018
Extremely pompous and repetitive in the constant romanticization of nature. I guess I can forgive him because (1) Herzog wasn't born yet, and (2) he had already foreseen that humans were destroying the environment.
His adventures are cool though. There are some pretty great ones amidst the never ending descriptions. Like when he almost got buried under ice at night, and then a hour later stretched out on a boulder to watch the northern lights. One can almost see him. Such a fearless optimist. And his descriptions of water are very vivid, and beautiful. Plus this dude could start a fire in the ice.
But damn is he long-winded.
And sometimes disturbing in the way he describes the First People there. If one would speak like that today there’s no other word to describe that beside racist — but I’m always confused on how to read that in context of time. Plus in the next sentence Muir can talk about them with so much awe and admiration. It’s confusing.
I did learn some new words anyway.
Finally, I definitely agree with him that Alaska is incredibly beautiful.
His adventures are cool though. There are some pretty great ones amidst the never ending descriptions. Like when he almost got buried under ice at night, and then a hour later stretched out on a boulder to watch the northern lights. One can almost see him. Such a fearless optimist. And his descriptions of water are very vivid, and beautiful. Plus this dude could start a fire in the ice.
But damn is he long-winded.
And sometimes disturbing in the way he describes the First People there. If one would speak like that today there’s no other word to describe that beside racist — but I’m always confused on how to read that in context of time. Plus in the next sentence Muir can talk about them with so much awe and admiration. It’s confusing.
I did learn some new words anyway.
Finally, I definitely agree with him that Alaska is incredibly beautiful.
May 10, 2022
So much Jesus (SO MUCH JESUS), condescension towards native Americans, and a constant reckless behavior that endangered himself and others which was rather annoying. Always saying that he's lucky/god will keep them safe' which was pretty annoying
February 7, 2025
Beautiful. I am so jealous Muir got to experience an almost untouched , raw, pure Alaska. And if not for the travel dates Muir wrote on each part I would not believe this was written in the late 1800s. It hurt to read about the Natives Muir encountered submissively praising the "white man" for being "smarter" and "better" and teaching them about God because the Natives "were too stupid to know him on their own". I'm glad Muir abstained from forcing christianity on them and respected and admired them.
March 26, 2024
Interesting stuff happeningin Alaska in the 1880s, I liked this.
May 30, 2024
Muir’s reverence for nature is 100% unquestioned as evidenced by the way he describes the landscapes, foliage, geological activity, etc. - coupled with his determination to not let anything stop him from exploring it and experiencing everything it has to offer.
The grit he had in enduring all forms of suffering for the chance of merely experiencing more of the landscape is really inspiring. He literally risked his life (frequently) crossing glacier crevasses, venturing into ice-packed bays and fjords in a flimsy canoe that even the Natives cautioned against - and becoming snow-blind on a multi-day venture onto a massive glacier. All of this for him to then only happily end each day - cold, wet and exhausted - having a cracker and maybe a cup of tea, falling asleep on a rock - only to then excitedly get up the next day and do it all over again.
I really appreciated the poetic language Muir used when describing the natural beauty around him - specifically in the way he often presents nature as sacred.
“…the word of God was being read in these majestic hieroglyphics blazoned along the sky. The earnest, childish wonderment with which this page of Nature’s Bible was contemplated was delightful to see.”
“Not a bush or tree was moving; every leaf seemed hushed in brooding repose. One bird, a thrush, embroidered the silence with cheery notes, making the solitude familiar and sweet, while the solemn monotone of the stream sifting through the woods seemed like the very voice of God, humanized, terrestrialized, and entering one’s heart as to a home prepared for it.”
“Still more impotent are words in telling the peculiar awe one experiences in entering these mansions of the icy North, notwithstanding it is only the natural effect of appreciable manifestations of the presence of God.”
“And here, too, one learns that the world, though made, is yet being made; that this is still the morning of creation; that mountains long conceived are now being born…and plains of other predestined landscapes, to be followed by still others in endless rhythm and beauty.”
The grit he had in enduring all forms of suffering for the chance of merely experiencing more of the landscape is really inspiring. He literally risked his life (frequently) crossing glacier crevasses, venturing into ice-packed bays and fjords in a flimsy canoe that even the Natives cautioned against - and becoming snow-blind on a multi-day venture onto a massive glacier. All of this for him to then only happily end each day - cold, wet and exhausted - having a cracker and maybe a cup of tea, falling asleep on a rock - only to then excitedly get up the next day and do it all over again.
I really appreciated the poetic language Muir used when describing the natural beauty around him - specifically in the way he often presents nature as sacred.
“…the word of God was being read in these majestic hieroglyphics blazoned along the sky. The earnest, childish wonderment with which this page of Nature’s Bible was contemplated was delightful to see.”
“Not a bush or tree was moving; every leaf seemed hushed in brooding repose. One bird, a thrush, embroidered the silence with cheery notes, making the solitude familiar and sweet, while the solemn monotone of the stream sifting through the woods seemed like the very voice of God, humanized, terrestrialized, and entering one’s heart as to a home prepared for it.”
“Still more impotent are words in telling the peculiar awe one experiences in entering these mansions of the icy North, notwithstanding it is only the natural effect of appreciable manifestations of the presence of God.”
“And here, too, one learns that the world, though made, is yet being made; that this is still the morning of creation; that mountains long conceived are now being born…and plains of other predestined landscapes, to be followed by still others in endless rhythm and beauty.”
December 3, 2009
I became aware of John Muir's extensive travels in Alaska while kayaking the Stikine River in 2008. I hadn't realized the founder of the Sierra Club had spent so much time in Southeast Alaska. When Ken Burn's 'National Parks' book/documentary came out last year, it further cemented my desire to dive into Muir's journals about his travels in Alaska. The coup di gras was reading 'The Only Kayak' by Kim Heacox. He further exposed me to Muir's writings that have inspired generations of intrepid adventurers. Heacox also exquisitely defined and represents the ethos that Muir inspired. I really had no choice but to head straight to Tidal Wave and get myself a copy of this book.
I'm glad I did. It isn't a book that you dive into and find yourself unable to put it down, but its definately inspiring. Muir's description of life around Fort Wrangell, and his canoe treks all around Southeast Alaska over a century ago is an incredible window into the history of where I grew up. His descriptions of the Tlingit way of life help me better understand the culture that surrounded my childhood, its deep roots in nature, and the transitions that culture made once exposed to explorers, traders, and missionaries from the outside world. Muir's infatuation and adoration of glaciers led to incredible treks, adventures, and discoveries as he lived out his passion. Its incredible to read his vivid descriptions of the very lands and glaciers that defined my childhood, and to realize how much the land has changed since then. It isn't only the death of an era as global warming consumes these giants as they wash into the sea. Rather, its a rebirth into new life as glaciers recede and new land rises up. Very very fascinating stuff!
In the end, reading his journals leaves me with a very deep appreciation for the geology that has shaped this gorgeous state, and a deeper appreciation for the culture that was here first. In a strange way, it also leaves me with a desire to fulfill my own passions. It might not involve tromping across miles of glaciers and ice slivers, millimeters away from glisading into an icy death with only a bit of tea and hard tack as sustenance. But it certainly calls me to live with more conviction and adventure about my own passions.
I'm glad I did. It isn't a book that you dive into and find yourself unable to put it down, but its definately inspiring. Muir's description of life around Fort Wrangell, and his canoe treks all around Southeast Alaska over a century ago is an incredible window into the history of where I grew up. His descriptions of the Tlingit way of life help me better understand the culture that surrounded my childhood, its deep roots in nature, and the transitions that culture made once exposed to explorers, traders, and missionaries from the outside world. Muir's infatuation and adoration of glaciers led to incredible treks, adventures, and discoveries as he lived out his passion. Its incredible to read his vivid descriptions of the very lands and glaciers that defined my childhood, and to realize how much the land has changed since then. It isn't only the death of an era as global warming consumes these giants as they wash into the sea. Rather, its a rebirth into new life as glaciers recede and new land rises up. Very very fascinating stuff!
In the end, reading his journals leaves me with a very deep appreciation for the geology that has shaped this gorgeous state, and a deeper appreciation for the culture that was here first. In a strange way, it also leaves me with a desire to fulfill my own passions. It might not involve tromping across miles of glaciers and ice slivers, millimeters away from glisading into an icy death with only a bit of tea and hard tack as sustenance. But it certainly calls me to live with more conviction and adventure about my own passions.
January 11, 2019
I've always been drawn to Alaska and spent 14 years following high school living there. Muir write beautifully of the landscape and Native Alaskans. My favorite chapter was that of his glacial adventure with Stickeen. Silly dog should have listened and stayed home but boy did he have a story to tell! For anyone who hasn't yet laid eyes on a glacier, put it on your list. While you don't have to go to Alaska to see glaciers, I highly recommend it!
Me on a day cruise in Prince William Sound to Columbia Glacier circa 2006
Me on a day cruise in Prince William Sound to Columbia Glacier circa 2006
September 13, 2017
Wow! This man could brave anything, I believe! Throughout this short book, Muir walked and hiked and climbed (in some of the worst weather) more terrain than most of us walk in our lives. Muir was preparing this book for publication from his journals when he died, so much of what is in the now-published version would surely have been edited by him had he lived longer. Unfortunately, there were long stretches of the writing that I found less than engaging, though his use of metaphor is well done.
June 3, 2021
thoroughly enjoyable, get a real sense of author's scientific curiosity, exploring the Alaskan glaciers and meeting indigenous people.
interesting perspective on the interactions between commercial interests and church with local population, although Muir did see himself as separate and did give glimpses from indigenous perspective.
mix of awe and scientific adventurousness in face of forces of nature
interesting perspective on the interactions between commercial interests and church with local population, although Muir did see himself as separate and did give glimpses from indigenous perspective.
mix of awe and scientific adventurousness in face of forces of nature
May 22, 2022
A beautifully written book that was nice to pair with traveling through this region. John Muir was nuts though.
May 20, 2026
Muir back at it again with his heroic adventures into galcial alaskan landscapes. His curiosity and drive is contagious. This book has quiet a lot of encounters with native americans and its great to see how things were back then and how they lived. I especially enjoyed knowing about their customs and the instances where two groups had rivalries and would fight each other to death!
October 7, 2024
This book made me want to go to Alaska 100x more than before. Also, I would love to follow in arm John Muir’s steps, but alas, I am not as brave as he is… I cannot believe he pressed on when I would have turned back in so many of his adventures! Still, reading this inspires me to commit even more so to nature and revel in her glory as he has.
November 24, 2019
John Muir was an interesting guy. I think that I would have liked knowing him. He was simple, good, knowledgeable and smart about his ideas for protecting our wilderness. So many books from this time and earlier are filled with horrible racism and disregard for indigenous people. Not Muir. He is respectful of all of the people he encounters and never seems to look down on any of them.
Muir took crazy treks deep into the wilderness with minimal gear. In all of his books he has close calls with serious injury or death. He was so good at wilderness survival that he always managed to come through, but I can't help thinking that he was also very lucky and could have as easily met an untimely end. He definitely did a lot of stuff that is not recommended to emulate, even with modern gear, training and an experienced guide.
Most of this book is about the mountains, forests and glaciers of the Alaska panhandle, an area that I have had the good fortune to visit. I was hoping that it would also cover Denali and the Kenai Peninsula, which are areas that I have not been but would like to visit, but no help from Muir here. I'll have to get other guides to prep me for going to those areas.
Muir took crazy treks deep into the wilderness with minimal gear. In all of his books he has close calls with serious injury or death. He was so good at wilderness survival that he always managed to come through, but I can't help thinking that he was also very lucky and could have as easily met an untimely end. He definitely did a lot of stuff that is not recommended to emulate, even with modern gear, training and an experienced guide.
Most of this book is about the mountains, forests and glaciers of the Alaska panhandle, an area that I have had the good fortune to visit. I was hoping that it would also cover Denali and the Kenai Peninsula, which are areas that I have not been but would like to visit, but no help from Muir here. I'll have to get other guides to prep me for going to those areas.
May 7, 2015
I believe this is my favorite Muir book. It reads like a truly grand adventure combined with observation of nature at its most wild.
December 10, 2018
Another John Muir, and another fantastic book. This time moving away from his much loved locations in the south, and particularly California, Muir recounts several trips he made to Alaska, primarily to view in person the sort of glacial erosion that formed his beloved Yosemite and much of the Sierras where he spent most of his time.
He voyaged to Alaska with Mr Young, a missionary who was seeking to spread the good word to the local savages, indians, or indiginous people, as they may better be termed these days. This leads to some of the most fascinating insights into the times of missionaries and natives, Muir's first hand accounts of the meetings between cultures are a joy to read and offer insights I've never heard before when reading accounts written from a historical perspective.
Muir's tales of adventure delight as ever, I particularly enjoyed his recalling how he found himself out in a storm and decided he wanted to see how the trees would look by firelight - he promptly built a fire, stoked it up to "flames of 30 or 40 feet" and enjoyed the blaze. Meanwhile, 3/4 of a mile away, both the natives and the white men concluded the world was ending or at the very least some wizardry was afoot.
This book also introduces us to the second greatest adventurer of the age, Stickeen, Mr Young's dog, who follows Muir on a walk in a storm that, quite frankly, even for John Muir was ridiculously dangerous. The tale with the little dog was later expanded into a short volume on it's own, and you should read that, also you should read this. Read all the John Muir you can, please.
He voyaged to Alaska with Mr Young, a missionary who was seeking to spread the good word to the local savages, indians, or indiginous people, as they may better be termed these days. This leads to some of the most fascinating insights into the times of missionaries and natives, Muir's first hand accounts of the meetings between cultures are a joy to read and offer insights I've never heard before when reading accounts written from a historical perspective.
Muir's tales of adventure delight as ever, I particularly enjoyed his recalling how he found himself out in a storm and decided he wanted to see how the trees would look by firelight - he promptly built a fire, stoked it up to "flames of 30 or 40 feet" and enjoyed the blaze. Meanwhile, 3/4 of a mile away, both the natives and the white men concluded the world was ending or at the very least some wizardry was afoot.
This book also introduces us to the second greatest adventurer of the age, Stickeen, Mr Young's dog, who follows Muir on a walk in a storm that, quite frankly, even for John Muir was ridiculously dangerous. The tale with the little dog was later expanded into a short volume on it's own, and you should read that, also you should read this. Read all the John Muir you can, please.
July 22, 2025
7.5/10
John Muir easily finds himself on my top 10 Johns all time after this summer. After hiking some of the John Muir trail in Yosemite, I wanted to learn more about him so I picked this up.
In this one he wrote about some incredible adventures into a lot of Alaska that hadn’t been documented before. He would explore solo or with the help of Indians, missionaries, and some cool dogs. I wish it was more story and less factual (he loves him some detailed glaciers) but he was witnessing things a lot of humans hadn’t seen yet so he had to get a buncha detail which is fair.
His appreciation for God and His creation felt so pure, and even opened my heart and eyes a bit more to wonder at this wild world this wild God made.
His writings about his times with Indians and missionaries were interesting for sure. He didn’t like how the missionaries were sort of forcing their religion on the natives, who he knew to be intelligent and aware of spiritual things; yet people in his time claimed natives to be inhuman savages. The missionaries zealousness wasn’t graceful, and they ignored cultural differences. This might lead me on a rabbit trail to learn more about this period of time in America. Just curious if/how things would be different today if colonizers didn’t try to “civilize and Christianize” native Americans. How much more beautiful this land would be? How much more we could learn and know about this land from the folks who lived on it?
Overall this was a fun read but probably wouldn’t hit the same for folks who don’t know a lick ab John Muir or care about nature/history
John Muir easily finds himself on my top 10 Johns all time after this summer. After hiking some of the John Muir trail in Yosemite, I wanted to learn more about him so I picked this up.
In this one he wrote about some incredible adventures into a lot of Alaska that hadn’t been documented before. He would explore solo or with the help of Indians, missionaries, and some cool dogs. I wish it was more story and less factual (he loves him some detailed glaciers) but he was witnessing things a lot of humans hadn’t seen yet so he had to get a buncha detail which is fair.
His appreciation for God and His creation felt so pure, and even opened my heart and eyes a bit more to wonder at this wild world this wild God made.
His writings about his times with Indians and missionaries were interesting for sure. He didn’t like how the missionaries were sort of forcing their religion on the natives, who he knew to be intelligent and aware of spiritual things; yet people in his time claimed natives to be inhuman savages. The missionaries zealousness wasn’t graceful, and they ignored cultural differences. This might lead me on a rabbit trail to learn more about this period of time in America. Just curious if/how things would be different today if colonizers didn’t try to “civilize and Christianize” native Americans. How much more beautiful this land would be? How much more we could learn and know about this land from the folks who lived on it?
Overall this was a fun read but probably wouldn’t hit the same for folks who don’t know a lick ab John Muir or care about nature/history
May 15, 2024
It’s a little embarrassing to admit that I haven’t read John Muir yet, especially since I have such an enjoyment of nature writing. I have always associated Muir with California and the High Sierra and wasn’t as familiar with his experiences traveling in Alaska. In the 1880’s, Muir made several trips to Alaska, exploring the wilderness and the glaciers. HIs writing about the outdoors is spectacular - both evocative and informative. At times you can absolutely picture the landscape as he describes it — and with some of his adventures, i was uneasy for him even though i know he survived to publish his journals. The only distraction in the reading experience was in his descriptions of the Native peoples that he met and relied on during his expeditions. In today’s framework, it seems racist at times — although he clearly has a great admiration for them at the same time.
July 28, 2022
We can thank John Muir and others like him for convincing our countries leaders to protect, preserve, and create our superb national park system.
Today we now are able to enjoy the wonders they experienced in a much easier way.
This book relates Muir's three Alaskan trips over a decade or more and his insatiable curiosity with glaciers in particular. His knowledge of glaciers and their methods of creation of new habitats and shaping our current topography were unprecedented at that time. His detailed description of plant life, intelligence and his flowery prose make this an enjoyable read.
He was a true adventurous and pioneering scientist and admirer of all of nature and it's gifts to mankind.
If you're planning a trip to Glacier Bay, I highly recommend reading this account so you can appreciate your travels and see how much this area has changed since Muir's original explorations.
Today we now are able to enjoy the wonders they experienced in a much easier way.
This book relates Muir's three Alaskan trips over a decade or more and his insatiable curiosity with glaciers in particular. His knowledge of glaciers and their methods of creation of new habitats and shaping our current topography were unprecedented at that time. His detailed description of plant life, intelligence and his flowery prose make this an enjoyable read.
He was a true adventurous and pioneering scientist and admirer of all of nature and it's gifts to mankind.
If you're planning a trip to Glacier Bay, I highly recommend reading this account so you can appreciate your travels and see how much this area has changed since Muir's original explorations.
May 18, 2026
Mr Muir’s writings have been my travelling companion in my own travels to Southeast Alaska, and I was really delighted to discover that we ended up tracing an almost identical path: working our way up from Puget Sound through the “land and water embroidery” of the inside passage to ultimately find ourselves in the graceful fjords of the Lynn Canal. Being immersed in the landscapes that he writes about with such sublime enthusiasm ended up elevating both my experience of this place and the book itself :)
…though it has been very sad to find that many of the glaciers on our path have since faded :(
…though it has been very sad to find that many of the glaciers on our path have since faded :(
June 22, 2018
There are few things more wonderful and enticing than earnest enthusiasm, and John Muir is the poster boy for earnest enthusiasm. I have never read his writing, fearing that it would be self-righteous and scoldy. It is not! His genuine curiosity about and love for the natural world is infectious, and the reckless courage with which he pursues encounters with it is engaging and delightful, as we know with hindsight that he does not meet a tragic end. This book should be required reading while on an Alaskan cruise, as I was while reading it, although the genuinely brave and amazing adventures that Muir has on the glaciers and with the people of southern Alaska make the cruise experience seem even more superficial and inadequate.
January 6, 2019
The more books by John Muir I read, the more I come to realize that beneath his humble demeanour also lies a streak of bravado which he carefully covers up, and which once exposed diminishes somewhat the myth of his persona: Muir likes to tell stories of dangerous or exhausting trips and situations during which he is amazed that other people encountered difficulties, even though in all fairness he had no reason to be surprised.
This doesn't mean he was not a great character with great stories to tell; it just means that he was perhaps significantly less humble than he would like us to perceive him as.
This doesn't mean he was not a great character with great stories to tell; it just means that he was perhaps significantly less humble than he would like us to perceive him as.
June 14, 2021
I really enjoyed making this journey with John Muir and loved the insights he gave into the work of Presbyterian missionaries in Alaska as well through his relationship with Mr. Young.
November 25, 2021
I know I'm supposed to enjoy books such as this in their historical context, but I just can't enjoy the constant depiction of people as savages, etc.
April 6, 2023
I could listen to descriptions of the wilderness all day and this one is ideal, well written and written at a comparatively unspoiled time in Alaska.
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