“Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine into trees.” John Muir

You are John Muir

You lost your sight, one month later you regained it.

You vowed to turn your eyes to the woods and fields.

Thus began your Wanderlust.

Yosemite claimed you, became your home.

Inspiration from waist high wildflowers,

you had an unbounded love of Nature.

It was where you could travel with no 'baggage'.

Your voice helped make Yosemite, Sequoia, Mt. Rainer,

Petrified Forest, and the Grand Canyon National Parks.

"Climb the mountains and get their good tidings," you said.

President Theodore Roosevelt camped with you.

His innovative conservation programs

were influenced by your passion.

You helped found the Sierra Club and after your death,

your legacy to protect our wild places continued.

You brought the wanderlust for the wild, to the forefront;

made it something for all of us to attain.

"The mountains are calling and I must go."

The wilderness was your teacher,

her allure your life's song.

Nature beckons us into her beauty and peace.

The National Parks provide a refuge, an Eden of sorts,

clearing our minds; directing our thoughts.

Who we are is found when we allow the quiet of

the wild to bring light into the dark parts of our lives.

You are John Muir: "John of the Mountains."

Alycia Q. Roller