Customer Reviews

The Wild Muir: Twenty-two of John Muir's Greatest Adventures

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This absolutely wonderful volume distills some of John Muir's more memorable wilderness adventures into an absorbing, thrilling read. Lee Stetson, who for years has brought the spirit of John Muir alive to audiences in Yosemite and elsewhere, has assembled some of Muir's most hair-raising stories of mountain exploits into this single volume. Fiona King provides delightful illustrations that effectively compliment the narrative.

John Muir was many remarkable things: Explorer, adventurer, environmentalist, inventor, and much, much, more. This volume shows off two of his most prodigious talents: His literally stunning writing ability (as fresh and delightful today as it was when it was written a century ago) and his penchant for daredevil adventures. Muir's boundless, heartwarming enthusiam for the wilderness and all its wonders somtimes led him into truly precarious situations, which will both amaze and fascinate the reader. Of course he escaped them all with nary a scratch, as if guided by a divine hand, and went on to proselytize his message of conservation to a waiting world. Muir's entire life is the stuff of legend, these true-life stories transform it into a mythic adventure.

I purchased this book from Lee Stetson himself, at his performance in Yosemite Valley. See him there if you can, but if you can't, buy his book here. I guaranteee that Muir's words will never disappoint. This book makes a fabulous gift for kids as well...but you'll be reading it as much as they do!

There is one, though certainly not the only, thing that sets Muir apart from other naturalist writers in my mind... adjectives. You will not find minimalist prose in any of the condensed tales found in this beautifully bound book. However, you will find wonderfully descriptive passages that engage the senses and provoke imagination. The Wild Muir is a great introduction to Muir's exploits and beyond that to the creative non-fiction field in general. This book will provide a wonderful escape for adults and children alike.

This is a delightful book and will be enjoyed by adults as well as children. John Muir was a remarkable man and I was surprised that he was also a truly gifted writer. Muir writes in a fun, infectious style similar to Mark Twain. He infuses all of his tales with vivid descriptive words and a dose of humor. It's a pure joy to read and shows what an incredibly courageous, physically fit man he was. I decided to buy this book because for years I have hiked larged sections of the famous John Muir Trail in California. The scenic beauty is so overwhelming that it stimulated my interest in the man for whom the trail was named. All I knew was that Muir was a Scottish-born enviromentalist who had lost his sight and then miraculously regained it. But there is so much more to his story than this.

This book will fill you in on many of the adventures Muir experienced. It's amazing that he was able to forge trails and do the things he did in an era when convenience was unheard of. He mapped out the wilderness with nothing more than a compass, a hard set of leg muscles, basic clothing and no comforts. Muir didn't rely on sunglasses, sunscreen, maps, granola bars or cell phones, he was the "real deal" and my respect for him is endless. I can't recommend this book highly enough, it's a joy to read and to learn about this magnificent and underrated man.

This collection of Muir tales condenses his longer works - it was recognized with awards from the American Association of Museums and the National Park Service. This group of John Muir's most exciting adventures represent some of his finest writing. Each adventure shows the extent to which Muir courted and faced danger, living wildly throughout his life. From the famous avalanche ride off the rim of Yosemite Valley, to his night spent riding out a windstorm at the top of a tree, to death-defying falls on Alaskan glaciers, the renowned outdoorsman's exploits are related in passages that are by turns exhilarating, unnerving, dizzying and outrageous. Compiler Lee Stetson has carefully chosen episodes from every stage of Muir's life, prepared short introductions to place each in context, then arranged them chronologically so the reader can vicariously enjoy one man's life of adventure. The text is nicely complemented with striking black-and-white scratchboard drawings by Fiona King, a talented illustrator. The Wild Muir is the first book to assemble the best of John Muir's thrilling experiences in the out-of-doors that he loved so much. Muir enthusiasts, lovers of nature writing, friends of wilderness, and fans of adventure and outdoor lore will find the volume unique, enthralling and timeless.

Lee Stetson, an actor who regularly has played Muir in Yosemite, compiled these 22 tales in this very readable, short book which I obtained in Tuolumne meadows visitor center in Yosemite National Forest. The Wild Muir has been on my Amazon wish list for a long time, so glad I bought my copy in the heart of Muir Territory, where one cannot escape some mention of his name in the many trails and areas he regularly trekked through. What a nice backyard, I constantly repeated to myself while hiking several days at Tuolumne! Every twist and turn of the trails revealed a new, pristine vista that the best panoramic camera could not capture. I felt like I needed a 360 degree camera to capture the beauty of this place, but I don't think anybody makes those these days! Muir expressed these same feelings when he writes: "Pursuing my lonely way down the valley, I turned again and again to gaze on the glorious picture, throwing up my arms to inclose it as in a frame. After long ages of growth in the darkness beneath the glaciers, through sunshine and storms, it seemed now to be ready and waiting for the elected artist, like yellow wheat for the reaper; and I could not help wishing that I were that artist. I had to be content, however, to take it into my soul."

It was here in Tuolumne and Yosemite that Muir would gather those who shared his desire to preserve this wilderness area like Theodore Roosevelt and others, and thankfully, they did just that. The waters still as clear as crystal, teeming still with trout.

Muir's "scootchers" began as a child in Dunbar, Scotland, his mountaineering prowess seemingly inbred, though his brother David, seems not to have shared the same level of fearfulness. In the first chapter, Muir writes of his home, "One of our best playgrounds was the famous Dunbar Castle, to which King Edward fled after his defeat at Bannockburn...The roof of our house, as well as the crags and walls of the old castle, offered fine mountaineering exercise." Of course, Muir would drag his brother David out of their room onto the roof after their mother put them to bed, telling them to "sleep like gude bairns". The first "scootcher" (adventure/daring) told in this book. In the same chapter, he writes that a servant girl would tell them about hell where bad people would go to live eternally. Muir exclaimed indomitably that "I could climb out of it. I imagined it was only a sooty pit with stone walls like those of the castle, and I felt sure there must be chunks and cracks in the masonry for fingers and toes."!

The other twenty-one scootchers contain similar tales of Muir rescuing others who attempted to follow his paths as well as his own hair-raising scootchers sliding down glaciers, surviving powerful wind storms and earthquakes in Yosemite and elsewhere.

It was a real treat to read these adventures in those wild, Muir woods of the Sierras.

There is no better way to know John Muir than to be engrossed in his wilderness adventures. Lee Stetson, whose wonderful portrayal of Muir to thousands of people throughout the world, deftly picks 22 of Muir's grandest experiences in nature. It instantly takes us into Muir's heart and soul, his youthful love of wilderness, and his unique ability to tell us a story that both delights as well as educates us to the importance of the natural world.

I read "Muir Nature Writings" before reading "Wild Muir". I think having an understanding of who Muir is makes this a better read. The title accurately describes this book as his "greatest adventures". They were wild. I would describe Muir as extremely passionate about nature and being a part of it. This book is for those who can relate to this kind of passion. Muir writes in a gloriously giddy style. I enjoy it because nobody writes like that anymore. I love his flowery descriptions of meadow flowers and scents of pine in the wind. It reminds me of being "out there" and makes me giddy in remembrance.

John Muir is fascinating! This book really describes his adventures in detail!
I am amazed at the stamina and will of john Muir to go where he went and to do what he did, WOW!. Just to hike around Yosemite in the winter is amazing enough, but J.M. also climbed mountains and trees and frozen waterfalls,ect. He did all this and more back when there was not any modern climbing gear or extra warm cloths or power bars, or camel backs, ect!! He truley was a one of a kind mountaineer!!

Purchased as an impulse at some park bookstore in the past couple of years, I am so glad I finally sat down to finish this book! It's like a box of chocolates, packed with novel delights - each just as delicious as the other, making it hard to decide which you like best. The book lacks the excessive, hyperbole laden introductions that typically accompany this sort of thing. The editor includes a brief paragraph or two to introduce each selection and provide context, along with a nice timeline of Muir's life at the back.

There's even the inclusion of an article written by a man who accompanied Muir on a hike - and another report showing someone else's view of the same incident. All in all, showing that Muir's physical fitness must have been quite unusual even for today because he rarely mentions any difficulties on climbs and gives the appearance to the onlooker of a fleet footed gazelle prone to bouts of "amatory botany." It's funny - I rather had a picture of Muir as somewhat kin of Doctor Who - very intelligent, constantly moving and going and exploring, not really getting upset or stressed out about any scraps: falling ass over teakettle and knocking himself senseless or going snowblind didn't seem to upset him. All the while admiring, enthusiastically appreciating and overflowing with joy at the amazing lovely wonderful things around him.

I think one of my favorite stories was about the tree ride because I share this fascination with wind and could totally see the movement of the trees he described. I most envy his description of the aurora borealis events - never having seen one. The little dog going along on the hike was a fantastic tale, too. I quite relished his constant descriptions of the quality of light - and the anthropomorphizing - describing "badgers, marmots and other small people who live on the mountain."

Now, I wish I could hear his voice - so I am going to have to go find some proper Scottish indie films to get that in my head for the next time I read something by Muir.

I first read I first read this years ago when I was only 12 and I even enjoyed it then. What I like about it is the stories are relaxing and neither to short or to long in length; perfect for the hectic lifestyle of today where often you dont have the time to read a full length book.

p.s. cover is glossy, unlike the one i first read which was rough paper.