Whether he is cheering for untamed mountain sheep or braving a high-country storm that would sweep away lesser mortals, John Muir--naturalist, author, and advocate--is forever passionate, often droll, and always inspirational. This collection of his little-known pieces have been culled from private letters, magazine articles, and personal journals from deep in the archives. In Bonnie Gisel's able hands, Muir takes the reader on thrilling adventures and remarkable discoveries. His first summit of Half Dome, his great epiphany about the "living glaciers of the Sierra," and his jolly ode to the giant sequoia are all presented here with awe and affection. A nearly penniless young Muir sleeps under the stars in a Florida graveyard. Muir the father prods his wife in the back with a stick, "helping" her up Yosemite's Four Mile Trail. And an older yet still adventurous Muir summits Mount Rainier and survives the perilously icy descent. Certain to delight fans of The Wild Muir, these audacious exploits reveal John Muir's boundless curiosity and love of all things wild.
I can't get enough of John Muir and his passion for nature and living life to the fullest. The Wilder Muir is amusing, engaging and inspiring, offering up fascinating tidbits of knowledge and presenting Muir at his adventurous best. --Scot Miller, author/photographer of My First Summer in the Sierra: 100th Anniversary Illustrated Edition and Emerson, Muir, Thoreau: A Photographic Trilogy of American Wildness
-Bonnie Gisel 'gloriously' shares some of the finest and rarest John Muir stories from his vast collection of published and unpublished materials. She skillfully guides the reader on an adventure through the wilderness that makes them feel as if they are 'sauntering' with the master observer himself!- --Michael Wurtz, head of Special Collections at the University of the Pacific, home of the largest collection of Muir's manuscripts
"John Muir was by all accounts an enthralling story teller. Some of his stories are still well known, while others have remained in obscurity. When we searched Muir's writings to rediscover the route of his first walk from San Francisco to Yosemite for our book, we found that the lesser known stories can actually turn out to be the most interesting. We are sure the reader of Bonnie Gisel's The Wilder Muir will have the same experience. --Peter and Donna Thomas, authors of The Muir Ramble Route and Anywhere That Is Wild: John Muir's First Walk to Yosemite
Bonnie J. Gisel is an environmental historian who taught at Drew University, Green Mountain College, and the University of the Pacific. She is the author of Nature's Beloved Son: Rediscovering John Muir's Botanical Legacy and Kindred & Related Spirits: The Letters of John Muir and Jeanne C. Carr. In addition, Gisel has published articles, curated exhibits, lectured, and co-chaired conferences on John Muir.