Chapter 4: The Mountains of California
John Muir
Muir viewed nature as a sanctuary, a place of deep restoration and renewal. His time spent alone in the Sierra Nevada wasn't just exploration—it was communion. At the dawn of the 20th century, as industrialization surged, he championed nature's healing power against an era that increasingly confined people to the mechanized rhythms of urban life. The idea that mountains could offer "good tidings" calls for a return to these wild spaces, where human burdens can slip away like autumn leaves.