“Going to the woods is going home, for I suppose we came from the woods originally. But in some of nature's forests, the adventurous traveler seems a feeble, unwelcome creature; wild beasts and the weather trying to kill him, the rank, tangled vegetation, armed with spears and stinging needles, barring his way and making life a hard struggle.”

Scottish-born American naturalist and writer

John Muir was a Scottish-born American naturalist and writer, active in the 19th and early 20th centuries. He is remembered as an early and influential voice for preserving wilderness in the United States. Muir also worked as an environmental philosopher, botanist, zoologist, and glaciologist. He is associated with the names “John of the Mountains” and “Father of the National Parks,” titles that reflect his lasting role in shaping wilderness preservation and the language around it.