Fifteen miles south of the world-renowned Yosemite Valley sits alone the Hetch Hetchy Valley with its water roaring. Hard to believe, but it was once recognized as the counterpart of the Yosemite Valley and grabbed the same attention for its natural beauty— cascading waterfalls, lofty mountain cliffs, and serene rivers. John Muir, an ardent advocate for the preservation of the wilderness, described the experience of visiting Hetch Hetchy to be a sheer pleasure: “it [was] a bright day in June; the air [was] drowsy with flies; the pines [swayed] dreamily, and you [were] sunk, shoulder-deep, in grasses and flowers.” A sanctuary from the Industrial West and a revelation of God in his mind, Muir devoted himself into campaigning for its integrity
