John Muir

Dear Principal Dr. Anthony Davis, How are you doing today? I have a serious question to ask you. Would you please allow us to go on a field trip to Lava Beds National Monument. This trip would be amazingly exciting. Lava Beds National Monument is located in the state of California. California calls the monument their "best-kept secret." This is because not everyone knows about this beautiful sighting park. The park was formed when it was uncovered by lava and many active volcanoes were erupting.…

When I hiked up Bishop Peak in San Luis Obispo, I enjoyed it so much I wrote it up for California Explorer (May/June 2014). Since then I’ve wondered about the other ancient volcanic plugs that make up the nine sisters, a group that starts with Morro Rock and ends at Islay Hill in the southeast corner of San Luis Obispo. I decided to trek down to the area with the idea of exploring the other morros, or at least the ones open to exploration. Morro Rock is environmentally sensitive and closed to…

"In wilderness is the salvation of the world."(Leopold 2) This quote from "Thinking Like a Mountain," supports the fact that author Aldo Leopold believes an ecosystem needs to be balanced in order to grow and be stronger. Similarly, in the documentary Cold Warriors: Wolver vs. Buffalo, director Jeff Turner explains that the world has beautiful places with high valleys, canyons, and stunning forest. We should watch and learn from Nature. For this, and other reasons, Aldo Leopold would feel…

Yosemite National Park, located in the central eastern portion of California, has been founded since 1890. The park is known for its natural habitats and abstract scenery. Tourist enjoy hiking in Tuolumne Meadows, lodging in Yosemite Valley, fishing in the Eastern Sierra and even skiing in the Mammoth Lakes mountain resort. But what any do not know is that all of these attractions were created by one phenomenon, glaciation. On three different occasions during the Great Ice Age era, Yosemite was…

Painted in 1885, Indians at Campfire, Yosemite Valley, California is a painting by a renowned artist named Thomas Hill. Hill was born on September 11, 1829, in England. When he was fifteen years old, he and his family moved to the United States. After Hill had turned twenty-four, he joined the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and was highly recognized for his numerous paintings of the vast California landscape. During the time Hill was a student at the Art Academy, he travels to the White…

The Marvel View or The Everest View Trek Imagine a stunning 360 degree view of world's tallest mountain peak of the world. Here you actually get that privilege! If you've got a sense of adventure, this is the ideal mountaineering tour for you. It’s for those who dream to view Mount Everest and be part of the the Sherpa culture. During this Everest view trek you pass through the Everest national park and pine forest, where Rhododendron flowers glow and you find diversity in wildlife. Spend a few…

exercise as well. According to NASA.gov, John W. Young enjoys wind surfing, biking, reading and gardening. I also find think it is so cool that he was born in San Francisco because that is one of my families main spots to go to hang out with friends on vacations, and for layovers so that we can go into the city and eat. I was also born in California so I guess you can say that we have a very little connection from that. The main thing that I think is so cool that John W. Young enjoys is that he…

When we hear the words Sequoia and Kings then we imagine a place where beauty and giants reside. And that is what Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park is all about. The parks are known as the land of the giants because of the immense mountains and world’s largest trees found there. You also get to experience rugged foothills, deep canyons, and vast caverns. Sequoia and Kings National Park lies in the southern Sierra Nevada which is east of the San Joaquin valley. Sequoia and Kings Canyon…

Throughout my life I have experienced many events have laid down the foundation for the future I am building. One of the most influential and eye-opening was a trip I took to Yosemite National Park during my junior year of high school. The trip was offered to high school students in Northern California, provided by the McConnell Foundation- an independent foundation that awards grants to nonprofit organizations, public education, and government entities. The goal of the trip was to educate…

The Sierra Nevada is the longest mountain range in America and it lies partially within the parks. Along this range lies Mt. Whitney, at an elevated height of 14,491 feet and considered the tallest mountain within the lower United States. In Sequoia National Park, resides another prominent ridge of mountains called the Great Western Divide and it has been posed as the rival of the Sierran Crest. The topography and its gradual formation was the result of the uplift of the southern portion of the…