On this date in hiking history: The most important camping trip ever

The following is an adaptation from Ramble On: A History of Hiking.

On this date in 1903, John Muir commenced a historic three-night camping trip with President Theodore Roosevelt in Yosemite. Most historians now regard this as the most important camping trip ever.

Thirty years prior, John Muir moved to Oakland, California, and began writing articles for several leading magazines that brought national attention to himself and his causes. In addition to writing about his wilderness travels, Muir lectured his readers about nature, conservation, and the preservation of wild places. He also brought attention to the damage being inflicted on wilderness as a result of the progress of man. Muir’s advocacy and influence helped to establish Yosemite, Sequoia and the General Grant Grove as national parks in 1890. In subsequent articles he promoted the creation of Petrified Forest, Grand Canyon and Mount Rainier as well, all of which eventually led to him becoming known as "The Father of our National Parks."

Muir’s writings eventually caught the attention of President Theodore Roosevelt. While touring the American West in 1903, Roosevelt arranged to meet with Muir in Yosemite. Traveling by horseback, the two men, along with two rangers and a packer guide, camped three nights in three different locations around the park.

On their first night, the party camped under the Grizzly Giant in Mariposa Grove. Roosevelt reportedly bedded down on a pile of 40 wool blankets that night.

On the second night, the party camped near Sentinel Dome. That evening, a surprise late-spring snowstorm dumped 5 inches of fresh snow on the campers. The next morning, Muir and Roosevelt posed for what would become their famous photo at Glacier Point. What happened to all that snow? Perhaps it was late in the morning when the photo was taken, and thus the snow had already melted.

American Heritage magazine claims that Roosevelt was overcome with emotion after witnessing the sublime beauty of the Yosemite Valley from this lofty perch. A passage in the article states:

Casting his eyes now on what many believed was the most spectacular panorama in the nation, the nation that he led, Roosevelt felt a welling of emotion. Not only was it a sight of awesome beauty and grandeur; it was an immense responsibility. Though, if tears streaked his face, as was reported, you would never know it from the photo. The photographer, who took two shots of the pair and two of Roosevelt alone, made sure of that.

The March 1959 edition of Yosemite Nature Notes also confirms this little known tidbit in American history: “It is said that he cried from sheer emotional joy as he viewed the floor of the Valley from Glacier Point.”

Perhaps sensing Roosevelt was now in the proper frame of mind, Muir felt confident that he could persuade the President on his preservation views and concerns later that evening.

On their third and final night in the park, the two towering figures camped along the edge of Bridalveil Meadow in the Yosemite Valley. Around the campfire that evening, Muir urged the President to return the California State grant lands of the Yosemite Valley and Mariposa Grove back to the federal government so that they could be incorporated into Yosemite National Park (established in 1890). He also spoke about the broader needs for more wilderness protections across the country. Muir later bragged to a friend that he had “stuffed [Roosevelt] pretty well regarding the timber thieves, and the destructive work of the lumbermen, and other spoilers of our forests." His lobbying efforts had their desired effect. In 1906, Roosevelt signed the Yosemite Recession Bill, which withdrew the Yosemite Valley and Mariposa Grove from the state of California and incorporated them into Yosemite National Park. Moreover, after that fateful camping trip, Roosevelt would proceed to establish 3 additional national parks, 143 national forests, 18 national monuments, 51 federal bird reserves and 4 national game preserves. In all, Roosevelt would place roughly 230 million acres of public land under federal protection during his presidency.



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Virtually no one went hiking before the 19th century. What occurred that inspired ordinary people to take a walk through the woods for pleasure? Ramble On: A History of Hiking explores the rich history of hiking, and how it evolved into one of the most popular pastimes in the world.

Winter is Coming: Seven Days on the John Muir Trail

"The mountains are calling and I must go"

- John Muir

Below is a video from Ryan Commons that documents his hike across the Sierra Mountains along the John Muir Trail.

Ryan made the trip from the Mt. Whitney Portal to Happy Isles in Yosemite National Park - 222.4 miles - in just seven days! Along the way he climbed a total of 42,000 feet, or, put another way, almost 8 miles of climbing! Obviously he put in some pretty insane milage each day to accomplish this goal.

Ryan followed the trail up to Mount Whitney, which, at 14,496 ft, is the highest peak in the lower 48. From there he passed through King's Canyon National Park, Sequoia National Park, and the Ansel Adams Wilderness before ending his journey in Yosemite.

At 40 minutes in length, the video is fairly long, but is very well made, and well worth the spectacular scenery alone:


WINTER IS COMING - Seven Days on the John Muir Trail from Ryan Commons on Vimeo.



Jeff
Hiking in Glacier National Park

The Best of Yosemite in One Epic Hike

Did you know that you can do one hike that encompasses nearly all of Yosemite’s iconic sights? This epic 12.6-mile hike includes a full view of Yosemite Falls from the only place in the park to see both the upper and lower falls in their full glory. You’ll also see El Capitan, Half Dome, Illilouette Fall and Nevada Fall. This epic one-way hike begins with a climb up the Four Mile Trail, and then travels back to the valley via the Panorama Trail. The following is a pretty good video which highlights the outstanding sights along the way:





Jeff
Hiking in Glacier National Park

Frazil Ice in Yosemite National Park

The last gasps of winter in the Yosemite Valley....

Check out this amazing video showing the "giant slurpee" that forms when "frazil ice" collects on Yosemite Falls, and flows down Yosemite Creek each spring like a lava flow.

As you might expect, the scenery in this film is quite awesome:



My wife and I visited Yosemite National Park for the first time this past fall. We did quite a bit of hiking while we were out there, and have posted several hike reports and photos on our new Discover the West website.



Jeff
Hiking in Glacier National Park

A Yosemite Classic: The Vernal Fall / Nevada Fall Loop

The spectacular Mist Trail at the eastern end of the Yosemite Valley leads to some of the most popular destinations in Yosemite National Park. Although the mileage is relatively moderate, this is still a fairly tough hike. It’s all worth it though; you’ll visit star attractions such as Vernal Fall, Nevada Fall and the Emerald Pool. For more information on this “bucket list” hike, please click here.

Jeff
Hiking in Glacier National Park

Horseback Riding in Yosemite

In this short video from Finley-Holiday Films, Yosemite National Park ranger Shelton Johnson talks about seeing Yosemite on horseback (or mule back) - an experience that hasn't changed much since the earliest visitors ventured into Yosemite. You may recognize Ranger Johnson - he was featured quite extensively in The National Parks: America's Best Idea, the Ken Burns film from a few years ago:



If seeing Yosemite on horseback isn't your thing, or if you've never been to the park, did you know that you can do one hike that encompasses nearly all of Yosemite’s iconic sights? This epic 12.6-mile hike includes a full view of Yosemite Falls from the only place in the park to see both the upper and lower falls in their full glory. Along the way you’ll also see El Capitan, Half Dome, Sentinel Rock, Illilouette Fall and Nevada Fall. The one-way hike begins from the Yosemite Valley, climbs up to Glacier Point via the Four Mile Trail, and then travels back down to the valley via the Panorama Trail and the famous Mist Trail.


Jeff
Hiking in Glacier National Park

Columbia Falls Climber Dies in Fall on Yosemite’s El Capitan

NPS Digest is reporting this morning that Mason Robison, a 38-year-old climber from Columbia Falls, Montana, fell to his death while climbing the Muir Wall on El Capitan this past Sunday morning.

Robison was roughly 2,300 feet above the monolith’s base in Yosemite National Park when he dislodged a large rock that severed his lead rope, and caused him to fall 230 feet onto his haul line, which was being used to bring the party's equipment up the route. Robison’s climbing partner was unable to immediately contact emergency services due to poor cell phone reception, and began to yell for help. Several other climbers, along with a Yosemite Search and Rescue (YOSAR) volunteer, reported witnessing the rockfall in the area of Robison and his partner, and notified the Yosemite Emergency Communication Center. Rangers responded to El Capitan Meadow for observation and heard faint cries for help up on the wall, but had difficulty pinpointing the location of the spot where the calls were coming from.

Robison’s partner, who wasn't hurt, continued to try to call for help via his cell phone, and was eventually able to contact dispatch.

Rangers were then able to locate the climbing party through a spotting scope, and determined that Robison was hanging motionless from the end of his rope. The park helicopter flew a technical rescue team to the summit of El Capitan around 12:30 p.m. Team members began rigging for a technical lowering of almost 800 feet to Robison’s location. Rangers Jack Hoeflich and Ed Visnovske were lowered down the cliff face; they were able to reach him shortly thereafter, and pronounced him dead upon arrival. They raised Robison and his partner to the top of El Capitan, and then flew both to the valley floor.

Tragically, Robison’s older brother, Mark, died while climbing Rainbow Peak in Glacier National Park in 1998.


Jeff
Hiking in Glacier.com

One Day in Yosemite

On Tuesday, June 26, 2012, 30 filmmakers converged in Yosemite to document one day in the life of the national park. Viewers of the film see the park through the eyes of rangers, park employees, sight-seers, hikers, painters, climbers and even hang-gliders. The park published this wonderful film late last month, and called it One Day in Yosemite:




Jeff
Hiking in Glacier National Park