
The narrative follows a young man's journey from Indiana to the Gulf of Mexico, where he walks over 1,000 miles through various landscapes and encounters diverse people. Along the way, he reflects on his experiences, observations, and philosophical musings about nature, humanity, and existence. The account is characterized by vivid descriptions of the natural world, critiques of industrialization, and explorations of spirituality.
By John Muir · First published 1916 · Genre: Travel Literature, Nature Writing, Autobiography · 9 chapters · 42,077 words
I had long been looking from the wildwoods and gardens of the Northern States to those of the warm South, and at last, all draw-backs overcome, I set forth [from Indianapolis] on the first day of September, 1867, joyful and free, on a thousand-mile walk to the Gulf of Mexico. [The trip to Jeffersonville, on the banks of the Ohio, was made by rail.] Crossing the Ohio at Louisville [September 2], I steered through the big city by compass without speaking a word to any one. Beyond the city I found a road running southward, and after passing a scatterment of suburban cabins and cottages I reached the green woods and spread out my pocket map to rough-hew a plan for my journey.
A Thousand-Mile Walk to the Gulf is listed on Textopian as a novel by John Muir, dated 1916 CE.
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Travelogue · Adventure · Nature Writing · American Literature · 19th Century Literature · Non-Fiction · Autobiographical · Walking · Exploration · Geography · History · Environmentalism