Steep Trails by John Muir (1918)

The book is a collection of essays and articles written by the author during his travels through the western United States. It covers topics such as conservation, nature, and the human relationship with the environment. The text includes descriptions of the natural landscapes Muir encountered, as well as his thoughts on the importance of preserving these areas for future generations.

By John Muir · First published 1918 · Genre: Nature Writing, Travel Literature, Memoir · 23 chapters · 91,257 words

First lines

Moral improvers have calls to preach. I have a friend who has a call to plough, and woe to the daisy sod or azalea thicket that falls under the savage redemption of his keen steel shares. Not content with the so-called subjugation of every terrestrial bog, rock, and moorland, he would fain discover some method of reclamation applicable to the ocean and the sky, that in due calendar time they might be brought to bud and blossom as the rose. Our efforts are of no avail when we seek to turn his attention to wild roses, or to the fact that both ocean and sky are already about as rosy as possible-the one with stars, the other with dulse, and foam, and wild light. The practical developments of his culture are orchards and clover-fields wearing a smiling, benevolent aspect, truly excellent in their way, though a near view discloses something barbarous in them all. Wildness charms not my friend, charm it never so wisely: and whatsoever may be the character of his heaven, his earth seems only a chaos of agricultural possibilities calling for grubbing-hoes and manures.

What this Textopian page supports

Steep Trails is listed on Textopian as an essay by John Muir, dated 1918 CE.

This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.

• Work type: Essay
• Author: John Muir
• Date: 1918 CE
• Language: English
• Genres: Nature Writing, Travel Literature, Memoir, Philosophy, Environmental Literature
• Length: 91,257 words
• Structure: 23 chapters, 581 paragraphs
• Reading fit: Fairly Difficult (10th-12th Grade)

Good citation fit

• Work identity for Steep Trails by John Muir
• Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
• Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
• Readability and classroom-planning context
• Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph

Discussion starters

• What should a reader notice first when entering Steep Trails?
• How does this essay by John Muir fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
• Where does Nature Writing first become important in the reading?

Similar titles

• The Mountains Of California by John Muir
• The Yosemite by John Muir
• My First Summer In The Sierra by John Muir
• Canoeing In The Wilderness by Henry David Thoreau
• A Thousand Mile Walk To The Gulf by John Muir
• The Story Of My Boyhood And Youth by John Muir

Genres

• Nature Writing — The book extensively explores natural landscapes and the author's experiences in the wilderness.
• Travel Literature — It documents journeys through various terrains, reflecting on the beauty and challenges of travel.
• Memoir — The work includes personal reflections and experiences, providing insight into the author's life.
• Philosophy — Themes of nature, existence, and humanity's relationship with the environment are prevalent.

Tags

Nature Writing · Travelogue · Adventure · Exploration · Conservation · Environmentalism · Wilderness · Hiking · Camping · Geology · Botany · Zoology

Contents

• Wild Wool
• A Geologist's Winter Walk
• Summer Days at Mount Shasta
• A Perilous Night on Shasta's Summit
• Shasta Rambles and Modoc Memories
• The City of the Saints
• A Great Storm in Utah
• Bathing in Salt Lake
• Mormon Lilies
• The San Gabriel Valley
• The San Gabriel Mountains
• Nevada Farms
• Nevada Forests
• Glacial Phenomena in Nevada
• Nevada's Dead Towns
• Puget Sound
• The Forests of Washington
• People and Towns of Puget Sound
• An Ascent of Mount Rainier
• The Physical and Climatic Characteristics of Oregon
• The Forests of Oregon and their Inhabitants
• The Rivers of Oregon
• The Grand Cañon of the Colorado

More by John Muir

• The Grand Canyon of the Colorado (1902)
• The Yosemite (1912)
• Travels in Alaska (1915)
• The Mountains of California (1894)
• Stickeen (1880)
• The Story of my Boyhood and Youth (1913)
• My First Summer in the Sierra (1911)
• A Thousand-Mile Walk to the Gulf (1916)
• All works by John Muir