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14
2nd 3rd & 4th belonged to a genus of days [which are] slightly cloudy & calm, rest days after [when] all [of the] heavy storm work [of the grander phenomenal is laid aside] is done. When the very torrents are soothed to gentleness. & sabbath rest & the confidence of settled tranquility beams from every feature of rock & sky. 5th was gray & cold, red sky at sunset gilding the upper spires & domes with rare beauty 6th Very calm & warm The valley contains many mansions, for the wind & clouds. During the glowing hours of this resting day inert or slow moving bodies of air slept in rock chambers [cavities] & in the shelter of steep walls like lakes & pothole of air, each atmospheric lake & [rivulet] had a temperature of its own but as the coming of night they floated about in companies & in
15 walking half a mile my face was bathed with air of all temps [temperatures] & qualities hot cold & balmy in startling suddenness of succession I seemed to walk through narrow zones of [the breezes of] summer winter & spring 7th 8th & 9th Golden trio of the sweetest winter children of the sun. 10th 11th 12th & 14th. One storm possessed all the hours of these five days & nights. Faint lines of division were indeed seen at times. A gleam of sunshine shot occasionally from the clefts of cloud & granite but everything in our magnificent mountain temple during these blessed days formed one grand [the whole family of phenomena that occupied the] [unit of mtn] storm. [There was mingling of] Snow & rain [of mountain] rocks & clouds were mingled together. Rain driven by high [rapid] winds seemed to form one continuous waterfall having a lateral motion equal in rapidity & grandeur.
Date Original
November 1869
Source
Original journal dimensions: 10 x 16.5 cm.
Resource Identifier
MuirReel23Journal04P14-15.tif
Publisher
Holt-Atherton Special Collections, University of the Pacific Library
Rights Management
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Keywords
John Muir, journals, drawings, writings, travel, journaling, naturalist
