Creator
John Muir
Recipient
Mrs. [Jeanne C.] Carr
Transcription
00529
[4]
about five feet in depth & as it was not frozen or compacted in any way we of course had a splendid season of wading I wish that you could have seen the edge of the snow cloud which hovered [illegible] so soothingly down to the ground [Pilot peak?] brows - discharging its heaven- begotten snows with such unmistakable gentleness & moving perhaps with conscious love from pine to pine as if bestowing separate & independent blessings upon each In a few hours we climbed under & into this glorious storm cloud. What a harvest of crystal flows. & what wind songs were gathered from the spring firs & the long fringy arms
[1]
[in margin: Give my kindest regards to all your homeful & to my friends I am always yours most cordially JM] #52 [Spring 1871]
My dear friend Mrs Carr,
"The Spirit" has again led me into the wilderness in opposition to all counter attractions & I am once more in the glory of Yo- Semite. Your very cordial invitation to your home reach- ed me as I was preparing to ascend, & when my whole being was possessed with visions of snowy forests of the pine & spruce, & of mountain spires beyond, pearly & half transparent, reaching into heavens blue not purer than themselves. In company with another young fellow whom I
[2]
persuaded to walk I left the plains just as the first gold sheets were being outspread. My first plan was to follow the Tuolumne upward as I had followed the Merced downward, After reaching Hetch Hetchy Valley which has about the same altitude as Yosemite & spending a week or so in sketching & exploring its falls & rocks, crossing the high mountains past the west end of the Hoffman range & going down into Yosemite by Indian canon. passing thus a glorious month with the mountains with all their snows & crystal bright- ness, & all the nameless glories of their magnificent
[3]
winter. But my plan went agley. I lost a weeks sleep by the pain of a sore hand & I became unconfident in my strength when measured against weeks of wading in snow up to the neck Therefore I reluctantly con- cluded to push directly for the valley by Cranes Flat & Tamarac. Our journey was just a week in length including one day of rest in the Cran Flat Cabin. Some of our nights were cold & we were hungry once or twice. We crossed the snow line on the flank of Pilot peak ridge six or eight miles below Cranes Flat. From Cranes Flat to brim of the valley the snow was
[8]
I have repaired the mill & dam & the stream is in no danger of drying up & is more dammed than ever Today has been cloudy & rainy. [Tissiack?] & Star King are grandly dipped in white cloud. I sent you my plants by ex'. I am sorry that my Yosemite specimens were not with the others. I left a few notes with Mrs Yelverton when I left the valley in the fall. I wish that you would ask her if you should see her where she left it as Mrs Hutchings does not know - ------ I shall be happy to join [Stoddard?] in any thing whatever Mrs H. had a letter from him lately part of wh[illegible] she read to me & now Mrs Carr you must see the upper Mtns & meadows back of Yo Sem'. You have seen nothing as yet, & I will guide you a whole summer if you wish. I am very [in margin: happy here & cannot break for the andes just yet]
[5]
[in margin: Mrs [illegible] tells me today that she has recd a very kind letter from you [which?] she will answer Sends [thus?] her kindest regards If she can find a chance she will send bulbs of Lily by [illegible] I have been nearly [illegible] since I crosser the snow]
of the Lombert pine. We could not see far before us in the storm which lasted untill sometime in the night but as I was familiar with the general map of the mountain we had no difficulty in finding our way Cranes Flat Cabin was buried & we had to grope about for the door. After making a fire with some Cedar rails I went out to watch the coming on of the darkness which was most impressively sublime. Next morning was every way the purest creation I ever beheld, the little flat spot like in the massive spiring woods was in splendid vesture of universal white upon which the grand forest edge was minutely
00529
[6]
repeated & covered with a close sheet of snow flowers. Some mosses grow luxuriantly upon the dead generations of their own species The common snow flowers belong to the sky & in storm are blown about like ripe petals in an orchard, they settle on the ground. the bottom of the atmospheric sea like mud or leaves in a lake. & upon this soil - this field of broken sky flowers grows a luxuriant carpet of crystal vegetation complete & ripe in a single night. I never before knew that these mountain snow plants were so variable & abundant forming such bushy clumps & thickets & palmy ferny groves -
[7]
[in margin: Squirrel is at my knee She says [illegible] Mrs Carr to come here tomorrow & tell her to bring her little boy when she comes If you will come she says that she will [illegible] you to the falls & give you lots of flowers]
wading waist deep I had fine opportunities for observing them but they shrink from hum- an breath - not the only flowers which do so - evidently not made for man. neither the flowers composing the snow which come drifting down to us broken & dead, nor the more beautiful crystals which vegetate upon them. - A great many storms have come to the mtns since I passed them & there can hardly be less than ten feet at the altitude of Tamarac & towards the summit still more. The weather here is balmy now & the falls are glorious Three weeks ago the thermom'- at sunrise stood at 12° -
[Original letter in mounted set of letters to Mrs. Carr. #52].
[Yosemite, March, 1871].
My dear friend Mrs. Carr:
"The Spirit" has again led me into the wilderness, in opposition to all counter attractions, and I am once more in the glory of Yo Semite.
Your very cordial invitation to your home reached me as I was preparing to ascend, and when my whole being was possessed with visions of snowy forests of the pine and spruce, and of mountain spires beyond, pearly and half transparent, reaching into heavens blue, not purer than themselves.
In company with another young fellow whom I persuaded to walk, I left the plains just as the first gold sheets were being outspread. My first plan was to follow the Tuolumne upward as I had followed the Merced downward. After reaching Hetch He tchy Valley, which has about the same altitude as Yosemite, and spending a week or so in sketching and exploring its falls and rocks, crossing the high mountains past the west end of the Hoffman range, and going down into Yosemite by Indian cañon, passing thus a glorious month with the mountains, with all their snows and crystal brightness, and all the nameless glories of their magnificent winter. But my plan went agley. I lost a week's sleep by the pain of a sore hand, and I became unconfident in my strength when measured against weeks of wading in snow up to the neck. Therefore I reluctantly concluded to push directly for the Valley by Crane's Flat and Tamarac.
Our journey was just a week in length, including one day of rest in the Crane Flat cabin. Some of our nights were cold, and we were hungry once or twice. We crossed the snow line on the flank of Pilot peak ridge six or eight miles below Crane's Flat.
From Crane's Flat to the brim of the Valley the snow was about five feet in depth, and as it was not frozen or compacted in any way we of course had a splendid season of wading.
I wish that you could have seen the edge of the snow-cloud which hovered, Oh, so soothingly,down to the grand Pilot peak brows, discharging its heaven-begotten snows with such unmistakeable gentleness and moving perhaps with conscious love from pine to pine as if bestowing separate and independent blessings upon each. In a few hours we climbed under and into this glorious storm-cloud. What a harvest of crystal flowers, and what wind songs were gathered from the spirey firs and the long fringy arms of the Lambort pine. We could not see far before us in the storm, which lasted until some time in the night, but as I was familiar with the general map of the mountain we had no difficulty in finding our way.
Crane's Flat Cabin was buried, and we had to grope about for the door. After making a fire with some cedar rails I went out to watch the coming on of the darkness, which was most impressively sublime. Next morning was every way the purest creation I ever beheld. The little flat, spot-like in the massive spiring woods, was in splendid vesture of universal white, upon which the grand forest edge was minutely repeated and covered with a close sheet of snow flowers.
Some mosses grow luxuriantly upon the dead generations of their own species. The common snow flowers belong to the sky and in storms are blown about like ripe petals in an orchard. They settle on the ground - the bottom of the atmospheric sea - like mud or leaves in a lake, and upon this soil, this field of broken sky flowers,grows a luxuriant carpet of crystal vegetation complete and ripe in a single night.
I never before knew that these mountain snow plants were so variable and abundant, forming such bushy clumps and thickets and palmy ferny groves. Wading waist-deep I had fine opportunities for observing them, but they shrink from human breath - not the only flowers which do so. Evidently not made for man, neither the flowers composing the snow which came drifting down to us broken and dead, nor the more beautiful crystals which vegetate upon them.
A great many storms have come to the mountains since I passed them, and there can hardly be less than ten feet at the altitude of Tamarac and towards the summit still more.
The weather here is balmy now, and the falls are glorious. Three weeks ago the thermometer at sunrise stood at 12°. I have repaired the mill and dam, and the stream is in no danger of drying up and is more dammed than ever.
2
[Letter of John Muir to Mrs. Carr, #52, date March, 1871, continued],
To-day has been cloudy and rainy.Tissiack and Start King are grandly dipped in white cloud. I sent you my plants by ex. I am sorry that my Yosemite specimens were not with the others. I left a few notes with Mrs. Yelverton when I left the Valley in the fall. I wish that you would ask her,if you should see her, where she left it, as Mrs. Hutchings does not know...
I have been nearly blind since I crossed the snow. Give my kindest regards to all your homeful, and to my friends. I am,
Always yours most cordially,
J .M.
[Date supplied because of reference to Mrs. Yelverton]
Location
[Yosemite]
Circa Date
[1871 Mar]
Source
Original letter dimensions: 20 x 25.5 cm.
Recommended Citation
Muir, John, "Letter from John Muir to Mrs. [Jeanne C.] Carr, [1871 Mar]." (1871). John Muir Correspondence (PDFs). 1366.
https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/muir-correspondence/1366
Resource Identifier
muir02_0387-let.tif
File Identifier
Reel 02, Image 0387
Collection Identifier
Online finding aid for the microform version of the John Muir Correspondence http://www.oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/kt0w1031nc
Copyright Status
Copyrighted
Copyright Statement
The unpublished works of John Muir are copyrighted by the Muir-Hanna Trust. To purchase copies of images and/or obtain permission to publish or exhibit them, see http://www.pacific.edu/Library/Find/Holt-Atherton-Special-Collections/Fees-and-Forms-.html
Owning Institution
Holt-Atherton Special Collections, University of the Pacific Library. Please contact this institution directly to obtain copies of the images or permission to publish or use them beyond educational purposes.
Copyright Holder
Muir-Hanna Trust
Copyright Date
1984
Pages
6 pages
Keywords
Environmentalist, naturalist, travel, conservation, national parks, John Muir, Yosemite, California, history, correspondence, letters
