Carl Day
13 Apr 2014
Essay

The Incredible Journey
Muir's incredible memory of traveling from Scotland, and forever leaving behind his beloved grandfather, grandmother, and the seaside. Setting out with his father and other siblings for America; he was never afraid of the journey and vast ocean full of unknowns, but was actually very excited to see and explore the new land he would soon call home. While at sea John learned the ways of sailing and all the hard work it took to do so. All the while singing with the sailors the songs that they would enjoy during their long days; Muir would also learn the tales of each of the sailor’s onboard, helping him understand each person is different and has independent stories as well as very different lives. He was a very intelligent little boy. The Captain of the ship, so impressed with him, would sit down to tell him stories and give him books to read during the course of the long journey to America. Muir not only embraced his surroundings, he also learned from them with patience and understanding.
As a boy, Muir found everything in the wild fascinating to hear and observe. Always respecting everything he encountered and never underestimating his surroundings; he looked at everything with respect and love. Very inquisitive for a young boy, seeking the knowledge of those who came into his life, be it the sailors onboard the ship or the people his father hired to help clear the land in Wisconsin; he was a young man who cared for more of what a person knew instead of what the person had. Growing up this way made him a very well-rounded man later in life because he didn’t care about the wealth or lack thereof of the person, but rather looked at that person with respect and dignity, realizing they have stories and information to share as well.
To him knowledge of his surroundings was the most important thing he could acquire and he took great pleasure in learning from everyone.
He explored nature as if it were the only thing in his life that could make him happy. Seeking to get away when he could to visit nests, watering holes, and even to ride his beloved pony across the meadows as fast as he could. Maybe he used this as a way to self-heal while he was away from his mother and the rest of his siblings? Perhaps the hardest lesson for him to learn was that everything dies eventually. Watching as a part of the family (his favorite horse) passed away right before his eyes was a lesson he would never forget about how fragile life and the balance of nature is. Learning everything he could about nature