A Thousand-Mile Walk to the Gulf

In 1867, recovering from a serious eye injury, John Muir set out on a thousand-mile walk from Indiana to the Gulf of Mexico. This transformative journey, drawn from his early journals, captures the budding naturalist’s deepening love for the American wilderness.As Muir travels through Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida, he documents the plants, animals, and landscapes with awe and precision. His writing reflects not only a scientist’s eye but a poet’s soul-rich with curiosity, reverence, and a growing belief in the sacredness of the natural world.More than a travelogue, this is a meditation on nature and a record of awakening. The journey marks the beginning of Muir’s lifelong devotion to conservation and his future as the founding voice of America’s national parks.Readers are invited to walk beside him-through wild woods, open fields, and silent swamps-and to see the world anew through his wondering eyes.