John Muir arrived in California in 1868, and it was shortly after his first visit to the High Sierra that he dedicated himself to preserving the natural beauty of his adopted homeland. He wrote in his diary that "John the Baptist was not more eager to get all of his fellow sinners into the Jordan River than I to baptize all of mine in the beauty of God's mountains." When he tried to convince his readers to get out of the city and go up into the mountains, he wrote with the fervor of an evangelist: "Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves."

Even when he was caught in an avalanche, John Muir invoked images from scripture to describe the experience. He was hiking up the steep side of a canyon above the Yosemite Valley, when the loose snow began to give way. Rather than fighting it, Muir decided to relax and give in. "When the avalanche started, I threw myself on my back and spread my arms to try to keep from sinking....On no part of the rush was I buried...though I was tossed here and there and lurched from side to side. When the avalanche swedged and came to rest I found myself on top of a the crumpled pile without a bruise or a scar. This was a fine experience....This flight in what might be called a milky way of snow-stars was the most spiritual and exhilarating of all the modes of motion I have ever experienced. Elijah's flight in a chariot of fire could hardly have been more gloriously exciting."