ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to cite evidence of Emerson's philosophical influence on Muir through their initial meeting. It explains how Emerson's work shaped Muir's Our National Parks. The chapter traces continuity from Emerson-as-Romantic-naturalist to Muir-as-early-environmentalist committed to the preservation of open space. It presents the claim that the "coniferous forests of the Yosemite Park, surpass all others of their kind in America, in the size and beauty of the trees". The chapter provides the poignant recollection of hiking with Emerson among the sequoias. The extremely sketchy notes Emerson left of his California trip show that he was so preoccupied with the natural grandeur of the mountains. Muir and Emerson eventually traveled to Mariposa Grove with sequoias, pines, and dogwoods surrounding them. A transition had just taken place in the transmission of "environmental philosophy" from Emerson to Muir, who had changed due to his encounter with Emerson.
