On this date in hiking history: The most important camping trip ever

News and Adventure from Glacier National Park

The following is an adaptation from Ramble On: A History of Hiking.

On this date in 1903, John Muir commenced a historic three-night camping trip with President Theodore Roosevelt in Yosemite. Most historians now regard this as the most important camping trip ever.

Thirty years prior, John Muir moved to Oakland, California, and began writing articles for several leading magazines that brought national attention to himself and his causes. In addition to writing about his wilderness travels, Muir lectured his readers about nature, conservation, and the preservation of wild places. He also brought attention to the damage being inflicted on wilderness as a result of the progress of man. Muir’s advocacy and influence helped to establish Yosemite, Sequoia and the General Grant Grove as national parks in 1890. In subsequent articles he promoted the creation of Petrified Forest, Grand Canyon and Mount Rainier as well, all of which eventually led to him becoming known as “The Father of our National Parks.”

Muir’s writings eventually caught the attention of President Theodore Roosevelt. While touring the American West in 1903, Roosevelt arranged to meet with Muir in Yosemite. Traveling by horseback, the two men, along with two rangers and a packer guide, camped three nights in three different locations around the park.

On their first night, the party camped under the Grizzly Giant in Mariposa Grove. Roosevelt reportedly bedded down on a pile of 40 wool blankets that night.

On the second night, the party camped near Sentinel Dome. That evening, a surprise late-spring snowstorm dumped 5 inches of fresh snow on the campers. The next morning, Muir and Roosevelt posed for what would become their famous photo at Glacier Point. What happened to all that snow? Perhaps it was late in the morning when the photo was taken, and thus the snow had already melted.

American Heritage magazine claims that Roosevelt was overcome with emotion after witnessing the sublime beauty of the Yosemite Valley from this lofty perch. A passage in the article states:

Casting his eyes now on what many believed was the most spectacular panorama in the nation, the nation that he led, Roosevelt felt a welling of emotion. Not only was it a sight of awesome beauty and grandeur; it was an immense responsibility. Though, if tears streaked his face, as was reported, you would never know it from the photo. The photographer, who took two shots of the pair and two of Roosevelt alone, made sure of that.

The March 1959 edition of Yosemite Nature Notes also confirms this little known tidbit in American history: “It is said that he cried from sheer emotional joy as he viewed the floor of the Valley from Glacier Point.”

Perhaps sensing Roosevelt was now in the proper frame of mind, Muir felt confident that he could persuade the President on his preservation views and concerns later that evening.

On their third and final night in the park, the two towering figures camped along the edge of Bridalveil Meadow in the Yosemite Valley. Around the campfire that evening, Muir urged the President to return the California State grant lands of the Yosemite Valley and Mariposa Grove back to the federal government so that they could be incorporated into Yosemite National Park (established in 1890). He also spoke about the broader needs for more wilderness protections across the country. Muir later bragged to a friend that he had “stuffed [Roosevelt] pretty well regarding the timber thieves, and the destructive work of the lumbermen, and other spoilers of our forests.” His lobbying efforts had their desired effect. In 1906, Roosevelt signed the Yosemite Recession Bill, which withdrew the Yosemite Valley and Mariposa Grove from the state of California and incorporated them into Yosemite National Park. Moreover, after that fateful camping trip, Roosevelt would proceed to establish 3 additional national parks, 143 national forests, 18 national monuments, 51 federal bird reserves and 4 national game preserves. In all, Roosevelt would place roughly 230 million acres of public land under federal protection during his presidency.

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Virtually no one went hiking before the 19th century. What occurred that inspired ordinary people to take a walk through the woods for pleasure? Ramble On: A History of Hiking explores the rich history of hiking, and how it evolved into one of the most popular pastimes in the world.