John Muir and Joseph LeConte

The Beginning Of A Friendship

John Muir had been living in Yosemite Valley for ten months when he first met Joseph LeConte. In August 1870 LeConte made his first trip to the High Sierra, leaving Oakland on July 21st on horseback with the University Excursion Party - a group of ten students.

The trip was made in the roughest style of camp life, each man carrying his bedding and extra clothing in a roll behind his saddle, and a packhorse bearing the food and camp utensils for the party. We had no tent, but slept under trees with only the sky above us.

On August 5th, after several days exploring the wonders of the Valley the group stopped at a saw-mill at the foot of Yosemite Falls and found a man in rough miller's garb, whose intelligent face and earnest, clear blue eye excited my interest.

It was John Muir. LeConte and Muir had already heard of each other through their mutual friend Jeanne Carr, wife of Professor Ezra Carr.

Hungry for intellectual conversation and stimulation, Muir was immediately drawn to Professor LeConte. More than 30 years later Muir reminisced, when he kindly invited me to join his party, of course I gladly left all my other work and followed him. This was to be the beginning of a life-long friendship and mutual admiration.

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