There are some travel quotes that sound beautiful, and then there are those that seem to describe a feeling almost. John Muir’s “The mountains are calling and I must go” belongs to the feeling category. The renowned American naturalist, in just a few words, managed to capture the almost irresistible beauty of mountains.For travellers, the quote is not simply about climbing a mountain. It is about that feeling of wanting to leave familiar surroundings and head somewhere where nature breathes. Muir wrote the line in a letter to his sister Sarah Muir Galloway on September 3, 1873.Who was John Muir?
Muir & family in 1888
Not many must be aware of the fact that John Muir was known as “John of the Mountains” and “Father of the National Parks”. He was born in Dunbar, Scotland in 1838 and moved to the United States with his family when he was only 11. He grew up to become America’s best-known naturalists and writers. His fascination with nature took him across mountains, forests and glaciers.His connection with the mountains became particularly strong after he reached California in 1868. He visited Yosemite that year and was so awed by the beauty of the place. Later, he spent time working and travelling in the Sierra Nevada.For Muir, travel was not merely about reaching a destination. The journey itself was a way of understanding nature.When the mountains become the destination
When mountains become destination (Canva)
A mountain holiday can be very different from a conventional city break. Instead of rushing from one attraction to another, travellers often find themselves slowing down and admiring distant peaks.Muir himself believed that nature had the power to restore and strengthen people. In another well-known passage, he wrote that people need beauty as well as bread, and places where nature can heal. That idea feels remarkably relevant today.Muir’s mountains were more than just beautiful
“The mountains are calling and I must go”
For Muir, however, the mountains were just beautiful. They were living landscapes worth understanding and protecting. His experiences in Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada eventually shaped his conservation work. He wrote extensively about wilderness and became an important voice in the movement to protect America’s natural landscapes.His advocacy contributed to the establishment of Yosemite National Park in 1890.When President Theodore Roosevelt and Muir travelled together
Roosevelt and Muir in 1903 (Wiki)
In 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt joined Muir for a wilderness trip in Yosemite. They spent several days exploring the region and admiring the beauty of the place.A travel lesson hidden in the quote“The mountains are calling and I must go” can easily be read as an invitation to the mountains. But there is another layer to it.The quote also reminds travellers that some journeys begin long before the ticket is booked. Sometimes, it starts with a photograph of a distant mountain or a road disappearing into the hills. And the mountains do not necessarily have to be the Himalayas, the Alps or the Sierra Nevada. They can be any place.More than 150 years after Muir wrote those words, their appeal remains surprisingly simple: sometimes, the best reason to travel is that somewhere far away is quietly calling you.
