One of the alternate definitions of cornucopia is “an abundant supply of good things of a specified kind.†Using that definition, the wilderness areas of the US represent a cornucopia on the grandest scale.
We should not need a specific time designated for offering thanks, but November gives us two special opportunities. November 11 is Veterans Day and November 27 is Thanksgiving Day. Paraphrasing Chief Seattle, for some mysterious reason The Great Spirit has endowed the white man with lavish blessings. This applies to many aspects of our culture, but none more apparent than our scenic wonderlands. Practically every possible kind of ecosystem can be found in one or more of the 50 United States. Thanks to the vision of John Muir, many of the supreme examples of pristine wilderness have been protected in the US National Park System.
When Muir was lobbying hard for the establishment of a National parks system, most Americans thought he was a hobo nut case. The prevailing attitude was that if you could not farm it, mine it, dam it, or log it, it was worthless. Many men worked 16-hour days and women worked just as long keeping the home fires burning. Few could afford to go traipsing off to see a waterfall or pile of rocks. Scenic wonderlands cannot be fully appreciated without visiting them.
The custodian who cleaned my biology lab is a Mexican immigrant. One year, as Biodesigners organized the “tons†of camping gear, equipment and supplies necessary for the 6-day Yosemite trip, he smiled and asked, “Why do you want to go to the mountains to sleep outside? There are many people in Mexico who are still trying to find a place to sleep inside.†I think he was being partly facetious, but it was a point well taken. It has only been the last 50 years that masses of Americans have been able to afford the double luxury of time and money necessary to travel to the great scenic wonderlands.
Although Yellowstone Park was established in 1872, the US National Park Service was not established until August 25, 1916, 1.5 years after Muir’s death. However, in 1903, John Muir gave Teddy Roosevelt a personal tour of Yosemite, after which Roosevelt set aside millions of acres of Federal land in anticipation of the formation of the NPS.
Today there are 401 parks, monuments and reserves covering 84 million acres managed by the NPS. In 2013, a whopping 273,630,895 visited the parks. Other countries have individual examples of stunning scenery, however, taken as a group, the 58 US National Parks are unequaled. And, although nothing can compare with Grand Canyon’s “world’s greatest single page of natural history,†and nothing can compare with walking among Sequoia trees that are 387 feet tall, 25 feet in diameter and 2,000 years old, the 761,000 acre Yosemite Park remains the crown jewel of the NPS. The 3,000 ft. monolith of El Capitan would be enough; the 2,424 ft. high Yosemite Fall would be enough, but there are dozens of other breathtaking views.
Here is a partial list featuring some of the most famous attractions.
Half Dome, North Dome, and Cloud’s Rest.
Tuolumne Meadows and Lembert Dome.
The Valley and Tunnel views show the 8-mile-long, 1-mile-deep and 1-mile wide Valley.
Cathedral rocks, peaks and spires.
617 ft. Bridal Veil Fall.
Three Brothers and Eagle Peak.
Sentinel Dome and Spire.
Glacier Point, Nevada Fall and Vernal Fall.
Merced and Mariposa groves of Sequoia Dendron Giganteum (Giant Redwoods).
A wilderness cornucopia indeed,
Happy Thanksgiving.