In his 1911 book, The Mountain Trail and its Message, Albert Palmer relates the words
of famed environmentalist John Muir explaining why he disliked the word "hike."
"People ought to saunter in the mountains-not hike! Do you know the origin of that word
'saunter?' It's a beautiful word. Away back in the Middle Ages people used to go on
pilgrimages to the Holy Land, and when people in the villages through which they passed
asked where they were going, they would reply, 'A la sainte terre,' 'To the Holy Land.'
And so they became known as sainte-terre-ers or saunterers. Now these mountains are
our Holy Land, and we ought to saunter through them reverently, not 'hike' through them."
Which conclusion could be made by Palmer that logically follows from the words of Muir?
1 People who rush through life seeking money and amusement are missing
out on things of greater value: beauty, love, and friendship.
2
3
People should not be so foolish as to base their entire belief system upon
a myth or hard-to-confirm historical account.
People who are environmentalists are the only ones who can appreciate
nature and they should go there regularly.