John Muir and “The Range of Light” 1

By Betsy Schwarzentraub | October 1, 2025

I’m personally grateful for the life and work of John Muir, who gave most of his life to let people know the value and majesty of the wilderness. He publicized the beauty of the wilderness, to persuade Americans to protect it from commercialization. Muir persuaded U.S. President Teddy Roosevelt to camp overnight in Yosemite with…

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An Intrinsic Writer

By Betsy Schwarzentraub | September 11, 2023

Yesterday was the twelfth anniversary of my mom’s passing. I’m proud of her vibrant legacy. She was an intrinsic writer infused with high-energy living. Officially a traditional homemaker until she was fifty. Mom was basically a community advocate and organizer whose commitment arose out of following that radical1 Jesus. She entered Stanford at age sixteen,…

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John Muir, Earth Steward

By Betsy Schwarzentraub | April 21, 2016

Today, April 21, is John Muir’s birthday! Born in Scotland, he came to the United States and then to California. A devoted family man with his home in Martinez, he took over his father-in-law’s sheep business for ten years. Taking the sheep (and noticing their devastating effect) up to the Sierra Nevada mountains led him…

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