In this episode, we look at the early life of John Muir, and speak with actor Lee Stetson who has dedicated his life to portraying him throughout the world for forty years.

Muir’s legacy is controversial, leading to the Sierra Club’s recent 2021 denouncement of him. Join us for this first part of a series where we consider all sides of the life and work of John Muir.

Lee Stetson’s performances have brought the inspiration, humor, and conservation message of John Muir to many thousands of people. Since 1983, Lee has presented dramatic live enactments of John Muir in Yosemite National Park. He is often asked to provide Muir "voice overs" for films on Yosemite, national parks, or John Muir, including in Ken Burns' acclaimed PBS series "The National Parks: America's Best Idea." 

Lee Stetson is also the compiler and editor of a book, The Wild Muir: Twenty-two of John Muir's greatest adventures. For this book, Lee carefully chose death-defying episodes from every stage of Muir's life, prepared short introductions to place each in context, then arranged them chronologically so that the reader can vicariously enjoy Muir's life of adventure.