Once again, welcome to The Artist's Journey.

Autumn is On Its Way

The woods of Wisconsin are not yet this colorful - though soon will be!

I made this photograph last October at the John Muir Memorial County Park near Montello, Wisconsin. It's a small park, yet very important to the environmental movement still today.

John Muir's Boyhood Home

Arriving from Scotland with his family as a young boy, Fountain Lake (now known as Ennis Lake) and the surrounding hillside became the Muir family farm and playground. It is here John Muir swam in the water, explored the wooded hillsides, studied the various ecosytems and honed his kinship with nature that shaped his life's work.

The Ice Age National Scenic Trail follows the shoreline as part of its 1,197 mile on its journey through Wisconsin.

Hking Alongside Ennis Lake

As I hiked this section of the Trail this week, the leaves on the trees were still filled with their summer green, save for a few that had fallen early. The sedge meadows along the shoreline were showing early changes to autumn. The cup plants, some of which had already transitioned, allowed their large leaves to rustle in the wind as I passed by.

Walking through the sedge meadows that John Muir so admired, touching the large oaks on the eastern shoreline, I found myself once again wondering what he might have been thinking as he stood in this very location.

What Were His Thoughts

Was the staunch oak tree, who's rugged bark I was now touching, just an acorn beneath his feet?

As one who has always been at home in nature, I felt a special bond with this lake, the shoreline, the trees - an honor to be in their presence. Perhaps an entertainer feels something similar standing in the circle at the Grand Ole Opry.

The Wisconsin Influence

"Oh, that glorious Wisconsin Wilderness" (John Muir)

John Muir is often associated with the mountains of California, yet few realize how Wisconsin had such an impact on this young lad from Scotland, the future founder of the Sierra Club!

An incredible legacy. The protection of wild places.

His Legacy - and Ours

Let us build on his legacy, protect wild places, understand the impact of climate change, be kind to one another - and help create a world future generations can enjoy -- just as John Muir and so many others have before us.