On Desert Trails Today And Yesterday PDF Download

"As to when I shall visit civilization again, it will not be soon, I think. I have not tired of the wilderness; rather I enjoy its beauty and the vagrant life I lead, more keenly all the time. I prefer the saddle to the streetcar and star-sprinkled sky to a roof, the obscure and difficult trail, leading into the unknown, to any paved highway, and the deep peace of the wild to the discontent bred by cities. Do you blame me then for staying here, where I feel that I belong and am one with the world around me?"--From Everett's last letter to his brother Waldo before he disappeared, written November 11, 1934.Everett Ruess developed a profound connection with the arid wilderness of the Southwest. Finding inspiration in this land of harsh beauty, Everett wandered, painted, and wrote; his letters revealed an intelligent and gifted young man who was most at home in desert canyons and rugged mountains. In one of his poems, "The Artist's Song of Inspiration," Everett wrote: "Nature has shown me what to strive for, and I shall not be slow to follow her." Everett did follow Nature, and in November of 1934, at the age of twenty, Everett followed her into the Escalante region of southern Utah and never returned.On Desert Trails with Everett Ruess was teh first collection of Everett's writings and was originally published in 1940, six years after his disappearance. This commemorative edition once again makes available the writings that made Everett Ruess a wilderness legend.