A fresh heir to Muir country
By Louis Sahagun, Los Angeles Times
LEE VINING — Gale-force winds were whipping whitecaps and spray across Mono Lake when Robert Hanna spotted a distant hiker.
It was a crummy day to chat up a stranger in a state park, but Hanna was upbeat, as usual.
He stepped hurriedly along a trail to introduce himself. “Hello there!” Hanna said, flashing a toothy smile. “Do you know that California wants to shut this place down? Would you like to sign our petition to keep it open?”
“Yeah, I guess so,” the man said.
“Wow! That’s great,” Hanna said, reaching to shake his hand. “Every signature counts.”
The hiker signed and traipsed off, not realizing he’d just shaken hands with the great-great-grandson of John Muir.