In 1912, the great American naturalist John Burroughs was asked by a preacher to talk to his parishioners on the gospel of nature. In his essay, Burroughs reflects on the impact and influence his excursions in nature had on his life. That I am a saner, healthier, more contented man, with truer standards of life, for all my loiterings in the fields and woods, I am fully convinced. This short work is part of Applewood’s American Roots series, tactile mementos of American passions by some of America’s most famous writers and thinkers.