Close reading of two sections of Dharma Bums by Jack Kerouac: Gary Snyder and Kerouac on Matterhorn Peak in the Sierra Nevada and Snyder and Kerouac on Mt. Tamalpais in Marin County. Specifically, the class will explore the meanings of “You can’t fall off a mountain,” (said by Kerouac to Snyder on Matterhorn Peak) and “The closer you get to real matter the more spiritual the world is,” (said by Snyder to Kerouac on Mt. Tamalpais).