Adventures of a Nature Guide and Essays in Interpretation

by Enos A. Mills

“This is a beautiful world, and all who go out under the open sky will feel the gentle, kindly influences of nature and hear her good tidings.” Enos A. Mills believed that one man could make a difference. As a naturalist, guide, author and lecturer, he crusaded for parks and wilderness preserves. When he spoke, wrote or guided, he opened the hearts of his audience and kindled curiosity in the exciting wonders and benefits of Nature.

Genres: Nonfiction

251 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

Enos Abijah Mills was born in Kansas but moved to Colorado early in his life during a bout with digestive illness. At age 15, he made his first ascent of the 14,255-foot Longs Peak. Over the course of his life, he made the trip 40 times by himself and nearly 300 additional times as a guide.

In 1887, after returning to health, he moved to Butte, Montana. There he lived and worked intermittently until 1902, spending more summers traveling the West Coast of the United States, Alaska, and Europe. In 1889, he had a chance encounter with famed naturalist John Muir on a San Francisco beach, and from that point on Mills dedicated his life to conservation activism, lecturing, and writing.

In 1902, Mills returned to Colorado and purchased from his cousin the Longs Peak House in Estes Park. He eventually homesteaded in the surrounding area and later turned the Longs Peak house into the Longs Peak Inn, from which he treated guests to excursions into the wilderness and evening nature talks.

From 1902-1906, Mills also served as the Colorado State Snow Observer, a position that took him into the wild he so loved. His job was to measure the snow depths to predict spring and summer runoff. Following this position, he served as government lecturer on forestry from 1907-1909. During this time, he also authored several articles and books on nature and Estes Park area.

Throughout his time in various assignments, Mills was also leading the fight to preserve the area around Longs Peak as a national park. Aided by groups such as the Sierra Club and the Daughters of the American Revolution, Mills succeeded and Congress established Rocky Mountain National Park in 1915. Called the "Father of Rocky Mountain National Park," Mills continued to lecture and write books until his untimely death at age 52 in 1922.

From: National Park Service Founders: Enos Mills
http://www.nps.gov/home/historycultur...

Reviews

[Julie H. Ernstein · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually read the 2001 edition--in case there's anything different between it and the 1991 edition. In any event, this book is a classic in the world of heritage (natural and/or cultural) interpretation. Enos Mills, one of the founders of both nature guiding and the field that subsquently became known as professional interpretation, is a gifted storyteller. As a boy of 14, he left his home in Kansas and headed to the Rockies where he built a cabin at the foot of Long's Peak. This marvelous collection of essays recounts his experiences in the wilderness and the remarkable collection of plants, animals (some human, some not), and circumstances that he encountered along the way. Out of print since the 1920s, the Temporal Mechanical Press--a division of Enos Mills Cabin--are to be highly praised for getting this book back into circulation. Doubtless, it will reinforce a love of the great outdoors and respect for nature among readers of all ages.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

did not FINISH reading (interlibrary loan from Estes Park). Two essays that were noteworthy for me: Winter Mountaineering and Trees at Timberline. Need to check out from library again