270 THE ADVENTURES OF A NATURE GUIDE 



was with the idea of being able to serve others. 

 She had steadily developed since the day she ar- 

 rived. She had secured leisure and had used it. 



Last summer she was a nature guide — an in- 

 terpreter of nature — in the Rocky Mountain Na- 

 tional Park, licensed by the Government. Old 

 people gave her their attention, children were ex- 

 citedly interested, and everyone was exercising and 

 learning all at once. A trip with a nature guide 

 is a rare influence for children. Eagerly they look 

 and they listen; they see, they search, and they 

 think. It is an alluring and most effective way of 

 arousing the child mind so that it wants to know, 

 so that it starts investigating and exploring, so that 

 it insists on finding out. 



This new occupation is likely to be far-reaching 

 in its influences; it is inspirational and educational. 

 Any one who has a vacation or an outing in contact 

 with nature will have from the great outdoors its 

 higher values as well as a livelier enjoyment if ac- 

 companied by a nature guide. 



Many of the visitors to national parks are na- 

 ture enthusiasts, they appreciate having someone 

 out with them who can interpret some of the 

 wealth of local nature lore. There is geology, the 

 story of the glacial landscapes, the ways of resident 

 birds and the birds that come from southland for 

 summer and to nest; beaver houses, Bighorn moun- 

 tain sheep, brilliant Arctic flowers, the habits of 

 trees, and the romance of everything. 



