Meet Bruce Davies of North

Today we’d like to introduce you to Bruce Davies.

Hi Bruce, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Growing up on a small ranch north of Denver I’ve always had an affinity for the outdoors and animals. Going to college in Arizona I was drawn to the beauty of the desert then a job transfer to Florida found me exploring the lakes and swamps. Homesick for the mountains I brought my family back to Colorado. Volunteering for our local museum doing historic walking tours I had the idea to do snowshoeing tours. That took off and transitioned into full time nature and history tours. Thirteen years later and over 3000 trips into Rocky Mountain National Park I have a thriving tour business called Tour Estes Park LLC

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It’s been a gradual learning experience. Not so much the guiding part however the ins and outs of operating a business was more than a challenge. I deal with the Federal government for annual permits and monthly reports to operate in the NationalPark. I have a permit from the Colorado Public Utility Commission which allows me to transport people and which requires annual reports and vehicle inspections And the cost of reasonable liabilty insurance for an activity with some inherent risks is almost unbearable. Covid also presented challenges. I did get Federal assistance and started doing caravan tours where my guests would follow me into the Park while gradually weaning off the aid.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
There are many types of guides in Rocky Mountain National Park from photography to hiking and fishing. I am known as the historian and naturalist. There were as many as a thousand buildings withn Rocky when it was established in 1915 from homesteads to hotels and restaurants to even a golf course. I show the locations tell the fascinating stories of some of those people. I also stay in close contact with the Park through lectures and personal interaction with Park rangers, many of whom are scientists studying everything from plants and animals to climate change which I then share with my guests.

How do you define success?
I have guests from all over the world that I get to share the wonder and beauty of this marvelous place. I try to encourage my guests with the message that there are no independent organisms on earth. We are all connected and that the things that we do matter. I demonstrate this through examples of symbiosis using plants and animals like willows and keystone species like beavers and even fungus. It’s an uplifting message of hope that people can take to wherever they live. When after hearing my message and coming back again and again and referring friends and family to me year after year I call that success.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Tourestespark.com
• Instagram: Tour Estes Park
• Facebook: Tour Estes Park
• Other: Tourestespark@gmail.com

Image Credits
All images are by me, Bruce Davies