The Gunnison country, 4,000 square miles of high valleys, heavy snows, deep canyons, and 14,000-foot-high mountains, is one of Colorado's most beautiful regions. Located on the Western Slope of Colorado, the Gunnison country has a long history involving Native Americans, mining, narrow-gauge railroads, ranching, Western State Colorado University, and recreation. The region has also been influenced by nearby Lake City in the San Juan Mountains, Aspen...

George Sibley's 2004 book of essays about learning to live in a small mountain valley in the central Colorado Rockies quickly became a classic, twice reprinted. Now he's back with a second edition that expands on the first with several new essays from the decade since 2004.