Room Four, The David Brower Hell Raiser Room

• Upstairs
• 2 Twins
• 1 Twin (in the window seat)
• Sleeps up to 3

While we ponder the wisdom of having a "Hell Raiser Room," we do it in tribute to David Brower. After his fight to save the Grand Canyon lost the Sierra Club its tax-exempt status (but gained it 60,000 new members), Brower was kicked out of the club. He went on to found Friends of the Earth, now one of the largest environmental organizations in the world. FOE eventually kicked him out, too. But his motto for the organization, "Think globally, act locally," lives on. Among the other organizations he founded was the Earth Island Institute. While his crotchety style is much different than our own, he was, to us, the most important environmentalist of the 20th century. On the bedstand in this room you will find a copy of John McPhee's Encounters with the Arch Druid, an account of McPhee's travels with Brower, a fascinating insight into the workings of a man who brooked no compromise in the defense of Mother Nature. This room features two twin beds plus a twin-size window seat. Any hell-raising will have to be done quietly, and before 10:00 p.m.

To learn more about David Brower, click here.

A Note For Seminar Attendees: In order to best utilize the Mercantile’s four rooms, during seminars the Rachel Carson Room and the David Brower Room will be used as shared rooms for seminar participants (one room will be used for women, the other for men). While this is a bit out of the ordinary for B&Bs, it is de rigueur for retreat centers; we hope that the spirit of community and the opportunity to create new connections will help guests overcome their initial reticence of sharing a room. Consider it an uber-plush dorm room, with reduced rates to compensate for any shyness.