CANADIAN WILDERNESS CHALLENGE | 21. ST. – 30. TH ... As this year's
challenge was slightly farther away we had a bit of a journey ahead of us. I took
the.
CANADIAN WILDERNESS CHALLENGE | 21ST – 30TH AUGUST 2011 My adventure of a lifetime .....
As this year’s challenge was slightly farther away we had a bit of a journey ahead of us. I took the train to Inverness on the Saturday, bus to Aberdeen and met one of the other challengers, Heather, at Aberdeen Airport. From there we flew to Heathrow and stayed the night meeting up with Gill and Janie. The following morning Fran (World Horse Welfare) met us all at Heathrow Airport; other challengers were Michelle, Ruth, Laura, Kirsty, Nicky, Di and Anne (tour manager). We flew to Vancouver that lunchtime; with an 8 hour time difference we left London at 12.50pm and arrived in Canada 2.25pm (same day)!!! We stayed the night in Vancouver and treated ourselves to a soak in the hot tub and a swim in the pool before dinner and bed.
Start: Vancouver – Chilcotin Holidays Guest Ranch, Gold Bridge Day 1: River ride The bus collected us at the hotel and left for Gold Bridge about 7.20am, we had a very chatty bus driver called Frank. With a long journey ahead of us and pouring rain there wasn’t much else to do but snooze. For the 3 of us (Janie, Laura and I) sitting on the back seat it was a rather bumpy ride. As we got closer to Gold Bridge the rain stopped and the sun shone. After a tasty lunch on the ranch, Russ showed us the map of where we would be riding and then Paul gave us a Bear Awareness talk!! (Putting our minds at ease?!) We got our saddles and introduced to our horses, mine was the cool ‘MR T’. After a short orientation; getting used to the western saddle and neck reining, we set off on a river ride. It was a great way to start the challenge. Back at the ranch we had our dinner and relaxed then off to bed for an early night! Day 2: Chilcotin Holidays Guest Ranch to Spruce Lake camp After a group picture we were set for our ride to Spruce Lake where our camp was for the whole trip. It was a gorgeous day so we could take full advantage of the beautiful scenery. About an hour into the journey word was passed down the line that a bear had been spotted but was out of sight when I passed. We ate our lunch in the hot sunshine at Eldorado Bridge. It was late in the afternoon when we reached camp; there was a corral to keep the horses in and plenty of trees/posts to tie them to. We un‐tacked and fed the horses; then we were shown to our tents and around the camp. Then Russ made us an offer we could not refuse – bareback riding out the meadow. It was such good fun; however for some people their horses weren’t as comfy (ouch!). The horses were hobbled for the night with plenty of grass to keep them content. Now we were told this meadow was only 1km away but after riding there and walking back we were a bit sceptical!! Definitely a Canadian km. Haha! That evening we had a lovely meal – lasagne, salad and garlic bread – yummy. We were treated to Russ singing Cows with Guns on the guitar and few other cowboy songs. We then headed the bed, it starts to get dark about 8.30pm so armed with our torches (and head torches) we cleaned our teeth in groups and climbed into our sleeping bags ready to experience our first night in camp. I woke up in the middle of the night to scratching around our tent, obviously my first thought was it was a bear but I think it must have only been a squirrel or chipmunk as I was told ‘you would have known if it was a bear!!’. Once my heart had stopped racing and my breathing went back to normal I managed to get back to sleep.
Day 3: Spruce Lake to Open Heart After a delicious breakfast of fruit and pancakes & maple syrup (yummy) we left the camp, Russ and Dale had been up early to gather the horses in and tack them
all up for us. The plan was to ride through the lower meadows but on the sighting of a bear we rode higher and higher to follow it. We got a good look at the bear but from a bit of a distance. Russ led us to Open Heart, stopping about half way up at a viewpoint; the scenery around us was fantastic. We were high about Spruce Lake and could see how far it stretched. Russ told us to look out for a certain type of pinecone as they have pine nuts in them, the next thing we knew he was half way up a tree gathering some!! We then rode higher up the mountain and climbed right to the top – wow what an awesome panoramic view. We could see for miles and miles, looking out onto the coastal mountains with snow on them. We were about 7000ft above sea level; it was a bit cooler up there so on with my WHW hoody. It was lunchtime so we walked the horses down to a nice grassy patch and let them graze while we had our lunch. The horses had been fantastic and so sure footed coming up the hill so to give them a break we led them most of the way down (only fair). We had crossed quite a lot of slate on the side of the mountain so we were encountering how hard the horses had to work on the way up! Once on lower ground we mounted and rode back to the camp. The horses were fed so it was back to bareback riding out to the meadow. A smaller crowd of willing volunteers tonight! It had been such a lovely day that I was sure the Lake would be warm, so after a paddle about I went for a swim. It was cool but refreshing and at least I was clean afterwards. Had dinner a bit later; chicken thighs and veg. The wine was cracked open and we had a fun evening!!
Day 4: Spruce Lake to Hummingbird Lake Our guides, Russ & Dale, worked so hard during the trip – they were up at 6(ish) to gather the horses in and had tacked them all up before breakfast. This morning I thought it was only fair to give them a hand with the saddles. I mastered the art of carrying the heavy saddles and pads by balancing the saddle on my hip and carrying the pad in the other hand. Who needs to go to the gym! I brought the saddles out to the horses and left the tacking up to the professionals! Then it was down to the cabin where Russ cooked us breakfast – tasty eggs, bacon toast and a fruit salad. Today we were riding to Hummingbird Lake. The sky was clear and the sun was warm – another beautiful day. We nd rode through some lovely pastures to the Old Cowboy camp (see 2 pic) where we stopped for a break. Starburst all round from Gill ☺. We arrived at Hummingbird Lake at lunchtime – wow it was a stunning lake; blue/green in colour from the minerals from the Glaciers that feed into it. We had our lunch on the picnic bench and enjoyed the sunshine. Came home via the Old Cowboy camp, with some nice flat meadows we had a couple of canters which was great fun and pretty smooth. Once back at camp, we un‐tacked our horses and fed them. We rode the horses bareback out to the meadow (rider numbers were depleted again!!), which was great fun. When we came back I walked down to my tent and was greeted by a waft of sweet smells – I knew Laura and Ruth had been in the shower!! Haha. By the time we walked back most of the others had been in the showers (and some in the lake too!) – no wonder numbers were low. The shower was hot and it felt pretty good to get my hair clean again. Down to the cabin for dinner – salami and cheese to start then smoked ham, veg and fancy tatties! Pudding also! The wine was brought out again but unfortunately there wasn’t much left – how did that happen??!! Had a good natter around the table and then headed to bed.
Day 5: Spruce Lake to Windy Pass This morning I set my alarm early as I was joining Russ and Dale to gather the horses in at 6am (ish – I say ‘ish’ as I was ready at 6 but had to wait 10 minutes for them!!!! haha). Some of the horses had bells around their necks so they were relatively easy to hear where they were. We walked out to the meadow and found one group of horses, un‐hobbled them and went in search of the rest. Once they were all found they raced through the meadows and tracks back to camp, they knew exactly where they were going. After helping with the saddles it was breakfast time. All I can say is that we have certainly been well fed at the camp and I usually took full advantage of this! Today we were riding to Windy Pass, there were some quite steep sections at times but the horses took it all in their stride. We passed a few hikers; even their dog had a back pack! We stopped for a break beside a river to let the horses get a drink and refill our water bottles. As we got closer to the top there were quite a few pockets of snow lying around and one large area of snow right on the ridge and hanging over. Once we reached the top we had hoped to see a herd of goats that another group spotted but they must have moved on. It was such a fantastic view that we lined up (all wearing our hoodys) to have our picture taken. There was a large bank of snow so got some pictures in front of that; Russ, Dale and Paul rode on the top of the snow which made a great picture. Further on there was a nice spot for lunch; letting the horses graze while we relaxed in the sunshine. Once we got back to the top of the hill we dismounted and led the horses down to the bottom. What’s great about western riding is that you can mount and dismount from either side, depending what side is easier to get on from (the one with the hill!). Once everyone had made it to the bottom, we came home via the farther side of the lake. As we approached a small meadow, there before our eyes was a black bear strolling through. We were so close to it and got some great pictures. As it disappeared into the trees we tried to see where it went but it was gone. A perfect ending to the day. But we weren’t done yet, above us on the hillside was a rock face covered in fossils so we rode up the hill and had a look. There were fossils all over the ground – pretty cool. When we got back to camp the routine was the same; un‐tack, feed and ride out to the meadow. Tonight I wasn’t riding Mr T as he was being kept back so I could ride out with Russ (on Castle) and Dale (on Pearson) the next morning to gather the horses in (saving some time). Tonight I hopped on Saully, Heather’s horse, not quite as comfy as Mr T . Once we got back it was nearly time for dinner. Tonight we were spoilt with roast beef which smelt and tasted delicious. Once dinner was over, Russ got his guitar out and played The Gambler, Cows with Guns, AC/DC and a couple of other songs. A fun way to spend our last night in camp.
Day 6: Spruce Lake to Chilcotin Holidays Guest Ranch up early and we tacked up our horses; headed out to the I was meadow in search of the other 12 horses. It was fascinating how Russ & Dale used the tracks made by the horses to find out where they were (or had been). The horses had split into 2 groups; we got them all rounded up and cantered through the meadow back to the camp. It was so peaceful out there. Once all the saddles were set out by their respective horses it was time to pack up our stuff and take our duffle bags down to the cabin ready to be loaded onto the horses. After another lovely breakfast of scrambled eggs and pack fruit salad, the cabin was packed up and cleaned. The 3 pack horses were loaded up with the food and our luggage and we set off about 10.30am. It was another glorious day, we couldn’t have wished for better weather. We were following the track we had taken up to the camp but for a change of scenery Russ decided to take us on another trail. It followed the river but quite high up then we descended down to the river edge and rode in the water. This route was a bit more challenging, more for us than the horses, but it was great. You could put your full trust in the horse, knowing they would not put a wrong. After ducking under and around a few trees and foot following the twisty path we were back at Eldorado Bridge for our stop. We had just completed an old trail that had not been lunch used for many years with pack ponies – we were proud of our achievement! We enjoyed the sunshine for a while then it was a straight ride home to the ranch. It was even hotter down there. After un‐tacking the horses, they were checked over and put into the corral where they had a well deserved roll. We then lined up for a shower and it was dinner time. We had a lovely bbq and then chocolate cake to follow. We retired to the comfy seats and Anne and Janie gave a speech thanking Russ, Dale and Paul for a fantastic trip, we really had had an amazing experience. We celebrated with a couple of glasses of wine and Russ playing ‘Cows with Guns’ for a final time. Day 7: Chilcotin Holidays Guest Ranch to Vancouver
Our last day on the ranch . We had breakfast then had a couple of hours to try our hand at cracking the whip, lassoing and target shooting. Dale and Russ demonstrated cracking the whip and what a crack was heard! I think I managed the slightest crack. Onto the lassoing, Russ demo’d it on a post then onto a moving target (Dale!). I got the post 3 times out of 3, beginners luck! Then onto target shooting; we all took a shot of each either lying down, kneeling or standing up. When it came to my turn, a deer decided to stand right beside the target – I was concentrating so hard on the target that I didn’t notice. Shouts came from behind me but with earmuffs on, it was hard to hear them!!! The deer was shooed out of the way and I continued! Michelle was victorious as most accurate shooter but we were all pretty good. Now it was time to get packed (quite a task) as Frank had arrived to take us back to Vancouver. After lunch we said our goodbyes and began the long journey back to the hotel. We stopped at Brandywine Falls (recommended by Nicky) to stretch our legs and have a look at the lovely falls. It was well past dinner time by the time we arrived at the hotel so we went straight to a nearby restaurant. We had the next day to spend in Vancouver, we went down to Granville Island (pic opposite) for a look around the shops and a bite to eat. Our flight was at 8.50pm so we were given dinner and breakfast. By the time we arrived in London it was about 2pm the next day. We said our goodbyes (quite emotional) and went our separate ways – jetlag kicking in later on!!!! A FANTASTIC TRIP & GREAT COMPANY ☺
Thank you again for your kind and generous donations; it has helped me to raise over £3300 for the World Horse Welfare. This challenge alone has raised over £10,000 from all the challengers and this will go directly to helping horses in the UK and all around the world. What’s next …… A rest!!!! ☺
