RIDING IN THE ROCKIES
Group offers horseback adventures
One of the great outdoor thrills that Canada offers is a trip by horseback into the majestic Canadian Rockies. Indeed, few things say Western Canada more than heading out on horseback into these breathtaking and stunning mountains.
Riders get away from cities, factories, cars, highways, cellphones, the Internet, television and people. They trade all that for mountain peaks and green valleys, crystal clear streams and forest trails, outdoor cooking and the companionship of a few like-minded souls. You don’t even have to be able to ride to do it, though you have to like horses and be willing to learn.
The Trail Riders of the Canadian Rockies is a non-profit group that wants fellow countrymen and international friends to enjoy this great land, to ride into the remote areas of the mountains with a good degree of comfort and at a reasonable cost.
They’ve been doing this for 91 years and this summer will host six-day rides in August out of Waterton Lakes National Park.
The cost includes everything from a membership in the organization and back-country user fees, to horses, accommodation and meals. Guests bring their own sleeping gear, extra clothes and other personal necessities. Individuals and families are welcome on the trips but anyone under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
The idea for Trail Riders was conceived in 1923 when a group of 14 riders, who were camping and fishing along the Kootenay River in the National Park of the same name, gathered around a campfire. Today, people from all over Canada, the United States and overseas join the Trail Riders each summer.
Many people come back year after year to renew acquaintances and make new friends. Some guests have been on 30 or more rides.
If there’s a requirement for membership, it’s that a person enjoy horseback riding, the great outdoors and the company of fellow riders.
Riding experience of the members ranges from very little to years in the saddle. Even those who don’t know which end of the horse the bridle goes on are welcome to swing into the saddle and take to the high trails with the experienced riders and guides.
The riders travel by bus to the trailhead corral, where they’re met by cowboys and horses. Here participants are matched with a horse according to the information given on their application form. Each horse is a sure-footed, well broken animal, accustomed to the sometimes rocky terrain and tolerant of the greenest tenderfoot.
At the base camp, riders are assigned to tents that will be their home for the next five days. There is a washstand with plenty of hot water available for use by guests, complete with hot showers and flush toilets.
For the next four days, the riders follow a basic daily plan. Breakfast is served from 8-9 a.m. It includes porridge, prunes or juice, eggs, bacon, pancakes alternating with French toast and omelettes.
The cowboys saddle the horses and by 9:30 a.m. riders are on the trail.
Each day, riders explore lakes, valleys, glaciers or mountain passes. The high, uninhabited valleys of the Rockies offer peace and contentment combined with the thrill of majestic vistas. There’s a sweep and majesty to this land, a towering grandeur and nobility, so powerful in its vast silence.
This alpine land abounds in larch, spruce and fir trees, mountain animals and birds, meadows and parklands leading to the near- by snow-capped peaks and ridges.
By noon, riders have reached their destination and lunch, consisting of sandwiches, cookies, oranges, snacks and tea and coffee is served near a lake or a stream.
After lunch, riders can fish, stroll or stretch out for a nap in the hot mountain sun.
A camera for these trips is a must. By late afternoon, you’re back in camp for “happy hour” before enjoying a three-course dinner. The main meal of the day at 6 p.m. is prepared for guests by the camp cooks. Chicken, steak, ham, roast turkey and barbecued beef are alternated.
By 7:30 p.m. guests will be enjoying an evening singsong, square dancing, storytelling and other entertainment that completes the day.
Each year the Trail Riders travel into a different area of the Rockies. This summer, the Trail Riders will explore the backcountry of the famous Waterton Lakes National Park, a UNESCO world heritage site. From base camp, daily rides will include trips to Twin Lakes, Rowe Lake, Crandell Lake, the Horseshoe Basin and Blue Lake.
The aim of the Trail Riders is to “encourage travel on horseback through the Canadian Rockies, to foster the maintenance and improvement of old trails and the building of new ones; to encourage the love of outdoor life, the study and conservation of birds, wildlife and alpine growth; and, to assist in every possible way to ensure the complete preservation of the National Parks of Canada for the use and enjoyment of the public.”
For further details about the Trail Riders of the Canadian Rockies, write to: Box 6742, Station D, Calgary, AB, T2P 2E6.
For a Trail Ride brochure, check outwww.trailridevacations.com, phone 1-844-560-5522 or email admin@trail-rides.ca.