EXPLORING THE BACKCOUNTRY ON HORSEBACK
Pandemic provides rare opportunity for Canadians to enjoy experience that is normally difficult to book
We had been riding for a couple of hours through old-growth forest in Banff National Park when the sounds of civilization finally died out. We could no longer hear our cellphones vibrating or vehicles on the highway — just birds in the trees and the steady plodding of horses along the trail. I was completely at peace for the first time in a long while.
Riding on horseback into Banff 's backcountry is a trip of a lifetime. In a normal year, backcountry trips are fully booked 12 months in advance, but this is no ordinary year. “International guests book well in advance and account for about 80 per cent of our backcountry bookings,” explained Julie Canning, operating partner with Banff Trail Riders. “This season presents a real opportunity for Canadians to have experiences that would normally be fully booked by international guests. I hope they jump on this opportunity. We love having Albertans and Canadians on our iconic backcountry trips.”
When I proposed we go on a three-day backcountry horseback riding adventure, my husband, Greg, was a little reluctant. Three days riding through the Rockies is a dream trip for me, but he feared it would be a nightmare for him. Though he grew up on a ranch, it had been decades since he last rode a horse. The promise of spectacular scenery, wildlife viewing and a comfortable stay at the Sundance Lodge finally swayed him. After a hard day's ride, it's nice to look forward to a hot shower, a soft bed, and a delicious hot meal.
When the dates for our trip arrived, the weather forecast was terrible. According to the Weather Network, there was an 80 per cent chance of rain for all three days. There's no rescheduling a backcountry riding trip, so we drove through the pounding rain to get to Banff. Fortunately, the rain let up just as we arrived.
We met our horses, Bruce and Peyto, and our guide, Katie, at the stables and began loading our saddlebags for the ride out to Sundance Lodge. Katie gave us each a heavy brown cowboy raincoat to attach to the saddlebag. “Think of these raincoats as anti-rain insurance,” she said with a smile. “If we take them with us, we probably won't need them. If we leave them behind, we'll definitely need them.” Katie was right. We brought rain gear each day of our trip and never really needed it.
The ride into Sundance Lodge takes about four-and-a-half hours at a leisurely pace. We passed two elk shortly after leaving the stables. Twenty minutes in, we saw a medium-sized black bear in the woods just off the trail. Two mule deer walked right up to us while we were stopped for lunch beside Healy River. I had expected a sandwich, but Katie cooked steaks over an open flame and served them with potato salad and caesar salad.
We arrived at Sundance Lodge in the late afternoon and enjoyed some beverages, hot cheese dip and other snacks on the large wraparound outdoor deck. That evening we had grilled salmon for dinner. We were both a little stiff from the ride in, but it was nothing a hot shower couldn't fix.
There's something to be said for completely unplugging from technology. Some people call it a digital detox, which is a fairly accurate description. For three days, our phones became glorified cameras. With no data signal or Wi-fi, the only time we pulled them out was to take a picture.
Riding through the backcountry is incredibly beautiful and is another kind of solace to the soul. We enjoyed remarkable views of mountains, valleys and winding rivers each day of our trip. Wildlife was abundant. We watched a small herd of mountain goats moving across a high mountain ridge as we ate lunch on our second day, saw some playful hoary marmots, and even spotted a grizzly walking across the bridge near the lodge.
As we rode our horses back to civilization on the final day of our
trip, I heard the sounds of traffic on the highway just before my cellphone picked up a signal and began vibrating. I quickly turned it off to enjoy the last part of the ride without distractions. There's a special kind of peace that comes from riding in the mountains and I wanted to savour every second of it.