The Outdoor Life Adventure Co.

The Pied Piper

I sit and watch my children; they appear to be under a spell. They sit quietly, eyes open wide as they listen to a well-spun tale told by a man who captures their hearts with his playful manner and explosive gestures. Chris, who we met only a month ago, waved goodbye to, and waited anxiously for his return.

He entered our lives through a quick phone call seeking out a staging area for his climb up Mt. Sir Alexander. We were quite happy to accommodate him and after a short visit waved goodbye to him as he rolled out of our yard with his bike and trailer. He was to pedal from our place to a trailhead of his own making and head up for a summit attempt. He had food for 28 days and left his emergency contact information should he become overdue. We all waited while his car remained a constant reminder that he was out there somewhere with a deadline to meet.

Then as we returned from the river one day he was standing in the yard smiling and waving hello. The kids became ecstatic immediately and piled out of the truck with all sorts of questions for me initially and, as they warmed up to our guest again, many more for him. We spent dinner listening to and asking even more questions, and after the kids were treated to “show and tell” by Chris; crampons, ice climbing axes, mountaineering boots, emergency beacon, inflatable boat all to see and touch.

We are blessed to be some of the first to see his pictures, and even more fortunate to have him share with us.

 

It’s getting late and the kids still sit quietly, eyes glazed as they see pictures of bears, mountains, rivers, glaciers, and monster crevices flash by on the computer all the while Chris weaves them together in a grand tale. He is a skilled storyteller and mimicker of the sounds of rumbling and crashing of glaciers and rockslides, my kids are mesmerized.

I finally whisk the three of them off to bed and tuck them in as they continue their onslaught of new questions. “Mom can we climb mountains with Chris when we get older?” “Can we climb mountains as a family when we get older?” “ When will we be old enough?” I smile and say goodnight, knowing they would all dream of climbing mountains in their sleep.

We'll Take "The Works"

With a group from the prairies joining us for a few days and asking the age old question, "What is there to do out there?" we threw back a few suggestions. We could hike the old growth cedar forest, view spectacular waterfalls, jet boat on the river, tour an old road through a pristine wilderness setting, or take in some spectacular views of the mountains and glaciers. Sounds good they said. What in particular sounds good we asked. All of it they said. We'll take "the works".

Hiking through old growth forest.

Some of these trees are over 1,000 years old. 

 

We made it to the falls!

Heading down an old forestry road searching for wildlife. 

 

Heading into the Rockies.

The Fraser River. 

Hang on! Our driver is out for some fun!

Our driver loves to ensure EVERYONE has a good time!

Tired after a whirlwind three days? Yes.

The smiles are still pasted on their faces and ours.

Come and Gone

It came and went, the weekend where we open up the gates, put the horses somewhere safe and let the dirt fly. A small crowd arrives sporting dirt bikes, quads and all terrain vehicles. Children and adults gear up and head out into the fields to put the pedal to the medal and have an all around good time.

I can't say we participate, we have no "motors" and are quite content to propel ourselves the old fashioned way... by foot. Now its not to say we're a bunch of wet blankets because we are not. We love to watch our friends enjoy themselves, cheer the kids on as they gain confidence on their machines and wring our hands nervously at the site of wipe outs. We head out to the fields on our bikes and join in the fun, a little slower and a different kind of joy but we return with the rest with stories to tell.

Some of the kids sporting their "rides", mine are on their bikes. :)

I for one had a great weekend and a great ride!

Boring? Hardly.

As I rolled out of bed this morning I was planning my morning trek. Should I walk the road, or maybe down through the fields? They both seemed like two options that were becoming a little boring. I was trying to come up with other options, other places to go to put that freshness back into my mornings. The clock revealed that I was already a little behind and I opted for the quick and accessible. I walked our property.

I packed up my camera to seek out the bear tracks I had found the day prior and headed out the door. The first thing I noticed as I headed through the gate was a beautiful dew covered spider web. Hmmm maybe this walk wouldn't be as stale as I anticipated.

As I headed into the fields and down to the river I saw that this morning was unlike any other morning I had yet to experience in my treks. Same place but today everything was different. Mother Nature has a way of staying the same but orchestrating a new beauty everyday. Today it was the fog, lighting, dandelions gone to seed, spider webs... I was reminded of the amazing place we live.

 

 

  

Boring? Hardly.

 

3 Days, 2 Nights

This place is beautiful! The three waterfalls, water color, and mountain setting makes this a paradise right out of the movies. Better yet, this place is nestled way back where most don't even know it exists. I think you'll agree three days and two nights is a worthwhile investment to experience this up close and personal.