With our favorite campsite and dude ranch closed for the season, we had to get our trail riding fix somewhere else. We decided to head out to the front ranges of the Rockies and go for a trail ride at McKenzies Trails West. This stable is right along the David Thompson Highway, between Nordegg and Saskatchewan Crossing, not far from the shores of Abraham Lake.
This weekend I was going camping with seven women. Back in my younger days this would have been exciting. Trust me, it sounds a lot more glamourous than it really is... especially since the majority of them were under twelve years of age. Julia is still here in Canada and came along with us for the weekend. This was not her first time on a horse... but the first time in about 30 years [Ha Ha!].... Margarit's girlfriend Shelley and her daughter Amy joined us as well. We met up at the Harlech Campsite, east of Nordegg, on Friday evening. It was relaxing to sit around the fire for a while after a busy week. We turned in moderatly early as we had to pack up and hit the road by about 9:30AM the next morning. It was still a 3/4 hour drive from here to the stable and we needed to be there by about 10:30. Surprisingly we made it with a little time to spare.
Four other riders, from Saskatchewan and Manitoba joined us. We headed out right on time... at 11:00AM. We were on what they called the Canyon Ride... a three hour ride, with a lunch break, up to Coral Creek Canyon. Normally the cost is 100 bucks per rider, but this time around we qualified for the volume discount.
The family that runs the stable is really nice... Something about horse people... they all seem to have a real down to earth quality. This was to be Helena's first ride on her own. In years past she had always been a passenger in a buddy saddle. This time around she had a horse to herself, though she was led by our guide... Logan. Helena and her fearless steed "Dino" seemed to really hit it off and she did really well.
The trail wound up through the trees for a while and eventually we broke out onto a high ridge above Coral Creek Canyon. This is a small creek that feeds into Cline River, and then later into the North Saskatchewan. We stopped at a really scenic spot with a view over the creek and had our lunch. After lunch we mounted up again and took a different trail back through the trees to the stable. The weather was sunny and warm and we had a great afternoon. I'm sure we'll be back here again....
Maybe next time we'll try the steak ride... which includes a Steak BBQ dinner!
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