54 W E S T W O R L D A L B E R T A | S P R I N G 2 0 1 5 janice peters casey
ROADSIDE
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Canada Discovery Pass
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"For the majority of people who come, it's not to ride
horses, it's to see the backcountry," says Stuart Watkins, director of
the non-profit Trail Riders of the Canadian Rockies (TRCR). e orga-
nization has been leading rides into Alberta's wild places every sum-
mer since 1923. "e only way to see it is on horseback or on foot."
Horseback it is, then. is year, the group tackles Waterton
Lakes National Park, with a series of six-day rides. On day one,
participants settle in and claim a teepee at base camp. en, each
morning, they head out to some spectacular spot – an alpine
meadow, a waterfall, a mountain pass – that few eyes will ever
see. Nights are reserved for gourmet suppers – think steak and
prime rib – and campfires in the Donut Tent (round with a hole in
the top), with singsongs, jokes, storytelling, skits, square dancing
and cowboy poetry. It's a full immersion into cowboy culture, says
Watkins. But no riding or cowpoke experience is required to join a
TRCR adventure, and everything from the horses and saddlebags
to meals and cots is provided. Riders just need a sleeping bag, a
raincoat and personal effects. Watkins invokes the 1991 back-to-
the-land film City Slickers to describe his clientele, many of whom
are over 50 and have never ridden a horse: "It's like the movie, only
instead of a cattle drive, we do trail rides."
trailridevacations.com W
Joy Ride
