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It has been a while since our last Newsletter in August. Much
has happened since.
Rates and dates updated for 2010:
We have now updated our trips with 2010 rates and dates (98%
of all trips).
You can also see a
list of all new trips online for 2010.
Create your own brochure:
We are very excited about our new “Create your own Brochure”
option on our website. While browsing, you will be able to “ADD Trip to Print
Brochure” ... it will be added to a “shopping cart” . When done ... just click
on the shopping cart. Here you have the opportunity to add more trips or just
print to a PDF file and save it to your computer for printing or viewing. This
will eventually replace our Print Brochures in an effort to “Go Green”. We
should have the new brochure option available online in the next days, so have
another look on next Monday !
The first module is online (still in Beta testing - more cool features to be added)
at:
http://www.hiddentrails.com/pub/brochure.aspx.
If you select a lot of trips,
be prepared to wait a few minutes for the PDF brochure to be processed.
Going Green:
Next to streamlining our reservation process that allows you to view your
invoice, voucher, travel documentation etc online at any time (and print of
course), we are also making every effort to eliminate as much paperwork as
possible. The first step is to reduce all printing of any document and brochure
– as much as possible. We are not 100% yet ... but working on new solutions
every day. We calculated that with our efforts we “save” about 100 trees a
year. In addition you now have the option via our website to make your
contribution to carbon neutrality via the principle of voluntary CO2
offsetting
– see http://www.hiddentrails.com/article/carbon_neutral_living.aspx
.
Getting ready for your trip:
To ensure that you are in the best possible shape for your
vacation, Hidden Trails has partnered with Fit for Trips to offer fitness
programs crafted specifically for your itinerary. Regardless of your fitness
level, ‘Fit for Trips’ easy to use step-by-step fitness programs will help you
make the most out of the trip that you have booked or just to get in shape
anyways. Have a look – there are some really good options and as a Hidden Trails
customer you will get an automatic 20% off when you mention this Newsletter from
Hidden Trails: http://www.hiddentrails.com/article/trip_preparation.aspx
Trip report:
On a recent visit to
Chilko Lake (host of our
Chilko
Explorer Ride and
Chilko
Wilderness Pack trips)
my wife and I experienced something very special. I have
been to Chilko Lake many times in the past and know it very well -
after all it
is one of our premier riding destinations - but this time the
experience
went beyond even my expectations. First we decided to visit after the
official
season had already been closed - we went to celebrate Canadian
Thanksgiving on
Oct.12. So we were not able to fly in as most of our clients do, but
had to drive. It was a wonderful drive, but it took close to 10 hour vs
a 1 hour
flight from Vancouver. We arrived in the evening just in time for a
quick
dinner. We were shown to our room and what a surprise it was. Chilko
has always
been one of my favorite places, but accommodations were always basic
... nice
enough with private bath ... but basic as it very remote (4+ hrs from
the closest town of Williams Lake). Our room was spectacular with a
nice little
gas fireplace, spacious and nicely decorated. And when we woke up the
next
morning - the view from our room was extraordinary. A breathtaking
vista over
the snow-capped mountains and the Chilko River - we just stood in awe
for a
while. But wait it got better. The lodge always had a nice
ambiance and I have many wonderful memories, but recently Karen, our
host, had
expanded and totally remodeled the facilities - it is now one of the
nicest
lodges I have been to - and I have seen many on my travels.
Most leafs had not changed colors yet and temperatures were still mild enough
to go for a great ride and chase some horses - exhilarating.
But wait - here
comes the best ! In 3 days we saw 18 wonderful, big, shiny, gorgeous
Grizzly bears feeding along the river banks. It was like in the movies. One
large bear was standing in the middle of the river grabbing some of the salmon
that had recently spawned and died (one of the 225.000 this year). Others were
just roaming the shorelines in search for their food to fatten up before winter
sets in. A spectacle we will never forget. Sure I have seen bears before ... but
this was really special and up close !
For 2010 we will offer some special Grizzly Bear
viewing trips in late September and early October - sign up early - we will only take 6 participants at a time.
On the last day it snowed 3 inches overnight (the first snow), so we had
an exciting drive out in the snow - a bit unexpected and it took us an extra 2
hours to get home - but both my wife and I were very happy.
See more
Grizzly Images
or extended Story
Special Offers:
as always we have a special page for "Special Offers" - there are some excellent
deals available if you act quickly ... they will not last.
Have a look at:
http://www.hiddentrails.com/tripfinder/specials.aspx
Media Center:
Our new Media Center is a great place to brose though our trips with an emphasis
on
Slide Shows, Online Videos, Trip Ratings and Travel Stories
... have a look
at the visually exciting section of our website at:
http://www.hiddentrails.com/media/index.aspx
Social Networks:
Your can now follow us on
Facebook and
Twitter .. or stay in touch with the latest updates and subscribe to our RSS Feed.
We look forward to
hearing from you again.
Have a great day !
Kind regards,
Ryan
Ryan Schmidt
Hidden Trails
659A Moberly Road
Vancouver, BC
Canada V5Z 4B3
- Explore the World on & with Hidden Trails -
Over 300 riding and outdoor destinations are listed on our
Internet:
http://hiddentrails.com
E-mail:
mailto:Ryan@hiddentrails.com
Tel: 604-323-1141
Fax: 604-323-1148
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