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Grizzly Bear Viewing
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Grizzly Bear viewing at Chilko Lake, BC Canada
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.
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