Bracewell Wilderness

Verse 1
Bracewell wilderness signs, standing proud in view,
The government posted them, so it must be true.
Three generations of conservation, that’s a little history,
From Gerry’s matriarch wisdom to the lessons taught to me.

Chorus
Central in the Chilcotin Ark, where the wild sheep roam,
Teaching the conservation philosophy, making this land our home.
Sheep and mountain goat transplants, a legacy renewed,
No roads through the valleys, just the wild and the few.

Verse 2
From the early days of guiding, when Gerry broke the mold,
To a family of stewards, letting the wilderness unfold.
Signs on the boundary, a promise to defend,
No roads to the heartland, just the mountains and the wind.

Chorus
Central in the Chilcotin Ark, where the wild sheep roam,
Teaching the conservation philosophy, making this land our home.
Sheep and mountain goat transplants, a legacy renewed,
No roads through the valleys, just the wild and the few.

Bridge
The wilderness signs mark more than a place,
They’re a testament to vision, grit, and grace.
From government decree to the stories we share,
Conservation’s our calling, and we teach it with care.

Verse 3
So if you see the signs, know the story runs deep,
Of matriarchs and mentors, and promises we keep.
From the heart of the Ark to the high alpine snow,
No roads, just wild places, where only true hearts go.

Chorus
Central in the Chilcotin Ark, where the wild sheep roam,
Teaching the conservation philosophy, making this land our home.
Sheep and mountain goat transplants, a legacy renewed,
No roads through the valleys, just the wild and the few.

Outro
Bracewell wilderness signs—let them always remind,
That this land is protected by the stewards in line.
Three generations strong, and the story’s not through,
In the heart of the Ark, we’ll keep it wild and true.

Verse 1
She stepped off the train at eighteen, chasing wild mountain dreams,
Prairie girl with a rifle, riding into Chilcotin streams.
Circle X Ranch was calling, where the wild horses run,
She broke every rule, first female guide under the sun.

Chorus
Gerry, get your gun, blaze the trail, ride for fun,
Matriarch and pioneer, guiding where the rivers run.
First in British Columbia, oldest, longest in the game,
Circle X and Chilcotin, everyone knows her name.

Verse 2
She learned from KB Moore, packed horses through the snow,
Raised four sons on the range, taught them all she knows.
Big game on the skyline, clients from far and wide,
She led them through the wild, with steady hand and pride.

Chorus
Gerry, get your gun, blaze the trail, ride for fun,
Matriarch and pioneer, guiding where the rivers run.
First in British Columbia, oldest, longest in the game,
Circle X and Chilcotin, everyone knows her name.

Bridge
She built a legacy of strength, in a man’s world stood tall,
Community builder, conservation at the heart of it all.
From saving the post office to teaching girls and boys,
She showed the wild was for everyone, and found her greatest joys.

Verse 3
Through storms and hard winters, with grit and a grin,
She mentored new guides, let the next story begin.
Matriarch of the mountains, her legend will remain,
In every wild sunrise, you can still hear her name.

Chorus
Gerry, get your gun, blaze the trail, ride for fun,
Matriarch and pioneer, guiding where the rivers run.
First in British Columbia, oldest, longest in the game,
Circle X and Chilcotin, everyone knows her name.

Verse 1
Before ’53, no road west to the sea,
Just mountains and dreams, wild and free.
When the government said, “It can’t be done,”
The Bella Coola crew said, “We’re not done.”
With a can-do spirit and a stubborn pride,
Volunteers and neighbors working side by side.

Chorus
Freedom Road to the Pacific, carving hope from stone,
Canada’s third gateway, built by hands alone.
Elijah on the Cat at the bottom, Alf on the Cat at the top,
Daylight till dark, they just wouldn’t stop.
Fixing breakdowns on the trail, doing the impossible every day,
Freedom Road to the Pacific, they built their our own way.

Verse 2
Gerry packed her camera, Marty and Barry at her side,
Riding through jack pines, where the wild horses hide.
With Baptiste Elkins guiding, through swamps and grassy mead,
They followed muddy Cat tracks, chasing history’s lead.
At the camp, Alf welcomed them, blasting through the stone,
Eighty-degree mountains, making the wild road their own.

Chorus
Freedom Road to the Pacific, carving hope from stone,
Canada’s third gateway, built by hands alone.
Elijah on the Cat at the bottom, Alf on the Cat at the top,
Daylight till dark, they just wouldn’t stop.
Fixing breakdowns on the trail, doing the impossible every day,
Freedom Road to the Pacific, they built their our own way.

Bridge
Two D6 Cats, one from Anahim, one from Bella Coola town,
Carving through the Coast Range, never backing down.
Gerry filmed the blasting, the sweat and the strain,
Pushing rubble to the edge, in the wind and the rain.
A thousand-foot drop, but the will to survive,
The road came together, the Chilcotin alive.

Verse 3
The crews met in September, the valley rang with cheers,
A two-year miracle, built with grit and no fear.
The talk of the Chilcotin, a legend born that fall,
Gerry left her camera with Alf, to capture it all.
A few months later, love found its way—
Alf and Gerry married, and the story lives today.

Verse 1
Gerry had a vision, Alf made it real,
At Cheshi Pass, where the wild winds heal.
Kevin and Alex drew up their dreams,
Marty and Barry too, building more than it seems.
A hundred years since KB found Tatlayoko’s shore,
Now the Bracewell name means even more.

Chorus
Logs on the loader, snow melting away,
Short building season, they worked every day.
From July to the first snow, they hammered and sawed,
Bracewell Lodge rising, against all the odds.
Every timber milled by Alf, every nail driven true,
Legacy in the making, with a mountain view.

Verse 2
Kevan left Kamloops, the city’s air too thin,
Came home with blueprints, ready to begin.
Twenty-six rooms, all built from the land,
A staircase like a river, curving by Kevin’s hand.
Alf on the sawmill, chinking logs with care,
Railway ties for trucking, ingenuity everywhere.

Chorus
Logs on the loader, snow melting away,
Short building season, they worked every day.
From July to the first snow, they hammered and sawed,
Bracewell Lodge rising, against all the odds.
Every timber milled by Alf, every nail driven true,
Legacy in the making, with a mountain view.

Bridge
First guests in ’85, while the hammers still rang,
Private baths in every room, the Chil-coh-tin sang.
Kevin’s furnace roaring, wood tables and chairs,
Solid as the mountains, built to outlast the years.

Verse 3
Gerry and Alf, thought of slowing down,
But the new lodge sparked a fire, kept them around.
A guiding business reborn, a wilderness home,
Where guests find adventure, and never feel alone.
From the hay meadows to the lodge, the story runs deep,
Four generations strong, this promise they keep.

Chorus
Logs on the loader, snow melting away,
Short building season, they worked every day.
From July to the first snow, they hammered and sawed,
Bracewell Lodge rising, against all the odds.
Every timber milled by Alf, every nail driven true,
Legacy in the making, with a mountain view.

Verse 1
Up in the Chilcotin, where the wild winds blow,
There’s a mountain man named Alex, everyone knows.
On his private road, he’s the king of the trail,
With heavy iron rumbling, he’ll never fail.
He carves the path through snow and rain,
Keeps the valley moving, through joy and pain.

Chorus
He’s a survivor, a fighter, he stands so tall,
Resilient as the mountains, he’s seen it all.
From sawmill sparks to the hang glider’s fall,
Windsurfing wild, but he still stands tall.
Karma’s on his shoulder, purpose in his stride-
Alex, mountain man, with the Chilcotin as his guide.

Verse 2
Guiding pack trips where the wild horses roam,
Showing city souls the place he calls home.
Leading hunters with a conservation mind,
Respect for the land, every animal in kind.
Ambassador of Tatlayoko, heart open wide,
He brings the world together, with every winter ride.

Chorus
He’s a survivor, a fighter, he stands so tall,
Resilient as the mountains, he’s seen it all.
From sawmill sparks to the hang glider’s fall,
Windsurfing wild, but he still stands tall.
Karma’s on his shoulder, purpose in his stride-
Alex, mountain man, with the Chilcotin as his guide.

Bridge
Tatlayoko Winter Games, he brings the cheer,
Community together, year after year.
Thinking outside the box, he finds a way,
Turning hardship to hope, every single day.

Verse 3
He’s faced the edge and come back strong,
With every scar, he just moves on.
A higher purpose, written in the sky,
Alex keeps climbing, reaching ever high.

Chorus
He’s a survivor, a fighter, he stands so tall,
Resilient as the mountains, he’s seen it all.
From sawmill sparks to the hang glider’s fall,

Windsurfing wild, but he still stands tall.
Karma’s on his shoulder, purpose in his stride-
Alex, mountain man, with the Chilcotin as his guide.

Outro
So here’s to Alex, with his spirit so free,
Mountain man, mentor, as true as can be.
With every challenge, he just smiles wide-
Living proof that resilience and heart never hide.

Verse 1
It started with Connie, standing by the lodge,
She said, “Alex, our truck’s the ugliest in this whole barrage.”
But I wasn’t backing down, pride on the line,
“No, we don’t!” I grinned, “I’ll prove it in due time.”
So I made up posters, spread them valley-wide,
Tatlayoko Rec Site, bring your trucks—let’s see who can’t hide.

Chorus
Ugly trucks and laughter, rust and busted lights,
Duct tape patches, mismatched tires, a true Chilcotin sight.
We judged on defects, the worse it got, the higher the score,
Community together, laughing till we’re sore.

Verse 2
Word spread fast—ranchers, loggers, all the crew,
Tinkering with their beaters, making ugly dreams come true.
Some painted over rust, some ripped out the seats,
All hoping for the glory of the ugliest defeat.
Even European filmmakers, cameras rolling on the scene,
Said, “You won’t find this back home—this is pure, wild, and clean.”

Chorus
Ugly trucks and laughter, rust and busted lights,
Duct tape patches, mismatched tires, a true Chilcotin sight.
We judged on defects, the worse it got, the higher the score,
Community together, laughing till we’re sore.

Bridge
Elizabeth Shuk backed in, set the day’s tone,
Trucks colliding, judges groaning, we were right at home.
When my turn came, I revved the engine, smoke filled the air,
Folks ran for cover, coughing, but no one seemed to care.

Verse 3
Then Oliver Bernioli rolled in, his truck barely alive,
Broken frame, plywood seat—just enough to drive.
He grinned ear to ear, took home the gold hubcap,
Bragging rights for the year, and a whole lot of claptrap.

Chorus
Ugly trucks and laughter, rust and busted lights,
Duct tape patches, mismatched tires, a true Chilcotin sight.
We judged on defects, the worse it got, the higher the score,
Community together, laughing till we’re sore.

Outro
On the drive home, half the trucks broke down,
Monuments to Chilcotin grit, scattered all around town.

Verse 1
Eight years on the road, Cariboo’s voice in the west,
I wore the hat of the Chilcotin rep, always giving my best.
Rick by my side, we were a team, good cop and bad,
Getting things done for the valley—every challenge we had.

Chorus
From Alexis Creek’s new rest stop to trails open for all,
We built a place for travelers, answered every call.
Accessible paths through the wild, where everyone belongs,
Community stronger together, that’s where my heart belongs.

Verse 2
We fought for funding, fixed the roads, kept the region in mind,
I pushed the hard lines, Rick worked to keep peace and find
Solutions for fire routes, waste sites, and every local need,
Balancing land, ranch, and wild—helping Chilcotin succeed.

Chorus
From Alexis Creek’s new rest stop to trails open for all,
We built a place for travelers, answered every call.
Accessible paths through the wild, where everyone belongs,
Community stronger together, that’s where my heart belongs.

Bridge
We rallied grant writers, brought millions to town,
Made sure no one in the valley ever felt let down.
British Columbia’s Achievement Award, a nod to the dream,
Of a Chilcotin open for all, with a welcoming team.

Verse 3
Picnic tables by the highway, pioneers telling tales,
Washrooms and a sani-dump for the RV trails.
Every project, every meeting, every cup of coffee shared,
Was about building something lasting, showing how much we cared.

Chorus
From Alexis Creek’s new rest stop to trails open for all,
We built a place for travelers, answered every call.
Accessible paths through the wild, where everyone belongs,
Community stronger together, that’s where my heart belongs.

Verse 1
Out where the wild Chilko waters run,
Past the Big Lagoon, where the glaciers stun,
There’s a range that rises, bold and untamed,
Now bearing the legacy of Alf Bracewell’s name.

Chorus
Alf Bracewell Mountain Range, standing proud and free,
A monument to fortitude, to Chilcotin history.
From the hay meadows carved by hand,
To the high saddle pass, it’s the mark of a man.

Verse 2
Gerry and Alf, they homesteaded the pass,
Falling the timber, burning the grass.
A road carved from stone, twenty klicks to the door,
Kept open by the Bracewells, summer and winter, evermore.

Chorus
Alf Bracewell Mountain Range, standing proud and free,
A monument to fortitude, to Chilcotin history.
From the hay meadows carved by hand,
To the high saddle pass, it’s the mark of a man.

Bridge
After Alf was gone, Gerry carried the flame,
Petitioned the province to honour his name.
Photos and letters, stories and pride,
The range was named, and the maps testified.

Verse 3
From the lodge at Cheshi Pass, you can see it all,
Potato Mountain to the south, those peaks standing tall.
No greater tribute to a pioneer’s way,
Than mountains enduring, where his spirit will stay.

Chorus
Alf Bracewell Mountain Range, standing proud and free,
A monument to fortitude, to Chilcotin history.
From the hay meadows carved by hand,
To the high saddle pass, it’s the mark of a man.

Outro
So here’s to the range, and the stories it holds,
Of building, of dreaming, of hearts brave and bold.
In the shadow of those summits, the Bracewell name remains,
Forever remembered in the Alf Bracewell Mountain Range.

Verse 1
In 2010, Tatlayoko snow was falling thick,
The world had the Olympics, but we needed our own kick.
Unconventional’s the word, and that’s how we began—
Six rings instead of five, just because we can.

Chorus
Fir, pine, and poplar medals, swinging on a string,
Chicken chuck curling—hear the valley laugh and sing.
Speed skating round the six rings, carving tracks in ice,
Tatlayoko’s spirit—community, wild, and nice.

Verse 2
Torch relay blazing, diesel in a beer can bright,
Canadian rag burning, carried through the night.
Bernie Gayno started us off, pioneers in tow,
From Mushroom Tree Hill down to the frozen show.

Chorus
Fir, pine, and poplar medals, swinging on a string,
Chicken chuck curling—hear the valley laugh and sing.
Speed skating round the six rings, carving tracks in ice,
Tatlayoko’s spirit—community, wild, and nice.

Bridge
Then a CF-18 thundered low, roaring overhead,
Startled every curler, shook the valley, turned heads.
Judges from Australia, bonfire burning bright,
We built a winter memory in the mountain’s fading light.

Verse 3
Spear chucking on skates, hay bales for the mark,
Laughter echoing out across the snow and dark.
Poplar, fir, and pine, our medals from the trees,
Tatlayoko’s games—where everyone’s at ease.

Chorus
Fir, pine, and poplar medals, swinging on a string,
Chicken chuck curling—hear the valley laugh and sing.
Speed skating round the six rings, carving tracks in ice,
Tatlayoko’s spirit—community, wild, and nice.

Verse 1
It came out of the blue, back in twenty-twelve,
Fatigue and pain I tried to shelve.
Lymphoma’s shadow crept in, changed my view,
Three months in Vancouver, nothing else I could do.
But I kept my humor, made the nurses smile,
Joked about shark teeth, walked every hospital mile.
Dreamed of Tatlayoko, wild and free,
Remission came, and I was still me.

Chorus
I’ve faced avalanches, grizzlies, and storms,
But cancer’s a battle that changes your form.
Still, I hold on to laughter, to friends and the land,
With every new challenge, I make my stand.

Verse 2
Twelve years of living, plans in full stride,
Then December twenty-four, cancer returned for a ride.
All my projects and dreams put on hold,
Signed up for experiments, standing strong and bold.
But the complications hit, knocked me to my knees,
Ten days at a time, caregivers brought me ease.
Rob, Kat, Kevan, Zoe, John, and Sam by my side,
Ten hours a day, through the roughest tide.

Chorus
I’ve faced avalanches, grizzlies, and storms,
But cancer’s a battle that changes your form.
Still, I hold on to laughter, to friends and the land,
With every new challenge, I make my stand.

Bridge
They called the doctors, kept friends in the loop,
Documented every moment, held me up in the group.
I closed my eyes, pictured the valley and sky,
Reminded myself every day why I try.

Verse 3
It’s not just my fight, it’s a legacy I defend,
Three generations of resilience, right to the end.
Through pain and uncertainty, I find my way,
Still me, still laughing, come what may.

Chorus
I’ve faced avalanches, grizzlies, and storms,
But cancer’s a battle that changes your form.
Still, I hold on to laughter, to friends and the land,
With every new challenge, I make my stand.

Verse 1
Three trailers in a circle, campfire burning bright,
Under the endless Chilcotin sky, the weather’s always right.
Just me and my friend, in the real Shangri-La,
Where the dreams of pioneers still echo from afar.

Chorus
Do a little landscaping with the forty-ton hoe,
Shaping the wild, letting Copper Creek grow.
No bridge across Big Creek, keep the riff raff away,
This is our sanctuary, where the wild hearts stay.

Verse 2
From stories of Gerry, matriarch of the wild,
To my own vision rising, her spirit reconciled.
We’re keepers of the land, just like she taught us to be,
Guardians of the valley, living bold and free.

Chorus
Do a little landscaping with the forty-ton hoe,
Shaping the wild, letting Copper Creek grow.
No bridge across Big Creek, keep the riff raff away,
This is our sanctuary, where the wild hearts stay.

Bridge
It’s not for the many, just a chosen few,
Like the old timers knew, and the legends grew.
The weather’s the best, the silence runs deep,
Just me and my friend, this vision we keep.

Verse 3
Three trailers in a circle, firelight in our eyes,
The stories of the past, under starlit skies.
We’re building our future, with sweat and with pride,
In the real Shangri-La, with Copper Creek as our guide.

Chorus
Do a little landscaping with the forty-ton hoe,
Shaping the wild, letting Copper Creek grow.
No bridge across Big Creek, keep the riff raff away,
This is our sanctuary, where the wild hearts stay.

Outro
Just me and my friend, in the real Shangri-La,
Three trailers in a circle, and the best weather by far.

Verse 1
In the heart of Tatlayoko, where the wild winds roam,
Alex learned young what it means to call a place home.
With brother Kevan by his side, they’d race through the fields,
Chasing dreams and butterflies, learning what resilience yields.
From feeding horses at dawn to shoveling snow in the storm,
Every challenge was a lesson, every hardship kept him warm.

Chorus
Raise a glass to the laughter, to the stories and the scars,
To the family and the neighbours, and the nights beneath the stars.
Through storms and roaring rivers, through trials and through pain,
Alex stands with open heart-he’d do it all again.
For in the Chilcotin Valley, where tradition’s always near,
He’s the keeper of the wild, the friend you want right here.

Verse 2
He learned from his mother, Gerry, with her wisdom and her grit,
“If you’re going to do it, do it right, or don’t bother one bit.”
From KB’s pioneering spirit, to Alf’s steady guiding hand,
Alex carried forward roots that run deep in this land.
He watched the seasons turning, saw the rivers rise and fall,
Knew that life is built on teamwork, and community means all.

Bridge
He’s faced down grizzlies in the basin, and storms on Tatlayoko Lake,
Survived the sawmill’s cruel twist, and lived with every ache.
Yet humour was his anchor, and kindness his refrain,
He’d find the light in darkness, and dance out in the rain.
From windsurfing mishaps to runaway cows,
He’d laugh at the chaos-he’d manage somehow.

Chorus
Raise a glass to the laughter, to the stories and the scars,
To the family and the neighbours, and the nights beneath the stars.
Through storms and roaring rivers, through trials and through pain,
Alex stands with open heart-he’d do it all again.
For in the Chilcotin Valley, where tradition’s always near,
He’s the keeper of the wild, the friend you want right here.

Outro
Now the torch is passed to children, to friends both old and new,
Alex’s story keeps on growing, as the Chilcotin spirit grew.
With gratitude and humour, with courage and with grace,
He’s the ambassador of the wild, in this rugged, sacred place.
So here’s to Alex Bracewell-may his song forever ring,
In the valleys and the mountains, where the wild hearts sing