A well needed wilderness lifestyle and nature connection at Wilderness Trails and what to expect from all the new experiences you get to have

I grew up in the country side, riding horses and being a girl-scout. So why the need of this wilderness lifestyle you would ask, since it is so familiar to me. Well, I grew up, moved away from home and from everything I knew and tried to establish myself in the city. It worked for a few years. I studied, made new friends, discovered new ways of life, far from home and from my comfort zone. This takes a lot of energy, especially if, like me, you are an introvert. So after 3 years away, studying first in another city and then in another country, my batteries were way too low for me to continue on this path. However, after tasting this life of travel and discoveries, it was quite hard to go back to a “regular” life, where everything was acquired and safe. So I decided to take a year off studies and travel around the beautiful province of British Columbia. This year is allowing me to reconnect with my roots, as I am living on ranches and farms, but also takes me away from home. That is how I crossed paths with Wilderness Trails and with what would come to be an amazing month full of nature re-connection and full of new experiences.

After contacting Wilderness Trails, and making sure our interests aligned, thanks to their paperwork, I arrived for what would be an unforgettable month.

The ranch being quite far from civilization and being part self sufficient, much needs to be done on a daily basis. Cutting and splitting wood, taking care of the animals, keeping the fire burning to keep the house warm, doing some office work and taking care of guests are some of the tasks that keep you busy and give you a taste of the wilderness lifestyle. But you get to do so much more and to experience so many new things. I learned more about wildlife conservation and learned how to track wolves and cougars. I had the opportunity to taste wild meat such as deer, moose, mountain goat and even cougar and black bear. I also had the chance to go up in the mountains and sleep in a trapper cabin. The hikes we did there offered beautiful landscapes, and we witnessed beautiful sunset and sunrise. Finally, I improved my western riding skills by riding some of the 26 horses here, on the many trails around the ranch.

To conclude, my stay at Wilderness Trails was a real breath of fresh air and a true wilderness experience. I developed a closer connection to nature, and discovered so much, both about the wild and myself, allowing me to extend my comfort zone without really realizing it. The ranch is a bubble far away from our society, offering you an amazing nature connection, and the people here are aware of their use of the land and don’t hesitate to fight for it and for our planet.

Marie