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Carol Patterson

INSPIRING EVERYDAY EXPLORERS Through wildlife tales and trails

Carol Patterson

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Torngat Mountains National Park

April 21, 2020 by CarolPatterson Leave a Comment

Most people have never heard of Torngat Mountains National Park and only a few hundred visit every year. But a visit to this isolated park (you can only reach it via charter aircraft or cruise ship) will change you. One of Canada’s most unique national parks (and that’s high praise as there are so many amazing Parks Canada sites) it is also an Inuit homeland.

Torngat Mountains National Park is visited by fewer than a thousand travellers each year

I was approached by National Geographic recently to write about this special destination and the result is a story that explains why Torngats is known as the “place of spirits”. You can read the full story here.

Canada’s North is still relatively undiscovered to travellers so if you want to enjoy travel experiences that are not heavily scripted and allow meaningful interaction with hosts, you will enjoy Newfoundland and Labrador’s Torngat Mountains National Park.

Inuit welcome tourists to important cultural sites

It’s that rare place where you might spot a polar and a black bear in the same day. Did I mention you’ll need a Inuit bear guard to keep you safe while you’re exploring it?

bear
You may see black and polar bears on the same day

One thing that will be sacrificed if you’re contemplating a trip like this is spontaneity. You don’t just drop into the Torngats. You need to arrange a trip to Basecamp or join an expedition cruise (at this time, all 2020 cruises have been cancelled).

This destination may not be on your travel list for 2020 but when you’re dreaming of your post-pandemic travel plans, you might want to put Torngats at the top of your 2021 or 2022 wishlist.

Filed Under: Newfoundland & Labrador

Want to see Sable Island’s wild horses?

July 18, 2018 by CarolPatterson Leave a Comment

Sable Island is one of Canada’s coolest Park Canada sites. It’s hard to reach but for those who make the effort, they will get a few hours with the world’s most isolated wild horses. Learn more in my latest story for Fodors.com here.

Sable Island’s wild horses

Filed Under: Canada Tagged With: adventure, canada, sable island, wild horses

Driving new road to Tuktoyaktuk

July 18, 2018 by CarolPatterson Leave a Comment

Canada has a new road and it leads to the Arctic Ocean (our first). The Inuvik Tuktoyaktuk Highway offers a 138-kilometres for adventurous road trippers.  If you dream of tackling it, learn how in my latest story for Canadian Geographic Travel here.

Canada’s first road to Tuktoyaktuk is open for summer visitors

Filed Under: Canada Tagged With: adventure, canada, NWT, road trips

Book Review: 125 Nature Hot Spots in Alberta

June 12, 2018 by CarolPatterson Leave a Comment

Two of the most talented travel writers I know – Debbie Olsen and Leigh McAdam – have turned their considerable talents to ferreting out 125 of Alberta’s best destinations for nature lovers.

Their new book “125 Nature Hot Spots in Alberta” profiles parks, conservation areas and wild places across mountain, prairie, forest, and water landscapes. Each profile includes an easy-to-read summary of reasons to visit, activities available, months open, and physical and website addresses. The extensive consultation they have done with park managers and nature experts shines through in unusual historical and geographic facts on each location, tips on avoiding crowds, and suggestions for making the best use of time.

The book is a combination of well-known locales (Banff National Park) and undiscovered jewels (who knew McLennan proclaimed itself the Bird Capital of Canada?). As a bird lover I appreciated the book’s emphasis on bird and wildlife watching but there is plenty for those more interested in moving than observing.

Hikers will enjoy tips on tackling a hiking route, cyclists the best direction to travel a route, and paddlers the identification of waterways suitable for beginners versus experts. People seeking caves, dark skies, hot springs, larch, nature festivals, paddling, and waterfalls will find a list of special interest places they can string together for a themed trip or check off as time allows.

In all cases McAdam and Olsen stress the need to tread lightly as they point the way to sensitive environments.

A separate section is devoted to special interests.

Visitors to Alberta will find the book helpful if they want to go beyond places often featured on tourist brochures. Well-travelled Canadians will find it breathes new life into their vacations or weekend getaways. I’ll be keeping this book handy for years as I plan more outdoor adventures.

Published by Firefly Books and available wherever books are sold online and in bookstores.

TWEETABLES

Book Review: 125 Nature Hot Spots in Alberta – Click to Tweet.

My friend, @Reinventure, is sharing a book review on “125 Nature Hot Spots in Alberta” in her latest blog post. Discover all the details about this amazing book: Click to Tweet.

Calling all nature lovers! Check out this new book “125 Nature Hot Spots in Alberta” by 2 of the most talented travel writers out there, @hikebiketravel & @wanderwoman_Deb – Click to Tweet.

Filed Under: Alberta

Selling green tourism with a story

August 8, 2017 by CarolPatterson Leave a Comment

Convincing people to pay for environmental sustainability sometimes takes a story. Ellis Bird Farm(EBF), one of central Alberta’s best (and free) attractions discovered bird brains can sway corporate thinking with the right tale.

This story’s heroine is Amelia, two ounces of determined purple martin living in one of the farm’s many birdhouses. EBF became a magnet for birds when farmers Winnie and Charlie Ellis put out thousands of pounds of seed. When they got too old to keep it up they sold the land to a large petrochemical plant with the proviso the birds be looked after forever.

Thirty years after Charlie and Winnie moved out, MEGlobal still funds EBF’s operating costs and EBF biologist, Myrna Pearman, keeps looking for ways to advance wildlife conservation and education. An alliance with Dr. Kevin Fraser and the University of Manitoba to put geolocators on purple martins was created to identify migration routes (something unknown at the time).

Data revealed that the first purple martin to return (named after another great aviator, Amelia Earhart) had wintered in South America, taking several weeks to arrive but rocketed back to Canada in the spring, flying on average 600km every day for three weeks!

Senior staff from MEGlobal’s Dubai office was visiting EBF in 2013 when this information was revealed, Amelia herself sitting nearby on a pole, her tiny appearance belying tremendous stamina but her story made an impression.

At a MEGlobal meeting the next day it was decided to gift EBF with an additional $450,000 to build a new visitor center – a spontaneous gesture rarely seen in corporate governance. But the staff was so moved by Amelia’s story and the work done at EBF they wanted this tiny tourism attraction to reach even more people with bird stories.

A few months later the new visitor center opened and the second great aviator to be named Amelia secured her place as a tourism influencer!

To learn more visit www.ellisbirdfarm.ca

TWEETABLES

Selling green tourism with a story. Click to Tweet.

Learn how one bird named Amelia swayed corporate thinking. Click to Tweet.

Discover how Ellis Bird Farm is continually advancing wildlife conservation & education. Click to Tweet.

Filed Under: Alberta Tagged With: green tourism

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