adventure travel Archives | Page 3 of 4

25 Ways to Celebrate 2016

January 12, 2016 by CarolPatterson Leave a Comment

Happy New Year! 2016 promises plenty of change and with that, depending upon your outlook, either challenge or opportunity. I confess that I often see change as challenge thinking that ‘new’ means more work or greater risk. My resolution for 2016 is to look for opportunity in every situation, even the ones I would dismiss as too much change (Hello recession!).
This year has special meaning, as it is 25 years since I started Kalahari Management Inc. and dove headfirst into ecotourism. In those days many people had never heard of ecotourism so my leap wasn’t considered a prudent move. It has been an interesting journey as I’ve watched ecotourism’s combination of travel and environmental concern move into all areas of tourism. I’m eager to see what the next quarter-century brings.

25 Years, 25 Conversations

The best celebrations are the ones you share so I’m marking 25 years in business by giving back. I am giving away my time (yes, you read that right) to help other people interested in travel and the earth. I will provide 25 minutes of free consulting time to 25 people. We can’t solve the world’s problems in 25 minutes but perhaps we can tackle some of the smaller issues. Want feedback on your newest tour? Looking for input on your marketing strategy? Need hints on how to find a job? Maybe you just want insider tips on a great holiday destination; I will share the knowledge I’ve gleaned over two decades as a pioneer in the green tourism field with you – gratis!

How Does it Work?

Send me a short email explaining who you are and what you’d like to talk about. I will pick two or three winners each month and we will set up a time to talk via Skype. I’ll be picking the first two winners by January 31st so don’t let the winter blues slow you down. Email today for your FR+EE consultation. If you know someone who doesn’t receive my ezine, but would benefit please share the news.

TWEETABLES

25 Ways to Celebrate 2016 – Click to Tweet.

Join my friend @Reinventure in celebrating 25 years in business! Click to Tweet.

My friend @Reinventure is celebrating 25 years in business with a special offer. Join her: Click to Tweet.

Boreal safari in Quebec

December 8, 2015 by CarolPatterson Leave a Comment

I screamed like a girl as a snake slithered over my shoulder in the dark movie theatre. My heart rate slowed as I realized the snake was only air, a special effect at the movie Quebec Zoo sauvage de Saint-Félicien uses to orient guests to it’s overnight Adventure in the Land of the Caribou. I wanted to learn more about the animals that inhabit Canada’s boreal forest and I didn’t want to suffer to do it. Instead of paddling or hiking into Canada’s north I was starting my quest with the zoo’s ‘behind-the-scenes sleepover with caribou and moose.
Our group of travelers carried our overnight bags past the Zoo’s polar bear, Dall sheep and other northern species to our nature bus. Guide Audrée Morin switched effortlessly from French to English, “Welcome. We are going into our Nature Trail Park.” Within these 3.24 km2 the animals roam free and people are contained. We cruised by black bears, elk, and bison, our cameras and smartphones clicking. Our destination was a tented camp in a forest we shared with moose and caribou. Bears and other creatures were kept out by electric fence.

As we walked the last few meters into camp, a caribou faded into the shadows. Two moose orphans popped their long noses over a wooden corral, eager to see if we brought food. Prospector tents ringed a large fire pit; wood ready to light, dining table and benches were visible in a long screen house across the clearing. The animals were different but the place felt like an African safari camp.

There was time before dinner to canoe nearby Lac Montagnais. Spotting a muskox on shore, Morin explained, “Stay to the left of me as you paddle. That way you won’t get too close!” It reminded me of canoeing the Zambezi River, but here muskox and bear took the place of elephants and lions.

I nibbled my trout dinner as people relived events of the day, some in French, some in English, but the smiles understandable in both languages. I crawled into my sleeping bag atop balsam fir boughs, the smell better than any a fake tree air freshener could deliver.

The next morning it was time to feed the moose before boarding the bus and returning to the rest of the zoo. There was time to visit wolverines – a boreal creature I’ve seen only in nature movies – and lynx before leaving the zoo for another boreal experience – meeting a wolf.

Gilles Granal of Aventuraid/Parc Mahikan runs a wildlife observation center with three packs of wolves. Two of the packs – one Arctic wolves, the other, grey wolves – are wild. A third pack of seven grey wolves are imprinted on humans and enjoy visitors. For $50 people can participate in a face-to-whisker experience assuming the wolves are willing. Granal explains “I don’t do these encounters for the visitors’ benefit, I do it for the wolves. They enjoy the stimulation.” I looked forward to being a play toy for an animal often misunderstood by humans.

Granal reduces the risk of these encounters by entering the enclosure first to read the mood of the pack. If he feels the wolves are not receptive to visitors, no one else goes in. Fortunately for me, the wolves were feeling friendly and the gate was opened a few inches to squeeze our group through. We were warned to wear clothes we didn’t mind getting dirty or torn and to tuck our cameras under our tops. Wolves love to chew and anything hanging loose can be snatched. We lined up against the fence like suspects in a police lineup as the wolves greeted us, their excitement palpable. Within seconds I was looking into the dark eyes of a cream-coloured wolf, it paws resting on my chest as it licked my face. Another sniffed at places not polite to notice in human culture.

“They will calm down soon and you can move away from the fence,” Granal predicted. Soon the novelty faded – only for the wolves, mine was still there – and we walked into the woods of the enclosure. My face was well licked by several wolves as I lowered myself to the ground. I felt rude for not licking them back; to compensate I rubbed all the bellies being offered up.

As I scratched their smooth fur and dodged the licks aimed at my eyes, I almost forgot I was sitting among skilled predators. Granal has created a bridge between wolves and humans and I was happy to cross it for a few minutes, immersed in the socialness of the pack. I had found my boreal wildlife and I was far from suffering.

To experience the wolf encounter check out my video at https://youtu.be/goAMV9n5i1M

TWEETABLES

This overnight Adventure in the Land of the Caribou is not to be missed! Click to Tweet.

An African safari camp in Canada. My friend @Reinventure went there! Discover more: Click to Tweet.

Discover how to get close with Canadian wildlife on this amazing adventure: Click to Tweet.

Is Calgary a hotbed of adventure travel legends?

November 13, 2015 by CarolPatterson Leave a Comment

Many Canadian cities are close to mountains (Hello Vancouver) but few have the concentration of adventure travel legends found in Calgary. I set out to discover for Avenue Magazine if there was something in the air, the water or the culture that was producing so many world-class adventurers in Alberta’s biggest city. What I found might surprise you.
http://www.avenuecalgary.com/City-Life/5-Calgary-Adventure-Legends-Laurie-Skreslet-Bev-Watson-Denell-Falk-Brian-Keating-Travis-Steffens/

Canada’s largest ghost town a harbinger of a post-oil future?

November 10, 2015 by CarolPatterson Leave a Comment

One of the best historical attractions I’ve seen is the ghost town of Val-Jalbert in Quebec’s Saguenay– Lac-St. Jean Region. Val-Jalbert in the 1920s was a bit like Fort McMurray of today – a bustling town built around one industry. Damase Jalbert built a pulp mill near two falls on the Ouiatchouan River in 1902, the tumbling water a cheap source of electricity. American shareholders bought the mill in 1909 and modernized the facility. Skilled mill workers lived in a master planned community with homes boasting electricity, water and indoor toilets. A worker would make $25 a week but pay only $11 a month for a large home. A convent school and post office were within walking distance. It is said that the living standards were the equivalent of people living in Boston in 1921 and the town was the envy of surrounding communities.
Unfortunately, the plant only produced pulp and without the ability to produce paper could not compete globally. The mill was closed in 1927 and workers were forced to downsize their lifestyles as they looked for work in nearby Chicoutimi. Val-Jalbert lay dormant until it was converted to a tourism attraction in the 1960s. With over forty buildings remaining it is the largest ghost town in Canada. For a night I was one of seven temporary inhabitants – several of the homes having been converted to tourism accommodation – and I wondered if I was getting a glimpse of Alberta’s world post-oil.

During the day Val-Jalbert interpreters acted out the roles of 1920s residents although the ‘mayor’ was driving the tram that shuttled visitors along Rue St-Georges, something I’m sure the real mayor didn’t do. The mill had interpretative signage and an immersive spectacle with a hologram-like presentation making me feel the original residents had come back to life.

I didn’t run into any ghosts that night but I enjoyed wandering the empty tree-lined streets alone after dark. The mill was silent but the natural beauty of the falls remained. I could picture some of the 900 residents sitting on their porch a century earlier listening to the falls in the distance or the soft hoot of a great horned owl in the thick forest. I imagine many of them never thought the good times would end. The similarities to Canada’s current dependency on oil frightened me in ways a ghost never could.

To arrange your visit go to http://www.valjalbert.com/en/home

TWEETABLES

Canada’s largest ghost town a harbinger of a post-oil future? via @Reinventure Click to Tweet.

A visit to Val-Jalbert, a ghost town in Quebec, may leave you frightened in ways a ghost never could. Click to Tweet.

My friend @Reinventure highly recommends arranging a visit to Val-Jalbert, a ghost town in Quebec. Click to Tweet.

Casey Anderson is making wild cool again

October 14, 2015 by CarolPatterson Leave a Comment

Many people associate the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise with luxurious accommodation and fine dining, a place where it is easier to expand your waistline than your mind. But on the first weekend in September I was able to do both (and with a bit more hiking on the fabulous trails around Lake Louise the waistline should return to normal). Casey Anderson, host of Nat. Geo WILD series, was in Canada’s highest community to share stories about what it takes to survive a cougar attack (70 stitches and a promise to never forget), what it’s like to have a pet grizzly (Brutus likes belly rubs) and what happens when cougars move into your neighborhood (coming soon to a TV near you).
“My goal is to make wild cool again,” said Casey as he kicked off a ninety-minute presentation on his experiences with captive animals and as a producer of several wildlife shows. Thirteen years ago, Casey rescued Brutus, the tiny grizzly cub, from a wildlife ark in Idaho. Brutus has given Casey insight into the lives of wild animals and when Brutus cried from a belly-ache, “It shattered everything I thought I knew,” Casey said. “It is my goal to make sure no other animals live in captivity.”

Making sure there are wild places for wild animals propels Casey forward, meeting people and spreading the word about the amazing exploits of wild creatures. As part of its fall festival offerings, the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise created a special Into The Wild Package for people wanting more than ninety minutes with Casey. I was one of ten lucky people who got to swap bear stories over dinner with Casey and hike to Lake Agnes where Casey told us stories about what it is like to film a reality show (the star suffers while the crew gets battery packs and beer helicoptered in). Casey explained how his relationship with Brutus is changing and while the bear is excited to see Casey when he returns from his trip, he’s choosing to spend more time with other bears.

I may not have a pet grizzly but the next time I see a bear I will look at it differently because of Brutus. That is cool!

If you want to learn more about Casey Anderson go to http://www.caseyanderson.tv/About.html

To learn more about Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise fall promotions http://www.fairmont.com/lake-louise/promotions/lake-louise-fall-festival/

TWEETABLES

Casey Anderson is making wild cool again. Click to Tweet.

Surviving a cougar attack & having a pet grizzly. Click to Tweet.

One man’s quest to make wild cool again. Click to Tweet.