“It was truly an amazing experience. “

Eight of our holiday ranch staff members went into the Bush to participate in the first Bushcraft course this week. After three days in the bush they returned to the ranch on Wednesday in the afternoon. Including other things they built there own shelter, learned how to make a fire and how to live of the food nature provides. Working on our holiday ranch provides you with an abundance of opportunities!

“Staying and living in the Bush for 3 days was different form anything I have ever done before. It is amazing how small things like a fire at night, a try place to sleep when it's raining or some self made bread can make you unbelievable happy. It makes you realize that it doesn't take a lot to be happy. I really learned a lot during these 3 days. Most of all I got to know nature from another perspective and became more conscious to nature and all the benefits it contains. It was truly an amazing experience. (Alexandra - Germany)

Alexandra baking "dandelion" bread

Want to be part of our holiday ranch? Then email us today!

Here at Chilcotin Holidays Guest Ranch we have been lucky enough to have a newcomer, he is not our typical guest, in fact he is here to stay.

One of our wild mares, Cheyenne, has given birth to a foal. He is an inquisitive type and despite having his mother making sure he is always at close distance you can tell that even at this young age the new foal is exited and interested in the world around him.

We have recently posed a poll on our facebook page in order to give past and future guests the opportunity to name the foal. Currently between the facebook users that have commented, the four favourite names are Cherokee, Cinnamon, Jazz and Wildfire.

Birgette Kjeldsen, one of our recent guests and commentator on the facebook page has said:

"He looks like a wildfire, and his mother seemed to be a bit wild too. When we were there in June, our little boy Vagn (almost 3 years old now) liked the 'mommie' horse because she would stay all by herself with her foal by her side away from the other horses.

Visit our facebook page for any updates on the foal and from the Guest ranch at Chilcotin Holidays.

Here are some images of the foal and his mother together at the ranch.

My name is Britt de Roij, I'm 24 years old and born and raised in the Netherlands. When looking for an internship for my study course 'International hotel; event management' I came across Chilcotin Holidays dude ranch on the internet. I was immediately intrigued. After working in hotels for previous internships I wanted something different, something that would challenge me, an experience that would test me emotionally and physically. During my 4 months at the dude ranch a lot of my interests where fulfilled and my goals became reality. I went logging, got the opportunity to go to a rodeo in Williams Lake and learnt a lot about the Sales and Marketing department of the business. I learnt the Western way of riding, got the amazing opportunity to join in on the guide school course followed by assisting and even guiding pack trips out in the Chilcotin wilderness. Who would have taught that a girl from a country without any hills would ride the ridges of the Chilcotin mountains! All of these new experiences and adventures made me more independent and able to make my own decisions. I became more sure of my abilities and skills and my self confidence has grown. Living and working in the wilderness has taught me many things. I have learnt about wildlife, bushcraft & survival and was lucky to spot black and grizzly bears during my time here. Now my time at Chilcotin Holiday dude ranch is almost coming to an end I'm sure I'll leave the ranch as a different person. A person who has learnt to become master of her own destiny and is no longer afraid of failure but sees it as new challenges and ways to increase self-development. I will carry this experience with me and I'm sure I'll often look back on the amazing time I had at the dude ranch.

Update on our youngest member!

Do you remember our little foal, born in July? This young boy has grown up quite a lot. Thank you to all of our fans voting on Facebook for a name. The result is ... Jazz!

Kathy from Canada, one of our former guests, commented: "Love Jazz, because the four white legs look like dancing leggings!"

Good point and the name fits him truly.

Come along and see our newbie or visit our facebook page for the latest updates.

At Sunday the 13th October we celebrate Thanksgiving at our Chilcotin Holiday luxury dude Ranch.

We celebrate it one day earlier than the regular Thanksgiving, but we had a great Thanksgiving.

The luxury dude ranch kitchen staff worked the whole day for this great dinner. A big turkey stuffed with dry fruits, Cranberry Sauce, roasted Potatoes and sweet-sour red beets. It was a real Thanksgiving dinner. Most of the veggies grew up in our own garden and we were so happy that our harvest was so fertile in this year!

The breathtaking scenery of an alpine meadow filled with wildflowers is one of those must sees for every outdoor enthusiast. Right now, the sidehills around Spruce Lake are covered in a soft yellow glow from the balsa root – this is one of the first wildflowers to bloom in the South Chilcotin Mountain ranges.
Throughout the area’s different mountain elevations, over 150 species of wildflowers will cover thousands of hectares of meadows and side hills in a brilliant display of flowers from May to September. Be sure to check out Chilcotin Holidays new walking and organized hiking trip into the wildflower meadows of the South Chilcotin Mountains at our new website.

On our new wildflower meadow organized hiking trip, our trained licensed guides will take you into the remote areas of the South Chilcotin Mountain where the wildflower meadows are in full bloom. From June to September, the Chilcotin Mountain ranges are transformed into brilliant displays of colours ranging from subtle pastels to fiery reds and purples – a botanist’s paradise. Between June and September, choose a trip according to the month that best suits your flora interests.

June is the time when the balsa root first starts to bloom. With the coming of spring, brings the bold and bright colours from the first wildflowers marking the passing of the winter snow. Similarly, animals are preparing for the birth of their young and black, brown, and grizzly bears are feasting on new alpine grasses after months of being in hibernation, offering many wildlife viewing opportunities from the alpine meadows. A hiking trip you will never forget!

July and the warmer weather encourages more wildflowers to flourish carpeting the higher elevations. Given the elevation level, spring arrives in the alpine in July as the snow line recedes up the mountain slopes with wildlife following close behind.

August is when all southern mountain aspects are in full bloom in the subalpine and alpine zones. A truly spectacular display of flowers beckons.

September brings the pinnacle of spring/summer blooms on the north slopes of the Chilcotin Mountains. At the same time, the first dusting of snow appears around mid-September providing a unique overlap of spring, summer, and fall – all at once!For more details on our hill walking, hiking trip, and trekking vacations in British Columbia’s South Chilcotin Mountains, visit our new website. Contact us by email or phone, or complete our online Inquiry Form so we can customize an organized hiking trip to suit your needs.

Staff story - Maddie

I came to the Chilcotin Holidays ranch to get a begginers understanding of sales and marketing, and also to become a horseback guide. I completed both of these objectives, and many more I hadn't even planned for, like cooking a dinner for guests, getting my PAL, and also maturing (a bit!). This place is perfect for someone that is up for a challenge, and when I say that I don't mean it as an offhand cliche. The work will probably be more challenging than you expect, but it is worth it for sure! You will realise that you're capable of more than you think, and one of the best parts about the ranch is that there's a real team atmosphere among the interns, which makes the hard bits a lot smoother!

I learned a lot about myself, which I am grateful for. Since leaving the ranch I think that I've started putting what I learned into practice. I take more responsibility, and now instead of seeing a problem and getting stressed about it, I know now to actually tackle it, rather than letting it grow and become worse. I'm more confident, and learning the basics of office work has given me some experience in what I want to do. I'm also a lot more patient from realising that sometimes things take time, eapecially shoeing the horses!

I got to do so many incredible activities, like riding the snowmobiles and going out on the horses in the most beautiful places I've ever seen. I drove a skidder, a car for the first time, called wolves and heard them call back. I nearly forget that I rode in a helicopter! It tells you something that you forget things like flying in a helicopter; there are a load of opportunities for you here.

Most importantly are the people you meet when you're here. They come from all over the world, and they all bring something different to the table. It was great for me to meet people who have more life experience than me, and learn from them. I have so many great memories from being there, hearing stories from others and getting inspired by them to do things, whether it's travel more, or being tidier! There was always someone to lend a hand, such as showing me around the kitchen and giving me cooking advice, or motivating you to reach your goals.

If I can recommend anything to someone that wants to come here, it's that you need to have your goals and achieve them. If you leave before you did what you want to do you will regret it. And have fun! I wish I could do it all over again.

Thanks for having me guys :) my room (for the first time in my life) is actually tidy! Sorry that it is too late for you guys to experience the tidiness, but thank you for motivating me to stop being so messy.

Best wishes,
Maddie

I'm Chino, I'm 25 and I'm writing my leaving staff story at the Chilcotin Holidays Ranch. I was born in the Philippines, but I lived in New Zealand for mostof my life. I finished a Bachelor Degree in Commerce with majors in Economics & Commercal Law from the University of Auckland. I also completed two years of Law School Proper at the Victoria University of Wellington. Prior to coming to Canada at the end of October 2015, I was employed as a Junior Project Manager at the Department of Corrections for construction projects.

I left NZ at the end of October 2015 to do what we Kiwis call an OE (Overseas Experience). It's a tradition in NZ to go and experience travelling and working overseas usually just after one has finished university, or after a few years of working. Moroever, I also wanted to see the world for myself and to experience new things and opportunities that weren't present in my current environment.

I did several things while the ranch; recreationally riding horses and preparing for Guide School (catching, saddling, and riding horses), as well as socialise with other staff members.

I've learned several new things at the ranch to name a few horse riding Western style, using a chainsaw, bear safety knowledge, driving a tractor, learning how to drive a manual vehicle, setting up and living in tents, horse and chicken feeding and care, building and fixing fences, and many other horse related activities.

The environment was very different to what I was used to and where I grew up in. I have lived in the city for all 25 years of my life so far. It was also in a communal setting and located in a remote area in the wilderness. This all posed a challenge for me, and presented something new. At the end of it, it was a very memorable experience that I am happy I went through. It was a great challenge for me.

I do believe that living in the ranch has helped me grow as an individual. I am in my 20s, a time that I believe I will build on experiences and use these to make decisions about my long term purposes and goals in life. The experience has definitely taught me more about myself, and what some of my strengths and weaknesses are. I'll continually build on this as I get more life experiences under my belt.

Now, I plan on being in Vancouver for a few days to think about what my next endeavours willl be. Ideally I would like to travel first for a few months, go backpacking around Canada, before settling, working and living again in a new city. I'm hoping to do this in Toronto or Montreal, as I've never been in these places before. Take on more experiences and live life pretty much.

What do you think of when you hear the words Bear, Cougar, Wolf? I bet you are picturing images from the big screen, shots you've seen in glossy magazines or books you've read depicting these wild and majestic creatures, and at best you might be thinking back to a visit you've taken to a zoo or wildlife park. Unfortunately there are very few places left in our world where animals roam free from human interaction. Our ever encroaching presence means that while many people have seen a raft of animals up close, most of these encounters have been of the digital variety as we sit back in the comfort of our homes and listen halfheartedly to David Attenborough narrating his latest hit. While the technology and the slow motion make for great viewing, nothing really ever compares to the real thing.

It's not every day that you have the chance to enter an environment that is truly wild but since day one of arriving at the Ranch, I have been consistently surprised at just how close to nature we really are here. Having said this, when I had the chance to attend a Wildlife Viewing tour I was eager to turn my sights to some of the area's better known and significantly larger wildlife.

The South Chilcotin Mountain Park is well known for its Bear (both Grizzly and Black bears), Moose, Mountain Goat and Bighorn sheep populations. As an Aussie, the only thing I've ever seen that resembles a bear in the wild is a Koala, and while they are quite photogenic, they don't quite have the same impact as a bear. Despite my excitement, I tried not to let myself get too hung up on the prospect of seeing a bear as we headed out on our tour after dinner. I understood that although it had been a warm season, it was still very early to be seeing a bear this soon after the snow melt. I told myself that being surrounded by the breathtaking landscape would be enough but part of me still was still crossing my fingers and secretly hoping, after all, what is a Canadian adventure without a bear or two?

We drove along the shore line of the stunning Carpenter Lake while myself and my four other companions kept an eager eye on the rockfaces and hillsides. We stopped a number of times to check for the illusive creatures, and although we saw a number of Bighorn Sheep and Mountain Goats, it was becoming apparent that the bears were a little camera shy. Our guide was not disheartened however and urged us to keep looking. Rounding a corner in the road, we came across what I would describe as the most ravenous bear (and the very first) bear I'd ever seen. The powerful creature was busy foraging in the grass less than 20 meters from the roadside after his long winter nap and remained unaware of our presence as we brought the car silently to a halt.

I was blown away by how I felt being in such close proximity to the bear and just how lucky I was to be able to experience something so rare and beautiful. We watched the bear for over 15 minutes and for the entire time, the only sounds you could hear in the car were the click of a camera button and the occasional exclamation or contented sigh. I'm sure our guide and my Canadian counterparts had a little chuckle at just how excited I was, but I had seen my first bear and you could not wipe the smile off my face for the remainder of the evening!

Some of the best therapy money can buy doesn’t come close to the therapy of a greenhouse. When I walk in, the warm, moist air and earthy scent envelope me like stepping into an exotic rainforest. In such close quarters, it’s difficult not to be acutely aware of the silent, vibrant life around me. The sun that seeps through the leaves produces a warm green glow. Tomatoes, Basil, Strawberries, Peas; the variety of scents and shapes is easily appealing. To know that my dedication has allowed such an impressive community to exist is only one quarter of the therapy.

The first quarter of the feeling of well-being comes when the tiny seedlings first begin to peak above the soil. I always feel such contentment as I eagerly brush dirt and debris out of the way of the newly emerging seedlings. From this point on, every day I come to the greenhouse with expectant excitement, knowing that there will be noticeable differences in the size and number of seedlings. As they grow and morph into their species-specific characteristics, I watch like a proud parent seeing her kids grow up.

The third sense of therapy comes daily, when each day I water the plants. I usually end up talking to them too, but I would never tell anyone this! As crazy as it sounds, I almost feel the “delight” of the plants. I soak up the feeling like their roots soak up water.

Finally, the last sense of contentment comes when I harvest the fruits and vegetables. Life comes full circle; you get what you give.

Today Chilcotin Holidays had a chance to visit an authentic, ruraly First Nations rodeo. Everyone piled into the shuttle van to head for the Deadman's Creek Rodeo near Cache Creek. There was an underlying current of excitement; for some it would be the first time they had seen a rodeo. After the long drive, the van erupted in outright excitement as we all had our first glances of the rodeo. Horses everywhere, tacked and ready for an exciting event.

For the open barrel racing event at the Deadman's Creek Rodeo, any adult interested and equipped with a horse could participate. I've been to many rodeos and like most others, I liked that the rodeo here was with an encouraging atmosphere. Despite entries of all skill levels in the same event, there was just as much, if not more, support for the new racers as the pro ones.

It's amazing to watch the skill that the seasoned horses have; the way they switch gaits mid stride for the second turn, the way they lean into the turn to execute it on a dime. You can see that many horses are just as into the sport as their riders. Sometimes you can even tell that of the horse-rider pair, the horse is the one that knows what it's doing. Often learners will be started on a seasoned horse so that the horse can teach the rider, but you have to be careful about doing this. The reason was seen by all today. One rider strained to hold her horse back as it raced towards the barrel as it was trained to do and all the girl could do was hold on for dear life as the horse steered itself sharply around the first barrel. The horse exploded out of the turn to race for the next one and, as the barrel approached and the horse geared down smartly for the turn, the quick adjustments were one too many for the young rider. After a long struggle to stay upright (although somewhat sideways) in the saddle, the girl conceded to make a safe exit. Landing gracefully on her feet, she did what all good Cowboys (and -girls) do; she climbed back on. With reaffirmed determination, the girl and horse expertly maneuvered around the last barrel and across the finish line. Although this may be entertaining for the audience, it's not always effective (or safe) for the horse or rider. But as the rodeo wrapped up and everyone walked away unharmed, it was a successful day in the end.

Excited and ready, I was waiting for the car that would take me through the trails and roads to see amazing Chilcotin mountain views, lakes and wildlife. Czech girl from the little village in the big Canadian mountains so happy to see some wildlife animals she has never had a chance to see.

Head off from the ranch with our entertaining guide Franco who is ready to share with us his knowledge and stories and help us to look for the wildlife animals.

Wonderful drive with a view of the mountains and a lake. After few minutes driving we stop and see the deer enjoying her supper who almost didn’t realize that people were observing her for a while, and taking pictures. That was a nice warm up to look for other wildlife animals.

Franco showed us animal tracks and explained that rocks falling down on the road signify that there might be somewhere some wildlife.

While he was talking about it, a few meters up the hill were standing and playing herd of lovely bighorn sheep.

A few kilometers after sheep we experienced great show of an eagle fishing. It was great to see how graceful he was and circling around the lake to find a good spot to catch his prey.

I took some great pictures to make a good memory, and I have to say that the wildlife viewing was perfect for a photographer lover as me. I also got to take some pictures of beautiful yellow wild flowers.

Observing the mother nature and driving down the road through the mountains gave us a great opportunity to see all these other wildlife animals such as grouse, mountain goats,mule deer and more bighorn sheep. I also tried to call for bears a couple times, but they didn't show up. So next time wildlife viewing and scouting I have bears on my list.

The way back up to the ranch we were enjoying the beautiful sunset on the lake with the gorgeous mountain behind, listening to good music and many great things on the mind, ready to go back home and share our story with friends.

We were on a beautiful hike up the mountain when my friend Beverly asked me about the different kinds of trees around us. As we talked about the Fir, Pine and Spruce, I recalled many of the things I had read in survival books and learned from my father about the different plants and the uses for them. There was always one recurring subject in these lessons: that Spruce needles make an excellent tea for when stranded in the wilderness. It is one of the most nutritious, easily-attainable food sources. Upon remembering this, I was immediately excited about finally trying the infamous Spruce tea. Unfortunately, Spruce is not so easy to find out here because of the dry, sandy environment. But I persevered in my search until at last I found a beautiful young spruce with vibrant, fresh needles. I took only a few small branches from him and happily finished my hike with my friends.

On the ranch, tea is easily the most savored food item. As a result of living in such a remote area, tea runs out quickly, so we all get a little bit stingy about sharing our personal tea supplies. So what happened next was really quite ironic. That evening I brought the needles to the kitchen, rinsed and chopped them, and steeped them in a large pitcher of hot water. Every time another person came in, the first comment was always “Mmm, what’s that smell??” Over dinner we passed the tea pot around and were all amazed at the delicious subtle flavor of the Spruce tea. Later on, many comments were along the lines of “could you make some more Spruce tea again soon?”

Knowing that Spruce was the least abundant conifer in the area, I researched what other evergreens could be used in teas. To my surprise, nearly all made excellent teas. The next evening we had Balsam Fir tea. Equally amazing! The Balsam tea had a surprising citrus quality to it. Now we’ve had both teas a number of times, and next we will try Douglas Fir, which makes up a large majority of the trees around the ranch.

Funny how that works. Here we were all so worried about running out of teas when the best varieties were growing in abundance in our back yard.

I sit atop my horse waiting patiently for the last of the riders to organize their gear. Mowson is calm, nearly to the point of being disinterested, but given that this will only be my third time on a horse and my very first time riding in the mountains, I feel as though our guide probably made this decision wisely. I look around me and have a little chuckle at just how entertaining (to put it politely) our little group looks. Six riders, all dressed in varying styles and colours. We are a sea of checkered shirts, fleece jumpers and one football jersey, oversized cowboy hats, and hiking shoes mismatched with fancy leather riding boots. A pair of shining aviator sunglasses completes our wardrobe and adds an extra touch of flare. From the outside we appear like nothing like you would expect real cowboys (or girls for that matter) to look like. But the one thing that we all have in common is that we love adventure and are passionate about the outdoors. So regardless of our skill, experience or attire, you can tell by the smiles and the laughter that echoes across the meadow that we are all excited to be heading into the wilderness to explore for the afternoon.

The trail that leads from the Ranch into the mountains cuts neatly across the field, before disappearing into the thick forest of pine and fir trees. I slowly get used to the rhythm of Mowson's steady pace and am surprised at just how effortlessly he follows the trails and the lead horse. The last remnants of snow can be seen on the ground, and once or twice we need to take our feet out of the stirrups to cross the icey trail. I feel about as elegant on horse back as a moose on roller skates but thankfully my trusty steed is much more coordinated than me and he has no trouble forging his way across the flowing Pearson's creek as we make our way further into the mountains.

Making our final ascent to the peak, the ground beneath us changes, and the horses hooves kick up a light shower of dust. We break through the last line of trees and emerge into a clearing, looking down the valley towards Carpenter Lake. From this vantage point you can begin to understand the sheer size of the South Chilcotin Mountain Park and it strikes me just how remote the location of the ranch truly is. It is an absolutely stunning vista that greets us, looking past Pearson and Mowson Ponds to see the lake sweep through the valley and off into the distance. We dismount our horses and it's not long before the urge to take a selfie or two hits the group. We might be adventurers but we still come from the age of technology after all. So while we soak in the views of the afternoon sun turning the snow capped mountains a beautiful golden colour, we also take a few happy snaps to add to our growing album of unbelievable views.

When you want to go for a horse ride you need a good saddle, for you and of course for the horse. Before you saddle up and head out on your adventure, sometimes you must first fix your saddle. On this beautiful evening, as the sun goes to sleep and the night comes slowly, I head to the barn at Chilcotin Holidays.

I'm alone in this old wooden barn. I can smell the leather of the saddle and other equipment, the old wood of the logs, the horses around me, their hair on the blanket, and hear the quiet footsteps and breathing of Babe, Mister and Truax like music in background.The barn is at the heart of every adventure. The place where everything at the ranch begins and ends, and I am standing right in the middle of it all.

The saddles that sit in the barn each tell a story like a well read book. How long is the story of your saddle? You can tell how hard the previous adventures have been and see how tough the leather of the saddle must be to support the rider in rain, sun and wind. On some of the saddles, the leather is old and cracking in places, some lattigo are missing and some stirrups must be fixed.

I take a saddle and I put it on the wooden horse, in the twilight I check with my headlight which parts must be fixed. Some leather are different textures and each has an individual use. If the leather is thick, it's better to be used for the stirrup. You can use the older leather for a smaller piece if it is torn but in order to repair the saddle string, you need a softer strap because this makes it more easy to do the loop and it's better to fix your backpack. Now I focus on my hand movements so that I don't cut too much of my leather. I pull my strap to fix it properly and I do my loop. This saddle string is done.

As I stand in the barn, it feels as if time doesn' t exist. This area is mine until I go to sleep. I can see the stars in the sky when I look out the window of the barn, and hear my friends the horses walking close to the barn wall. This ambience is perfect. I'm in horse country in the middle of my evening adventure. I focus on my repair and I take satisfaction when I'm done. I bring back the saddle to it's place and take another one. You see the result of your handy work and you know that it makes sense and is useful. After fixing some more saddle strings, my hands are dusty and smell like the old leather, the results of a job well done. This is my beautiful midnight adventure, I go to sleep with happiness in my heart and a big smile on my face.

Actually, it was not my first time riding specifically western style, but rather riding a horse at all. As someone who is allergic to both hay and horses, I never really bothered spending time around them. When I was told that the volunteer position I offered involved spending my days on a ranch with horses, I was rather wary of the image I had in mind at first. However, I packed my bags for my trip to Canada, kind of looking forward to the challenge that would await me, making sure I carried enough allergy medication for my stay here at Chilcotin Holidays.

Arriving at the ranch, the literally first thing I did was, who would have guessed, chasing horses in order to feed them afterwards. Hurrying up to get things done, I forgot to take my medication, leaving me with a running nose and watery eyes after my first encounter with the horses and rolling the hay bale.

Some days later, I got my riding orientation and it was explained to me how to saddle a horse properly, which actually took way longer than I had expected. However, I eventually made it with a little help from my staff members and we were ready to give it a try.

At first, we were informed about safety instructions and were able to practice guiding our horse on the ranch’s pasture before heading to Pearson’s lookout. In order to “start” my horse, I was supposed to kick it in the belly with my heels, leaving me afraid that I would hurt it, but the saddle parts apparently dulled the impact. After some time, I was somehow able to give the horse directions and we were prepared to go.

The ride to Pearson’s lookout was steeper than what I had expected of a first ride, but it was smoother than I thought and arriving at the bluff, we had a beautiful view over the valley.

On our way back, we didn’t ride the horses in order to spare their knees.

When we returned and relieved the horses from the saddles, I was pleasantly surprised about the joy of experiencing the ranch’s surroundings by horse and I was already looking forward to the rides to come.

Have you ever returned home from a holiday and noticed that your photos of a particular area all seem to have a distinct flavor and color palette? In all the places I've traveled to, especially those that I have photographed in detail, I've seen that certain cities, landscapes, even countries seem to embody particular colors hues. The gunmetal grey skies and charcoal cliffs of the Scottish coastline, the rust red sands of outback Australia, or the bleach white stones and azure seas of a Mediterranean fishing village. As I picture each region in my mind, these are the colors that spring to mind. The pictures that line my walls and fill my SD cards all bare homage to the natural color scheme of each destination.

I have been lucky enough to arrive in the South Chilcotin Mountain Park on the cusp of seasons, at a time when the wilderness has begun to emerge from it's Winter sleep. The change of season is now in full swing and recently I have been witness to the birth of an entirely new visual landscape. The thick blanket of crisp white snow I had come to associate with the ranch has now melted and given way instead to a blanket of lush green grass, dotted with textbook yellow dandelions.

I'm not sure whether it is the abundance of natural light that comes with the ever lengthening. Spring days, the crispness of the unpolluted air or the seemingly endless skies, whatever it is, somehow, the colors of the landscape all appear magnified here. There is a richness to each shade of green, a vibrancy that is begging to be captured on film (or in pixels as they say these days). Driving along the lengths of Carpenter Lake towards the semi ghost town of Goldbridge, I am astounded to see the almost fluorescent green of the fresh growth of the Aspen; the young leaves creating highlights against the deeper tones of the mature fir trees.

Arriving at the first stop on our photography tour we descend from the roadside to walk amongst the abandoned ruins of a hand built wooden house. The dappled light falling through the trees onto the timber skeleton creates an eery yet calm atmosphere as we make our way silently around it's perimeter. The starkness of the exposed wood is in perfect contrast to the delicate green of the overgrown forest surrounding us and the rusted remnants of past tenants are the perfect focal points for a number of our shots. The sound of shutters opening and closing and the intensity with which our small group works tells me that many hours will be spent after our trip scrolling through screens trying to chose our new favorite shots, cementing in our memories the ever vivid colors of the Chilcotin Mountains.

I had the chance to go to a real traditional rodeo !

It was a little bit weird at first to get out of the ranch, away from a complete natural surrounding back to “civilization”, shops, crowd,... but going to the rodeo was a unique experience ! We arrived at the rodeo just before it began. It was organized in a pasture along the road that had been converted into a parking lot next to the permanent rodeo grounds. We found some places at the fence, just in front of the bulls boxes, just in the right place to see everything. At one moment there was even a steer running between the arena fence and the public fence, so close that we could almost touch it ! I immediately felt the particular atmosphere that I guess is typical of every real traditional rodeo, cowboys everywhere, small kids saddling their horses in a few minutes, quicker than I will ever do, families and communities gathered to encourage their “champion”... I never went to such event and it was so special !

Then the show began ! That was really impressive to watch : 5 to 6 guys activating and getting the bull chute ready, teenagers and young men preparing to jump on the bull and hold on to it as long as possible, until the bell rang; one man standing in front of the box, ready to open the gate when the next cowboy would be on the bull, jumping aside while pulling the rope that opened the box, then this massive bull jumping out, a mass of muscles excited and kicking out in every direction and young boys (and even one young lady !) holding on to it ! It is such a different culture, we do not have such event in Belgium and I was glad that I could experience that !

We saw a variety of bull riding, some bulls were really excited (one of the bull fell on the young guy riding it when the gate opened and another one pursued the cowboy that just fell off, trying to impale him with its horns ! But no one was hurt !) and others were kind of “quiet” and some men had to jump around them, clapping in their hand to excite them a little bit more. I was impressed by some riders that managed to stay on the bull a few seconds till the bell rang and then just jumped off to the ground. You could think that when they have to hold long enough it is finished, they are safe... but getting voluntarily off the bull is not that much easier ! One of the young cowboy almost fell on the fence ! And they are all so prepared, when they touch the ground either they run really fast or they stay face down on the ground waiting the signal to get up and escape the bull horns!

One part that is also worth telling is what happens after the cowboy is off the bull. The bull needs to be directed out of the arena. Some really skilled riders and horses came in and chased the bull. I was amazed to observe their technique, they know exactly what to do, where to turn and block the bull with their horse, when to catch it with a lasso around the horns... That part was for me - a complete novice - as impressive as the first part.

Going to the rodeo and watching the bull riding competition was great ! It is another unique experience that I will bring back home and never forget !

Catching a horse is the first basic step to learn when you want to be on a ranch. You need to be able to do it it when you want to go riding, when you want to practice trimming or shoeing, when you want to treat a horse (for instance for the annual spring deworming) or sometimes just to bring horses back to their pasture when they have jumped their fence. Everybody can do it, no worries. However, it can be sometimes a little bit tricky whether or not you are experienced with horses even though they tend to test you more if they feel you are a novice horse catcher!

So, first, grab a halter, with your hands empty your are not going to catch any horse. It is true that sometimes we do not use a halter, for instance if we want to move the entire herd. But if you want to move only a few horses than it will probably be more efficient with halters. We have a saying here: “ Sometimes shortcuts are longer than the normal way”.

As a city girl, I do not have a lot of experience with horses, to not say not at all. So many of simple and current techniques for riders were just entirely new for me. For example, when you approach a horse, do it towards the head, laterally so that it can see you and most important approach normally! If you try to approach little by little, slowly, without making a noise, you will just scare it as you will look like a predator that circles his prey. And then good luck to catch it if you just make it spook by scaring it. So just take the halter an go towards the horse directly in a way that he see you coming. That is one of the first lessons I learned!

Then it mostly depends on the will and mood of the horse, they are sometimes really cooperative or on the contrary decide that there is too much good food and they do not want to go for a ride. There you have the opportunity to practice your skills to be the “boss”, the decider rather than let the horse choose. And it seems that they can feel that you are inexperienced or unsure. After a few weeks at the ranch there was a huge difference in the way horses were responding to my directives! And I must admit it took me at least one week to be confident and non hesitate anymore on the way to put the halter on. During my first week I was struggling to figure out where the muzzle of the horse was suppose to fit in the halter! Now it seems pretty obvious.

It also depends a lot on the horse, I have now met horses with really different characters. For example, Scout was just so patient with me! She was grazing but knew I was coming to get her, so she literally gave me her head and was gently waiting while I was struggling with halter until she knew I was finished and began to graze again! There is also Willy who is even more willing to come! When he sees that we are coming to catch some horses he often just come along, ready to go! I met other horses that were more “playful” and just turn around so you can not catch their head. For those ones you just have to practice you leadership skills and once you have caught them they are just as gentle and patient as the others.

The process of learning to catch a horse was full of tiny adventures and good moments spent with the horses!

I made the hike to Lover's Bluff! Now I can proudly say that I know what it represents and what a wonderful point of view is offered to our eyes when we achieve it.

One of the reasons I came to this place is to experience wilderness and I was looking forward to some hikes and rides. Here, I had a lot of opportunities doing amazing ones – at least in my eyes, as a Belgian city girl. One of the best hikes was the one to lover's Bluff. At first I though it was just a simple trail as the others I already did around the ranch. Even when some other interns were mentioning that it was a little bit hard and steep I was thinking “well ok, it will be fine, I am not the fittest person but I have already achieved big hikes”. The first time I did the hike to Lover's Bluff I realized it was more complicated than I thought as it was steep straight from the beginning and all the way up. Following two others interns that are really fit, I find myself out of breath in five minutes, trying to keep their pace. It was just too quick for me. Do not overestimate yourself! After 10 minutes I decided that if I wanted to complete the hike, I had to spare my strengths. As soon as I decided to stop trying to follow a pace that was not mine, I felt better and could enjoy the exercise of the hike. Yes, it was really steep, but when I was taking my time it was not that hard. Everybody needs to find their own way of achieving it. And actually the second time I did it, it was much more easy as I knew what to expect.

After a long part uphill you reach a portion of the trail that is in the shadow most of the time and where the snow melts much slower than anywhere else! We had to go through 15 cm of snow in the middle of April. That was really fun as it is more snow that what we have in Belgium in the middle of winter! Moreover it was really interesting because in the snow, footprints of animals are easily observable. We saw a very big wolf footprint. I did not imagine that wolf were so big! That was really exciting! The advantage of this hike is that, as it is so steep all the time, you quickly get some altitude and with altitude comes beautiful point of views! At the top, after a turn in the forest, we finally arrived in an open area at the edge of the mountain where we could contemplate an amazing panorama, all the way through the valley with the ranch below, between the trees. It was exactly why I went in Canada, to live experiences and see landscapes like this!

Three Day Bushcraft Course, all part of our holiday ranch!

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Staff Testimonial of Experience at Chilcotin Holiday dude ranch

Update on our newest member

Thanksgiving at Chilcotin Holidays luxury dude ranch

Chilcotin Meadows Brimming with Wildflowers – New Organized Hiking Trip

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Staff story - Maddie

Leaving the ranch...

Bear Essentials

Greenhouse

Open Barrel Racing

Wildlife viewing

Spruce Needle Tea

Views of the Valley Ride to Pearson's Lookout

The Midnight Saddle Maker

My First Time Riding Western Style

Hashtag no filter – Photography Tour

Rodeo – Bull Riding

Catching a horse

Hike to Lover's Bluff