by Keith and Heather Nicol
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| Boo was keeping cool in the shade while we were there |
On Tuesday, August 2 we were lucky to be arriving in
Golden, B.C. by mid afternoon which allowed us enough time to get a feeling on
what Kicking Horse Mountain Resort has to offer in the summer. Kicking Horse
Mountain Resort is conveniently located just 14 km from Golden and is a popular
alpine ski area in the winter. But what does it offer in the “off season”? Actually
quite abit as it turns out...everything from mountain biking to hiking to
viewing Boo, the grizzly bear. And new for this summer are 2 via ferrata routes
which allow the average person to safely climb up steep rocky pitches. Since we
only had a couple of hours we first opted to check out Boo, whose enclosure is
accessed by a short chairlift ride. Unfortunately when we arrived Boo had
decided it was too hot and so was laying down in the shade of some tall trees
100-150 meters beyond the fencing. Boo was orphaned over 10 years ago and has
been in captivity ever since. However this is not a zoo, Boo`s enclosure is 20
acres in size and in fact he can forage for some of his food from his fenced in
homestead. There is also an interpreter at the enclosure who provides
information about grizzly bears in general and Boo in particular. Boo goes into
“hibernation” on site and needs to pack
on 300 or so pounds through the summer to be able to last through his 100-150
day winter dormancy period.
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| Heather checking out the view from the top |
After viewing Boo
we headed back down the chairlift and headed for the gondola where we were
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| There are lots of hiking trails to explore |
whisked to the top of the mountain in 15 minutes. We were awe struck by the
great views and had time to do the 30 minute CPR Ridge Walk. There are several
other longer hikes off the top and next time we visit we want to try one of
those. The Terminator Ridge Walk looks especially scenic. We also saw mountain
bikers whizzing off the top who had an amazing 1000 meter plus descent ahead of
them. The summit is also the staging ground for the 2 new via ferrata routes
which are on our “to do” list for our next visit. Also on top is the Eagle’s
Eye restaurant where you can grab a bite to eat. So much to do, so little time.
We will have to return to Kicking Horse Mountain Resort to try some of these
other activities on another visit. For more information see:
http://kickinghorseresort.com/
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| The viewing area near the Eagle's Eye is suited to all ages |
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