During the 1920s, it wasn’t especially normal for a female to imagine competing in sports—particularly if that sport was male dominated—but for Isabel Patricia Coursier, born March 21,1906, ski-jumping was as natural as playing in the snow.

Isabel was 16 years old when she broke a world record, jumping 84 feet in her hometown of Revelstoke, BC at what is now referred to as the Nelsen Historic Ski Jump. From that day forward, Isabel was celebrated as being the first female world champion ski-jumper.

In a ski tournament held in Washington on the 4^th of July, 1923, Isabel marveled her audience once again, jumping on the icy slopes of Mount Rainier. For this exhibition, she received a special medal and an ovation from the distinguished audience, which included then-president Warren Harding.

During this era, Revelstoke was well-known in ski circles for having one of the best ski hills in the world. An excerpt from the Revelstoke Review in 1927quoted a reporter from the Calgary Herald who claimed, “Revelstoke…boasts the greatest ski hill in the world.” The Revelstoke Ski Club was also famed to have produced some of the finest skiers in the world.

A member of the Ski Club, Isabel confidently jumped alongside her male contemporaries, such as Nels Nelsen, an immigrant from Norway to Revelstoke, who also held a world record for his jump of 240 feet.

In practice jumps, Isabel exceeded 100 feet and was the first female to jump unsupported by a male. The few women who did venture into ski-jumping contests came down the jump holding the hand of a male jumper.

A trapper named Bob Blackmore made Isabel a pair of skis when she was eight years old, which was all she needed to get on her way. In an interview circa 1968, Ms. Coursier stated, “I am appalled at the commercialism youngsters are exposed to these days and very sorry for parents who are trying to keep up with (kids) who want to take part in winter sports.”

(Imagine what she would think of the industry today.)

 “We did not go in for expensive equipment; parents simply could not afford all the fancy gear that seems to be standard today.”  And there was no such thing as special sport clothing, either. Athletes used improvised methods and whatever worked at the time. Isabel would often be seen jumping in army riding britches, men pants, and even her bloomers.

As an athletic star, Isabel was noticed for her true character. The media portrayed her fresh youth and modesty as attractive; her seriousness was endearing. Her success didn’t have anything to do with expensive coaching or top-of-the-line sporting equipment, a sort of forced glamour that seems to befall today’s athletes. She had no formal coaching. “None of us ever did, to my knowledge.  I never saw anybody coaching anyone,” Ms. Coursier remarked in a 1977 interview. “That’s why (we all) had the different styles.”

Isabel did not use chairlifts. She would declare that riding lifts was “the lazy person’s approach”, saying that the need for ski lifts and tows was largely to blame for many ski accidents.  Muscles did not have the chance to condition properly when the skier rode a lift and just glided down in what she deemed “a monotonous cycle.”

Isabel Coursier was world champion from 1922-29, even throughout juggling her studies at the McGill School of Physical Education in Montréal and teaching Physical Education in Victoria. She did eventually give up competitive ski-jumping for her career, still carrying the distinction of “uncontested champion”. Although an excerpt from Sam Wormington’s, The Ski Race states that in 1927, there was some confusion over a New Hampshire girl who claimed the record held by Miss Coursier. The American Ski Association did not recognize jumps made on the Revelstoke hill during Isabel’s time as world champion. However, the matter was recorded as having gone into rectification, and there was no documentation that the title was ever taken away from her. Isabel’s jump in 1922 remained the world’s record for the time being. Her last recorded jump was in 1929.

In 1938, Ms. Coursier went to Britain where she taught phys-ed for many years. During the next 25 years, she would frequently bring herself back and forth across the ocean, never seeming to make a choice between the UK and BC. She was a ski instructor in Scotland in 1952 and returned to Canada that same year to teach in Nanaimo. In 1954, Isabel returned again to Britain and studied art in Glasgow, where she lived until 1959. She then left for Canada to teach in Vancouver. Two years later, Isabel found herself back in Scotland, where she taught until her retirement in 1967. She again moved back to Canada and settled in Parksville on Vancouver Island. Isabel Coursier died October 16, 1980 at the age of 74. There is no record of her ever marrying.

Keynote Address: The Natural and Cultural History of the Crown by Jack Nisbet, teacher, naturalist and author
Introduction: Ted Smith, formerly with the Kendall Foundation (Boston)

The keynote address will review and celebrate the Crown of the Continent’s unique and remarkable history – an ecological crossroads and a place where culture and community are deeply embedded in nature.

Crown of the Continent:
Statement of Values and Principles
(Draft of September 22, 2010)
Introduction
This document is a work in progress. It is designed to connect people who care about the Crown of the Continent by articulating a set of common values and shared principles. It is voluntary, nonbinding, and does not duplicate or contradict any existing law, policy, or community‐based partnership. (See Appendix 1 for a list of people consulted in preparing this draft.)

During the 2010 conference Remarkable Beyond Borders, please provide input and advice by marking up hard copies and leaving your notes at the registration table. Staff will revise the document and distribute it once again for review and comment. After the next round of revisions, we hope to be in a place where people might “sign” the Statement of Values and Principles (Statement).

While the Statement is by, for, and about the people who care about the Crown, the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) has asked us to send them a draft of the Statement in reference to the America’s Great Outdoor Initiative. CEQ and other Obama Administration officials were inspired during their trip to Ovando, Montana, in June 2010 and challenged us to create something that knits together the community‐based partnerships with Crown‐wide and larger regional initiatives relevant to the Crown.

The Roundtable on the Crown of the Continent serves as the coordinating body for this effort and will provide ongoing support in the distribution, use, and updating of the Statement (see Appendix 2 for a description of the Roundtable). Once it is complete, the Statement of Values of Principles will be “owned” by all signatories.

The Landscape

The Crown of the Continent (the “Crown”) is an 18 million acre ecosystem (see Appendix 3 for a widely accepted map of the region). The U.S. Congress and Canadian Parliament designated Waterton Lakes and Glacier National Parks, which define the core of the region, in 1932 as the world’s first International Peace Park. The landscape of the Crown contains a diverse, functioning, relatively intact ecosystem; a geographically unique natural area containing the headwaters of three major water systems; habitat for a diverse array and a significant number of native flora and fauna; home for charismatic mega fauna, especially the grizzly bear that is strongly identified with this area; and a natural landscape with breathtaking scenic vistas, wildness, quietude, and dark skies that inspire a connection between people and nature. The Crown is a rare and special place.

The Communities

Indigenous cultures have inhabited the Crown for thousands of years, and communities of the region have always been connected to the landscape. Timber harvests on state, provincial, private, and federal public lands have long contributed to the region’s economies and to forest health. As the timber industry transitions into specialty products and potential biomass production, long term health and productivity of forested lands is crucial to communities in the Crown. Production agriculture from beef to barley and “farm to market” enterprises represent core economic activities and depend on healthy grasslands. Local food production is tied to a sustainable landscape and the people who live there. One of the biggest economic opportunities for communities around the Crown is tourism, which depends on healthy, accessible lands for recreation and visitation.

The Challenge

The future of the Crown of the Continent is being shaped by over 100 government agencies, non‐government organizations, and community‐based partnerships. These individuals and organizations operate at multiple spatial scales, share a common commitment to the landscape and communities of the region, and often work together through informal partnerships. However, there is no common thread or statement of values and principles that connects these efforts and fosters a regional community defined by a shared landscape.

Purpose of the Statement of Values and Principles

The purpose of the Statement is to create a regional network while sustaining the identity, integrity, and legitimacy of all the actors working to shape the future of the Crown. More specifically, it creates a framework to (1) promote a deeper sense of place and regional identity; (2) foster a common understanding of the people, place, and forces shaping the future of the region; (3) guide future actions to enhance and sustain the natural and cultural assets of this remarkable region; (4) advocate for the interests of the Crown; and (5) assess progress in meeting common values and shared principles. The Statement builds on the history of cooperation among First Nations and Native Americans, Canada, United States, Alberta, British Columbia, and Montana. It recognizes the Crown is the home of the first international peace park and three biosphere reserves, along with other special designations. The Statement is a voluntary, non‐binding “good faith” agreement; it does not replace or duplicate existing laws, agreements, policies, or community‐based partnerships. It provides a foundation for shaping the future of the region through research, education, policy, management, and advocacy. The Statement is a living document; it will be reviewed and revised periodically to ensure that it reflects current values of people interested in the Crown of the Continent.

Common Values

The following values are derived from existing laws, treaties, agreements, policies, communitybased conservation efforts, and a 2008 meeting of the Roundtable on the Crown of the Continent. The values are not listed in any order of priority.

 Maintain a healthy landscape, including but not limited to water quality, water quantity, and wildlife habitat and corridors.
 Respect diverse cultures, beginning with First Nations and Native Americans that identify the Crown as part of their native homeland, and including the ranching, mountain, conservation, arts, and other cultures.
 Foster livable communities, including the rural way of life as well as emerging urban centers.
 Sustain vibrant economies based on agriculture, small business, tourism, natural resource industries, ranching, and outfitting.
 Keep working lands intact to sustain the region’s agricultural base and habitat for fish and wildlife.
 Restore and protect public lands and resources.
 Sustain and enhance public access for hunting, fishing, camping, and other outdoor recreation pursuits in wilderness areas and other public lands.
 Enable community‐based partnerships to achieve common values and shared principles.
 Promote opportunities to learn from and share the lessons of this special environment through education and research.
 Facilitate communication, cooperation, and partnerships across all borders, including international, jurisdictional, cultural, and the public and private sectors.

Shared Principles

To achieve the common values, signatories embrace and practice the following shared principles.

Individual Rights and Responsibilities – The citizens of the Crown hold a fundamental right to clean water, clean air, and a healthy landscape. This right implies a shared responsibility for the use, management, conservation, and protection of the region’s water and related land and air resources. The ecological integrity of the Crown and the physical health, economic well‐being, and quality of life should be maintained and enhanced for current and future generations.

Ecological Integrity – The Crown functions today as an intact ecosystem with remarkable diversity of life and ecological resilience. As demonstrated by numerous community‐based conservation initiatives in the region, ecological integrity should be sustained, and if necessary restored, through scientific inquiry, community participation, land acquisition, best management practices, and regulation. Every effort should be made to avoid compromising the ecological integrity of the Crown.

Sustainable Communities – In a sustainable community, a fundamental and inextricable linkage exists between economic activity and the goods and services provided by the natural ecosystem. Sustainable economic activity meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It respects the limits imposed by the capacity of the landscape, and promotes long‐term economic viability, protects environmental values, and seeks to provide economic opportunities and quality of life for all people in the Crown.

Institutional Relations – Two federal governments, the State of Montana, two Canadian provinces, numerous regional agencies and local governments, and several Native American authorities/First Nations have some legal authority or responsibility for matters pertaining to the Crown of the Continent. The complexity and sophistication of the “institutional ecosystem” for the Crown’s governance has garnered global recognition. Cooperative relations among these jurisdictions, in partnership with business and industry, citizen organizations and all other regional interests, are needed if the integrity of the landscape is to be achieved and maintained.

Public Information, Education and Participation – Citizen participation is the cornerstone of developing and implementing public policies that promote a clean environment, strong economy, and high quality of life in the Crown of the Continent. Such participation ensures that the needs and concerns of interested individuals are heard, understood, and incorporated into policy and management plans. To participate effectively, citizens must be informed of political, ecological, social, and economic issues in the region. This requires timely, accurate, and accessible information; a forum in which to voice concerns; and a mechanism to become involved in formulating and implementing public policy.

Signatories

Any individual, organization, community, partnership, or agency that subscribes to the common values and shared principles is invited to be a signatory of the Statement. Signatories aspire to uphold the common values and shared principles in their activities, and prepare a brief statement that describes their commitment to the Statement and actions to be taken to support implementation. These statements will be compiled as an addendum to the Statement and updated periodically to assess progress and guide future efforts. As the community of signatories grows, the Crown of the Continent should become known as “Our Crown.”
Appendix 1

People Consulted in Preparing this Draft

The following people were consulted in preparing this draft of the Statement. The input and advice provided by these people does not represent any official position per se, and these people do not necessarily endorse this draft of the Statement.

 Evan Berger, MLA for Livingstone‐Macleod and Parliamentary Assistant to the Alberta Ministry of Sustainable Resource Development
 Len Broberg, Co‐director, Transboundary Initiative, The University of Montana
 Gary Burnett, Executive Director, Blackfoot Challenge
 Jimmy de Herrera, District Ranger, Flathead National Forest
 Anne Dahl, Director, Swan Ecosystem Center
 Bill Dolan, Land & Resource Management Coordinator, Alberta Ministry of Tourism, Parks, and Recreation
 Ian Dyson, Director, Cumulative Effects Strategy, Alberta Department of Environment
 Bob Ekey, Regional Director, The Wilderness Society
 Gloria Flora, Director, Sustainable‐Obtainable Solutions and Member, Coalition to Protect the Rocky Mountain Front
 Steve Frye, Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation
 David Hadden, Director, Headwaters Montana
 Sasha Harriott, Coordinator, Crown Manager’s Partnership
 Dennis Madsen, Resource Conservation Manager, Waterton Lakes National Park
 Joe Maurier, Director, Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks
 Dianne Pachal, Wild Country Consulting (secretariat, Castle Special Place Working Group)
 Melanie Parker, Director, Northwest Connections
 Kimberly Pearson, Waterton Park Front Project Conservation Coordinator, Nature Conservancy of Canada
 Jack Potter, Chief, Division of Science and Resources Management, Glacier National Park
 Mary Riddle, Environmental Protection Specialist, Planning and Compliance Coordinator, Glacier National Park
 Mary Sexton, Director, Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation
 Ted Smith, independent consultant
 Al Sobootin, British Columbia Ministry of the Environment
 Tim Stevens, Regional Director, National Parks Conservation Association
 Alan Rollo, Coordinator, Sun River and Teton River Watershed Councils
 Erin Sexton, Flathead Lake Biological Station
 Wayne Stetski, Manager, East Kootenay Conservation Program
 Jim Stone, Chair, Blackfoot Challenge
 Leslie Weldon, Regional Forester, US Forest Service (and senior staff)

Appendix 2
Roundtable on the Crown of the Continent

Connecting People to Shape the Future
The Roundtable is an ongoing forum to bring together people who care about the Crown of the Continent. It is based on the observation that the future of the Crown is being shaped by over 100 government agencies, non‐government organizations, and place‐based partnerships. While these various initiatives operate somewhat independent of each other, the Roundtable provides a unique opportunity to connect people that share common values and a commitment to the region.

Through workshops, conferences, and policy research, the Roundtable provides an opportunity to exchange ideas, build relationships, and explore opportunities to work together ‐‐ to sustain the natural and cultural heritage of this remarkable landscape.

The Roundtable is not an official commission authorized by any government agency; it is more of a network, alliance, and place where “friends of the Crown” can connect and jointly shape the future of this shared landscape.

Participation in the Roundtable is based on self‐interest. People participate for their own benefit and to develop their own work. The Roundtable therefore tends to have fluid membership; people move in and out of the activities of the Roundtable based on how much they personally benefit from participating. As people exchange ideas, learn together, and develop a common sense of purpose, they gradually improve their individual and collective capacity and commitment. It is this capacity and commitment that will sustain the natural and cultural heritage of the Crown.

The Roundtable is co‐convened and staffed by the Center for Natural Resources and Environmental Policy, the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, and the Sonoran Institute (and hopefully people and organizations in Alberta and British Columbia). A broadbased Steering Committee provides input and advice on the activities of the Roundtable.

For more information, go to www.crownroundtable.org
Appendix 3
Map of The Crown of The Continent

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In 1799, the northwest of Charlotte Small’s childhood, was in the midst of change. Fur trading was the new commerce, and life was  arduous, yet full of discovery. Many had moved through Charlotte Small’s community, taking their stores and stories with them. One of those who had left was her Scottish father, Patrick Small, a North West Company partner. He had abandoned the family and returned to Europe, but her Cree mother stayed on, keeping Charlotte, her brother Patrick, and her sister Nancy together at Île-à-la-Crosse.

In a place increasingly dominated by the ways of the white man, it was not easy to be of mixed blood, and such women were encouraged to find European husbands who might offer standing and security. These matches were arranged by relatives, or by men who needed wives to cook, clean, and sew for them. Sometimes love was involved in such marriages, but most often important practical advantages informed the matches. Unlike European women, “country wives” were accustomed to harsh elements and knew how to survive in the wild. A union also created an alliance with the woman’s Native family, and she could translate and trade on her husband’s behalf.

In June of that year, Charlotte agreed to marry. She packed what belongings she held dear and could carry. The wedding would have been simple. With no formal ceremonies or documents required, marriage in ‘the country’ was plainly stated: an exchange of gifts or goods might take place, and the couple moved in together. Joining her new husband David Thompson, a twenty-nine year old fur trader and surveyor in the employ of the North West Company, Charlotte left behind the family she loved and the only home she had known. She was just thirteen years old.

In the years that followed, their relationship endured and affection was evident. Charlotte was invaluable to Thompson, who in an 1874 manuscript wrote “…my lovely Wife is of the blood of these people, speaking their language, and well educated in the english language; which gives me a great advantage”. Multilingual in English, French, and Cree, Charlotte was able to decipher related dialects of other tribes. She moved easily among them and was more readily trusted, for although her father was a lowland Scott, Charlotte’s appearance was that of her mother’s people. Her grandson William Scott described her as “about five feet tall, active and wiry, with black eyes and skin almost copper-coloured.”

Times could be hard and travel difficult for fur traders and voyageurs crossing Rupert’s Land.  Winter could be particularly cruel, and often lives were lost to the elements, injury, or starvation. In the winter of 1805-1806, Thompson’s own party was at Reed Lake House, and much in need of food. Charlotte’s hunting experience served them well, providing meat when it was scarce. Between November 1805 and February 1806, Thompson records Charlotte snaring eight rabbits. At the time, Charlotte had two small children in her care and was pregnant with their third child, born in March 1806.

In 1807, when Thompson opened a trade route over Howse Pass, Charlotte was at his side.  Though she had lived in the foothills at Rocky Mountain House, this would be her first experience in exploring the Rockies. The mountains seemed to increase in both height and beauty during the party’s approach, and their majesty was overwhelming; however, the challenge of ascending and descending the crossing proved treacherous and nearly fatal.

Very little about Thompson’s family is included in his journals, but his entries on this expedition are a rare glimpse into the life of Charlotte Small. He wrote that as they made their way down the west side of the pass to cross the Blaeberry, “The water descending in innumerable Rills, soon swelled our Brook to a Rivulet, with a Current foaming white, the Horses with Difficulty crossed & recrossed at every 2 or 300 yards, & the Men crossed by clinging to the Tails & Manes of the Horses, & yet ran no small danger of being swept away & drowned.”

As harrowing and frightening as it was for even the strongest of men, what is not written is that Charlotte made the same crossing with three small children in tow. How difficult it must have been to face the pass a second time, but face it she did. And on the return trip, tragedy nearly struck.

After wintering at Kootenae House and enduring threats of starvation and attack by the Peigans, Thompson’s party, including Charlotte and the children, made the difficult journey eastward over the Rocky Mountains. It was June 1808, the trail was poor, the water high, and in some areas there was still snow on the ground. Risk was not restricted to dangerous currents, and at one point one of the horses began to behave wildly, about which Thompson wrote, “One of my horses nearly crushing my children to death with his load being badly put on, which I mistook for being vicious, I shot him on the spot and rescued my little ones.”

Just one day later, he added to his journal “…at 3 P.M. we reloaded, but missing my little Daughter & nowhere finding her, we concluded she was drowned & all of us set about finding her – we searched all the Embarrass [log-jams] in the River but to no purpose. At length, Mr. McDonald found her track going upwards. We searched all about & at length thank God at 8 ½ P.M. found her about 1 Mile off, against a Bank of Snow.” Charlotte must have experienced a great deal of heartache during both incidents, and very likely took part in the search. She was seven months pregnant with their fourth child.

In a time when many European men may have quit the trade and returned home to a “civilized” life without having achieved great things, Thompson, his family with him, pursued his mission. Charlotte’s resourcefulness and knowledge supported his expeditions and he could continue his pursuits without longing or doubt of their support. Charlotte travelled with Thompson and lived in Rupert’s Land until 1812, when her husband retired from the fur trade.

Though white traders regularly left their “country families” behind, Thompson took his wife and five children with him to the Montréal region, a place very unfamiliar to Charlotte and where those of mixed-blood were not easily accepted. After their arrival, they had their marriage vows solemnized by a minister, added eight more children to their family, and cruelly suffered the loss of four. Besieged with business and financial failures, they lived the latter part of their lives in poverty.

Today, Thompson is known as North America’s greatest geographer and celebrated for his remarkable efforts in the exploration and mapping of Canada. Charlotte travelled over twenty-thousand kilometres  at Thompson’s side, taking her children with her. Credit is due to Charlotte for her incredible strength during their 58-year marriage and for her part in Thompson’s endurance and accomplishments. Her story is just one example of the invaluable contributions made to history by women of the fur trade.

~By S. Leanne Playter

Photos and credits:

Photo 1; Joseph Cross has painted a likeness of Charlotte Small, based on his research of her features and using a photo of Leanne Playter as his model.

Photo 2; Charlotte Small marries David Thompson on a secluded beach at  Île-à-la-Crosse, Saskatchewan, June 1799. Also seen here are Charlotte’s mother and sister. Original painting by Don McMaster, Rossendale, Manitoba.

Photo 3; Charlotte Small with three of her children crossing a tributary of the Blaeberry River in late June 1807. Mummery Glacier in the background, as they ride west through Howse Pass. Original painting by Joseph Cross, Cranbrook, British Columbia.

Photo 4; Statue of Charlotte Small and David Thompson, Invermere, British Columbia.

Notes:
David Thompson, Travels (unpublished manuscript): iii, 34a,ca. 1847; quotation courtesy of William Moreau as noted in the essay David Thompson’s Life of Learning among the Nahathaways by Jennifer Brown.
Sources of the River, Nesbit.
Moccsin Miles – The Travels of Charlotte Small Thompson 1799 – 1812.  S. Leanne Playter and Andy Korsos.

See our related story, Crown of The Continent, Waterton Conference, September 2010
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Horses have been for hire in the Canadian Rockies for more than 125 years and we’re still tied to that particular part of our history by one little knot. This knot, the diamond hitch, is the key to the whole packing operation, a secret jealously guarded by the initiated. Variations of the wooden sawbuck saddle used by outfitters have been around since the time of Genghis Khan. Large wooden boxes are attached to each side of the saddle, packs or equipment are arranged on top, and the whole pack is lashed together with a five-metre length of rope using the diamond hitch. Famous surveyor, A. O. Wheeler wrote, “The diamond hitch, or rather a series of hitches the shape of a diamond, is the combination of rope twists by which a load is kept in position on the back of a pack animal. I am not aware of who invented it – he should have been knighted.”

[Born in Ireland, Arthur Oliver Wheeler (1860-1945) arrived in Canada in 1876 and became a land surveyor. He made photo-topographical surveys of the Selkirks and the British Columbia-Alberta boundary through the Rockies. In 1906, he and Elizabeth Parker were the principal founders of the Alpine Club of Canada.]

The outfitting, horse packing and guiding industry started in the Canadian Rockies in the late 1800s, but it grew out of an earlier era of railway exploration and construction. With the arrival of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) in 1885, adventurous tourists, sportsmen, alpinists, and artists wished to encounter the wilderness close up. To satisfy them in Banff, the CPR called on Tom Wilson, its former survey packer, to guide them. Upon establishing horse corrals in Banff and advertising as “Guide to the CPR,” Wilson hired other guides and packers such as Jimmy Simpson and Bill Peyto to escort tourists over the rugged trails.

A similar process followed in Jasper with the arrival of the Grand Trunk Railway. Fred Brewster, originally from Banff, became the Jasper outfitter who trained others such as the Otto Brothers and Curly Phillips.

Big game hunters in the southern Rockies around Waterton sought out Bert Riggall who had cut his teeth on a thousand-mile pack trip through some of the most rugged country from the southernmost corner of Alberta to Mount Robson. These outfitters shared a thirst for knowledge, a keen sense of observation, an abiding love of nature, and the ability to tell a good story.

Today, the tradition of horse outfitting lives on throughout the Canadian Rockies. This summer, I accompanied outfitter Wayne Sawchuk on an unforgettable two-week adventure in the Muskwa Kechika area of the Northern Rockies. The area we travelled is similar to the country between Banff and Jasper 100 years ago that adventurer Mary Schäffer travelled on her way to discover Maligne Lake. Now you have to fly great distances to find that kind of wilderness. I gained an intimate understanding of what it means to “travel through burnt timber,” an experience I had only read about in Mary’s accounts of her travels. And we had a chainsaw. I cannot imagine what it would have been like with only an axe.

Throughout the Muskwa trip, I was constantly reminded of my cowboy father’s words, “Don’t ever forget that horses have a mind of their own.” And boy, was he right! Just when you think you have them figured out, they decide to take off galloping through trees, branches smacking you right and left until they finally decide, again for no apparent reason, to call an abrupt halt. On the other hand, they can get you safely across a deep river, take you sure-footedly up and down steep slopes and make you feel special when they give you a nuzzle. Weird! I guess I just wasn’t cut out to be a cowgirl, but there is something magical about travelling through the mountains on horseback. It is an opportunity to experience what life was like here 100 years ago.

Many outfitters in the region offer a variety of horseback adventures, from a 20 minute ride suitable for young children, to the 14-day backcountry experience. The most popular option is probably a 2 hour trail ride, but if time permits, wouldn’t it be great to enjoy dinner in the wild cooked over an open fire!

Video and photos-
Top video; (Remember to Breathe) Prairie Palette – Courtesy of Travel Alberta
Middle photo; A. O. Wheeler – Courtesy of Alpine Club of Canada
Bottom photo; An Adventurous Woman Abroad: The Selected Lantern Slides of Mary T.S. Schäffer – Courtesy of Michale Lang

~ by Michale Lang
Michale Lang is Executive Director and Chief Curator at the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies. She is also the author of An Adventurous Woman Abroad: The Selected Lantern Slides of Mary T.S. Schäffer.

Buy Michale’s book here, through our Amazon Associates Book Store! 
Prior to her position at the Whyte Museum, she managed the development of Mavericks: An Incorrigible History of Alberta at Calgary’s Glenbow Museum. In 2008, Michale was a Woman of Vision Award recipient and in 2012 received the Consumer Choice Awards Woman of the Year, recognizing her work in the cultural sector.
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