7 Day Mountain Goat Kid Counting and Conservation Horse Riding Tour in Canada

Itinerary

Day 1

You depart early in the morning from Vancouver with your shuttle or from home with your own transportation. The group arrives at midday and enjoys lunch at the ranch. During the horse riding orientation, you match riders to horses, fit saddles, and practice horsemanship skills. You learn how to saddle your own horse so you can be self-sufficient in saddling your horse throughout the whole trip, increasing your sense of empowerment and independence. You take part in an introductory trail ride to get to know your horse's capabilities and the terrain you will be riding.

You enjoy dinner and reflect on your day's successes, appreciations, and challenges during your evening review. A map orientation highlights the uniqueness of the Chilcotin Ark, the conservation efforts you will get involved in, and the trails and terrain you will explore throughout your journey. You learn more about mountain goats and their habitats. You complete the duffel routine and repack your personal gear into mountain duffel bags that will be packed on the horse. You stay overnight in ranch accommodations.

Day 2

You saddle your own horse and learn from your guides how to pack the pack horses, receiving a hands-on orientation before riding out to camp. You enjoy breakfast at the ranch and set your intentions during your morning review. You journey through Douglas fir and Lodgepole pine forests, climb stunning mountain passes, and ride through tranquil valleys, breaking for lunch in a meadow of wildflowers. You connect to nature by collecting Grizzly bear hair from rubbing trees and drinking water from the creeks. You scout for mountain goats at prime spots along the way and learn about tracking techniques.

You arrive at your rustic mountain camp and settle in by contributing to camp chores such as carrying water from the creek, learning how to split firewood and make a fire, and unpacking horses. You ride the horses to their grazing meadows and enjoy a hike back to camp through untouched wilderness. The meadows are fifteen to twenty minutes from camp, where you learn how to stake and hobble your horse for the night.

You get involved in conservation with your range record grazing sheet by identifying different grazes and wildflowers. You help cook dinner at camp, cook on the campfire, and roast marshmallows. You review your day's successes, challenges, and appreciations during your evening review. You stay overnight in your rustic prospector wall tents, listen to the sounds of nature, and count the stars.

Days 3 - 5

With sunrise, you hike out with your guides to retrieve your horses from the staking meadows, saddle your own horse, and ride back to camp. You help make breakfast, pack lunches at camp, and enjoy breakfast while setting your intentions during your morning review. You take part in a day ride from camp to prime locations for tracking mountain goats and enjoy lunch with breathtaking views along the way. You learn where to find the mountain goats and their behaviors, and carefully record the location, age, and sex of all mountain goats that you see.

You play your part in conservation while scouting for wildlife as you record every animal you see in your wildlife sightings form, learn about the endangered whitebark pine trees, assess the health of their population, and collect Grizzly bear hair from rub trees for DNA analysis. You connect to nature by drinking from the creek, learning about different plants, and bonding with your horse. You return to camp, bring horses to staking meadows, stake and hobble the horses, and enjoy the evening hike back to camp. You help cook dinner at camp, cook on the campfire, and roast marshmallows. You review your day's successes and appreciations during your evening review. You stay overnight in your rustic prospector wall tents, listen to the sounds of nature, and count the stars.

Day 6

With sunrise, you hike out with your guides to retrieve your horses from the staking meadows, saddle your own horse, and ride back to camp. You help cook breakfast, make packed lunches at camp, and enjoy breakfast while setting your intentions during your morning review. You pack up, clean camp, and help pack the horses before heading out. You explore striking landscapes such as valleys and towering ridgelines as you ride back to the ranch. You enjoy lunch on a mountain top or in an alpine meadow. You arrive at the ranch and enjoy dinner. You review your day's successes and appreciations during your evening review. You relax around the fireplace or step onto the deck for spectacular stargazing. You stay overnight in ranch accommodations.

Day 7

You enjoy breakfast at the ranch and set your intentions during your morning review. You take part in bareback horse riding lessons. You receive target shooting instruction and practice your aim. You fill in the wilderness journal to reflect on your journey, how it impacted you, and what learnings you will implement in your daily life. You enjoy a farewell lunch at the ranch with a review of your wilderness journal and a certificate presentation to reflect on your transformations during your trip. You depart for home or Vancouver and arrive in the evening.

About the tour

The tour is based on Wilderness Trails' six principles of nature conservation, nature connection, personal development, self-sufficiency, consciousness and awareness, and empowerment. All six principles are used to facilitate your ability to create positive change – for yourself, for others, and for your environment. Embark on a transformational self-development journey with Wilderness Trails' community, discovering who you are and who you want to be. Connect to nature and feel its restorative benefits. Get involved in nature conservation and make a real-world difference. Become more self-sufficient as you learn new skills and mindsets.

Experience real empowerment as you do things you have never done before, or never believed you could. Become more conscious and aware as you learn to see the natural environment and every aspect of life from a new perspective. The community facilitates you on your journey, where you have the opportunity to reach your full potential and realize your goals. You will be challenged physically, mentally, and emotionally, succeeding in ways you may not believe possible. So stay open-minded, step out of your comfort zone, and you will be rewarded by a unique experience that will transform your life. Every day, depending on the trail, you have to walk downhill steep terrain for at least 30 minutes and up to two hours, since you have to walk down the mountains you climbed up on your horse.

This is a hands-on experience where you will participate in all activities from horse care, camp chores, conservation projects, daily reflections about your experiences, and more. The itinerary is subject to the unpredictable weather and terrain conditions that come with a mountainous environment. And while Wilderness Trails does their best to stick to the itinerary, there are times when the current conditions and needs of the group require them to adjust schedules, campsites, etc. This is part of any true wilderness experience; however, they are well-equipped to adapt the adventure to changing conditions.

Why is it important to count goat kids?

Mountain goats are a relic from the ice age and are only adapted to a few mountainous habitats. Over 50 percent of the world’s population lives in British Columbia, Canada, which makes British Columbia especially responsible for the conservation of this species. However, activities such as helicopter skiing and snowmobiling in goat winter range disturb the goats and displace them from areas that are critical for their survival. Mountain goats have a low reproductive rate, are easily visible in steep terrain, and do not easily repopulate ranges after they have been removed. Therefore, it is important to closely monitor mountain goat populations and changes to their habitat, especially their winter range.

Together with the Chilcotin Ark Institute, Wilderness Trails organizes kid counts. During each kid count, they carefully record the location, age, and sex of all mountain goats that they see. This allows them to build detailed records of goat herds in order to assess annual herd recruitment and determine whether kid death is more likely caused by predation, disease, or other factors. Based on this information, they shape their conservation management practices to help maintain mountain goat populations at a sustainable herd size.