As Monica introduced last week in our blog, this week I am going to be talking a little about our 2016 trip to The Outpost at Warden Rock in Alberta, Canada. Really, I can only tell you a little bit about the trip because the experience cannot easily be put into words. Beware – photo overload ahead!
The experience is one that I will never forget and I hope to visit again in the future. Each day at the Outpost consisted of one long ride or two shorter rides, and we returned each evening before dinner. We either ate lunch out on the trail or back at the lodge with some R&R time between rides. Rides were generally 7-9 miles for the shorter rides and up to about 20 miles for the longer ones. Most of the rides were at a walk due to the terrain (think steep, river crossings, and rocky – they are are called the Rocky Mountains after all!). We did have some opportunities to move out a bit too, which was great for riders who like to go forward like Monica and I do. Some of the afternoon rides were smaller groups, as some of our SheNanigans wanted to do other things such as nap, fly fish, or draw the beautiful scenery surrounding the ranch. On several of these smaller rides we had the opportunity to go pretty fast, which was one of my favorite parts.
Most of the horses were either quarter horse types or Tennessee Walkers with a few paints, an appaloosa, and even a mule in the herd. The best part was that, even though these horses were amazing trail horses and knew to follow the horse in front of them, they were by no means the nose to tail lazy horses you might find at a public trail riding facility where people without horse experience can spend some time riding. And wow were these horses fit! None of them were tired from the steep long rides, and that was super impressive!
I tried to break down my favorite parts of the trip into a few sections so that I could spam everyone with semi-organized photos at least. These sections are in no particular order.
- The horses (of course!) and the riding. The horses were absolutely amazing. They were fit, tough, responsive, full of personality, and a lot of fun. The riding was a mix of steep climbs and descents (where we dismounted and led the horses down), open grassy plains, wooded areas, and river crossings. Though I know that the owners of The Outpost tailor their rides to their guests, most of the trails we went on were not for new riders or those who are adverse to adventure. So, in other words – right up our alley!
2. The Outpost was just amazing. Each person or pair of people had their own cabin. The cabins were small but cozy and each had a wood stove for those cold nights. I would describe the accommodations as classy but rustic – there is no power, no flushing toilets, no internet, no tv. However, there is a wood-heated shower, a wood-heated hot tub (perfect for after a long day in the saddle), and all of the delicious food you can eat. The food was impressively amazing and very plentiful. I expected to maybe lose a few pounds on this trip with all of the riding, but that was definitely not the case. One night we even had a complete Thanksgiving style meal! Okay, I am making myself hungry here – on to the photos!
3. It might be obvious, but the scenery in this area of Alberta is simply breathtaking. Everything you see looks like it belongs in a painting.
4. The owners and staff at The Outpost were top notch. They were all friendly and happy to answer all of our (many) questions. They cooked all of the meals, took care of all of the saddling and grooming of the horses, and led the trail rides. Also, impressively, Julie was able to match each rider to an appropriate horse or horses. I don’t think any of us felt over- or under-horsed. They made our stay very stress free and relaxing, and they were also just a lot of fun!
5. The friends! I knew a lot of the SheNanigans before this trip as many of them ride at the barn where I board Prophet, but several of them I hadn’t met before and some I hadn’t seen in a long time. It was great to reconnect with those who had moved away from Vermont, wonderful to meet new friends, and a great way to get to know those folks whom I only had interacted with at the barn prior to this trip.
I did make a map of some of our rides, but, alas, my GPS ran out of battery a few times so it’s not complete. The tracks (the lines of different colors) are a little hard to see, but the longest green one is about 20 miles round trip.
This post can’t really sum up the experience of the trip. If you ever get the opportunity to go, I highly recommend visiting The Outpost at Warden Rock.
Thank you for all of the photos, SheNanigans!
Happy Trails!
Kerrie
