For the Bulletin
Wildsight’s Go Wild! is offering two youth leadership adventures this summer, taking 14 to 18 year olds on six-day wilderness backpacking trips into our wild backyards in the Rockies and Purcell Mountains.
Here in the Kootenays, we’re lucky to live amongst an endless playground of mountains, rivers, lakes and trees. Go Wild! aims to connect young adults in our communities to our majestic surroundings, develop their leadership skills and inspire a love of the outdoors that will last a lifetime.
For 2017, Wildsight is offering Go Wild! adventures with a focus on travel deep into our wild special places and our mountain history. Dave Quinn, award-winning author, photographer, outdoor educator, wildlife biologist and ACMG certified hiking guide, will be the leader for these adventures of a lifetime.
For many, climbing a mountain for the first time, cooking on a campfire or carrying their own gear on their own backs can be a life-changing moment. “Self-sufficiency in true wilderness turns on all the switches in the human brain: creativity, community, connection, confidence, and inspiration,” said Quinn. “This is what we hope to celebrate with Go Wild!, that two-way street where wilderness helps define us and lift us up, and in turn we become advocates and supporters of all things wild, not just for their sake, but for our own as well.”
Go Wild! Rockies - July 8 to 13, 2017: Participants will travel back in time to follow in the 1905 footsteps of pioneer conservationist William Hornaday on a traverse of some of the wildest remaining wilderness in the Southern Rockies. This wildlife-rich area straddles the Bull and Elk Rivers north of Fernie, and offers an unforgettable glimpse into the rich past and potential future of the Wild Rockies. Guided by Dave Quinn and Kelly Comishin, professional youth counsellor and experienced wilderness guide who has lead trips in the Canadian Arctic, Patagonia, on BC’s West Coast and in the Kootenays.
Go Wild! Purcells - August 21 to 26, 2017: Hikers will follow the restored historic Earl Gray Pass Trail between Invermere and Kootenay Lake. This traverse of the Purcell Wilderness Conservancy includes dramatic views of glaciers, ancient forests, and five cable cars across Hammill Creek. Guided by Dave Quinn and Leah Evans, certified ACMG guide, professional skier, and founder of Girls Do Ski.
The cost for each trip is $500, including leadership services and meals, with a limited number of bursaries available for low-income families. More information is available at wildsight.ca/gowild.