Women and the Outdoors
This package provides women the opportunity to connect intimately with nature in small groups of six or less for that personal connection. The venue is our square timber country home in the Parkland eco-region of Saskatchewan. The activities are a wonderful mix of “hands-on” experiences with a touch of pampering.
Most of the activities will revolve around four traditional modes of travel: horse, dog, canoe and by foot. That way you are in position to be first-hand with nature. Your senses will find new heights never experienced before. Let us walk you through a proposed week.
DAY ONE
Most often our guests arrive at our country home in time for lunch... great timing. Most of the meals are made of locally sourced products prepared in a traditional home-made fashion. After a delightful dessert ( you will have to try a few through the week), we are off to get acquainted with the various farm animals.
We are never sure if the animals are there for your entertainment, or if you are entertaining them. In any case they are happy to see you! We decide to go for a leisurely ride with the horses either by horseback or by wagon. Great way to get introduced to the area.
After dinner a local story teller or cowboy poet will bring to life stories of days gone by. Sleep will come easy tonight.
DAY TWO
After a good night’s rest and a wholesome breakfast we venture over the nearby hill and push off in a canoe onto Loch Lomond Lake. This lake is a wildlife sanctuary. Bald eagle’s nest to the left, flock of pelicans to the right, waterfowl species galore.
White-tail deer watering at the lake’s edge with various warblers fluttering about; and yes that is a monarch butterfly. A new view is yours to have with each stroke of the paddle.
We slow the afternoon down. Perhaps a short nap or a read in your favorite book. Then we are off for a leisurely walk down our trails to have a closer look at our local flora. Whether it is a search for the medicinal Seneca root, delicate lady’s slipper or unique Indian pipe, the interpretation will bring the forest alive.
We save some energy for after dinner when we bring out the dogs. With Rusty in the lead the dogs take you for a cart ride on nearby trails. Their enthusiasm for life is contagious.
DAY THREE
We set aside one day in the week to visit the local communities. We are gone all day checking out the local craft stores with their many hidden treasures. The home-made creations will give you a sense of the local culture and the people in the area.
Lunch will include a wholesome homemade soup with the accompanying bread of choice. Better try that Saskatoon-berry pie -- it doesn’t get much fresher.
What better way to end the day than an evening session with a reflexologist, Rekki or Shantihi master, or perhaps an experience in a sweat lodge. Ah, what a day!
DAY FOUR
After breakfast we are off to a new day. We get on the horse drawn wagon, picnic lunch on board and head off in casual exploration. We will pick in-season plants and berries as the mood moves us. We will want a few for our cooking session tomorrow. Oh, perhaps we will capture and admire a few butterflies and then let them on their way. We may come across a nest of young fledglings or laugh at the young woodchucks chasing each other.
Soon lunch time is here and the picnic basket is brought out. Weather permitting a campfire is built to add ambience to the meal.
The evening is spent around the country home in mellow fashion.You can try the sport of archery, going for a casual walk or catching up on a chapter or two in your favorite book.
DAY FIVE
The morning is spent in our generous kitchen to prepare something special from yesterday’s local harvest. Perhaps a wild mushroom omelette, Saskatoon berry pie or rhubarb loaf. Let’s try a few and have some fun.
After lunch we are off to a parkland forest ecology tour with an explanation of sustainable horse logging and its effect on the environment. The power of the horses and their athletic ability are a tribute to their being. You will impressed how we as humans can work sustainably with nature and all come out as winners.
Take advantage of a short rest after dinner. Tonight we are going out for a late evening paddle. You will be amazed by the many sounds of the night. From the yipping of the coyotes to the soft cooing of the mourning dove. From the winnowing of the wilson’s snipe to the hooting of the great horned owl in competition with the raucous calling of the red-necked grebe. To be honest, we do not know who is making all of the sounds... all beneath a moonlit sky filled with glistening stars. Listen a bit closer and you can hear the gnawing of the beaver on an aspen branch.
DAY SIX
What to do on your last morning is always a bit of a dilemma but a great position to be in. We will help you to participate in an activity of your choice this morning. Enjoy!
Thank-you for allowing us to share this time with you. May you treasure the sights and sounds of nature and go back to them for solace when life seems hurried and confusing!
Namaste!
Certain photographs used by permission of the copyright owner(s).
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