A number of years ago, I ran across the first Canadian spa I'd seen on the Internet - Mountain Trek in British Columbia - and I quickly added it to the Spa Site. It offered (and still does) fitness in the great outdoors for up to 14 guests at a time - guided hiking, kayaking, biking, and winter sports, as well as recovery in the spa. I was enchanted by the photo on the web site of a young woman sitting in an alpine meadow surrounded by an amazing display of wild flowers and snow-capped mountains in the background. It reminded me of Heidi, the Alps and Swiss Miss Cocoa and I thought to myself, "I'll have to go there someday." 

I had that chance this October. We drove from Radium to Creston then up along the scenic shores of 90-mile-long Kootenay Lake, crossing it via the longest free ferry in BC to Ainsworth Hot Springs. There are a number of craft shops in the area and we stopped at North Woven Broom, Kootenay Forge, Breathless Glass, and Weaver's Corner. Mountain Trek's lodge, high on a hill overlooking the lake and the Purcell Mountains, was just a short ride from there. I was warmly greeted by Barbara who gave me a tour of the lodge:

• the large gathering room with fireplace,
• the dining room where all meals would be served,
• the kitchen where chef Aaron Jeffs would create delicious and healthy meals designed to provide the energy needed for the day's physical demands,
• the laundry where you can drop off your clothes to be washed and pick them up the following morning and the place to get an extra sweatshirt, pants or T-shirt to use during your visit,
• the outdoor whirlpool tub and sauna,
• the fitness center with CYBEX machines and yoga studio which overlooks the lake,
• the three massage treatment rooms upstairs,
• and, finally, the room I would be staying in (one of 12 private guest rooms).

The lodge is casual and comfortable. And quiet - no TV, no newspapers, and the only telephone is a pay phone by the stairway - an excellent retreat from our busy lives. The furnishings and decor in guest rooms are simple. The bed is covered with a down-filled duvet and pillows. The rooms have their own bathrooms and marvelous views. I left the blinds up and windows open all night to enjoy the starlight and quiet. Frankly, I didn't spend much time in my room other than for sleeping, showering, or changing clothes. 

Barbara also filled me in on what the upcoming schedule would be.

I awoke my first morning to a typical day's routine:

6:30am - Up early for an hour of yoga with Sharon to stretch muscles and prepare for the busy day ahead.

7:30am - Gather in the dining room for a hearty, healthy breakfast of deviled eggs, fruit, cottage cheese, yogurt, cereal, rice or soy milk, orange juice, flavored tea, and toast with apricot spread or almond butter.

8:30am - Leave for the day's hike to Idaho Peak (some people were leaving to kayak). Guides Sharon Best and Ryan Brown drove us for about 30-40 minutes through scenic mountain roads to the historic mining town of Sandon (a ghost town today) and up the mountain to 6,000 feet. We hiked hiked up 1,500 ft to the top of Idaho Peak at 7,500 ft. I admit the climb was quite a struggle for me. I live at sea level in Delaware. Between the altitude and not being in shape, there were times when I wasn't sure I would make it to the top. But Sharon patiently walked with me while Ryan went with the faster group. She was so cheerful and talkative that it took my mind off the climb. I would take about 50 steps then have to stop to catch my breath. She never made me feel like I was too slow. We eventually caught up with the others after climbing 1,000 ft. They switched and Ryan walked with me as well as another person for whom the climb was getting the better of. With small steps and lots of breaks, we eventually climbed the remaining 500 ft and reached the top. Was the climb worth the view? You bet! I finally saw that meadow in the photo of Mountain Trek's web site firsthand. The flowers were gone for the season, but the views were spectacular! At the top, we enjoyed 360° views of more alpine meadows, mountains, glaciers, and lakes while we ate the picnic lunch Chef Jeff packed for us - chicken salad or pb&j sandwiches, cauliflower, corn, and pepper salad, cookies or carrot cake, apples, carrot sticks, dates, figs, dried apricots, and nut mix. We took a different trail down and enjoyed equally spectacular views. I had no trouble keeping up on the way down. Sharon and Ryan were great. They both obviously love what they do. Ryan quoted one of his friends for the way he felt about it, "You drop everything to get here and you do anything to stay." 

5:00pm - Head back to the lodge via a quick shopping stop in New Denver then relax at the lodge. Some of us enjoyed the sauna and whirlpool, others rested in their rooms, some read books from the extensive library, and others quietly chatted in the gathering room while waiting for their spa treatments.

7:15pm - Dinner: Parsnip-Pear Puree Soup with Parsnip Chips and Grapeseed Oil, Pickled Vegetable Noodle Salad on a Bed of Fresh Spinach with Chili Oil, House Salted Cod Fillets with Tomato & Black Olive Ragout, Wilted Greens and Polenta Cake, Mountain Trek's Frozen Banana-Peach "Nice Cream" in a Chilled Cabernet-Raspberry Broth. Sound delicious? It was! You can get the recipes on Chef Jeffs' web site. Sitting at the large dining room table provided a great opportunity to meet the others sharing the journey. Some were there for a few days, some for a week, some longer. Some were in a job transition. Some were trying to start a more healthy lifestyle. Some just loved to hike. Some were there to try a different sort of vacation. I think we all found what we were looking for.

8:00pm - Massage! Yogita found me just as dinner was over and escorted me to the massage treatment room upstairs. She gave a terrific massage working those tired and sore legs and feet. I can't think of another time when a massage was so welcomed (or deserved!). Possibly the best part was that, when it was over, I only had to walk a mere 20 feet or so to get to my room where I zonked out for the night. Pure bliss!

Spa Services

Available in addition to what is included in the packages:

• The Zombie - Swedish Massage every day you hike 
• Individual Massages (55 minutes)
• Aromatherapy Consultation & Natural Aromatic Treatment Massage (70 minutes)
• Yogassage with Nateshivar - 1 1/2 hour yoga and massage similar to Thai massage
• Foot n Face - Natural Facial Treatment & soothing foot massage (80 minutes)
• Reflexology (30 minutes)
• Naturopathic Physician - Private consultation

Wendy's World

Wendy Pope started the Mountain Trek concept in 1991. She had a vision to create spa vacations closely intertwined with nature - a retreat from the world - and made it a reality. The physical exertion, the escape from the world's negativity, the opportunity to commune with nature in a spectacular setting, the fantastic meals, and the wonderful people and nurturing atmosphere at Mountain Trek can help reveal that elusive balance of body, mind, and spirit in these complicated times. Wendy has succeeded in creating her vision and her guests are fortunate to be able to share it - even if only for a short while.

Poem by Nancy Wood

My help is in the mountain
Where I take myself to heal
The earthly wounds
That people give to me.
I find a rock with sun on it
And a Stream where the water rains gentle.
And the trees which one by one give me company
So I must stay for a long time
Until I have grown from that rock...

This poem is framed and sits on the desk near the lodge's front door. Unfortunately, I decided to copy the poem at the last minute and ran out of time to finish it - yet another reason to return some day. 

Photos copyright 2001, Julie Register
Licensed to About.com 
except Girl in Meadow which is Courtesy of Mountain Trek

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