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GOLDEN DAYS

By Prestige Adventures

February 16^th, 2018

a kicking horse day

I pulled into Golden, in mid-afternoon after driving north from Radium Hot Springs that morning. It was a beautiful drive through the mountains, with the sun bursting through clouds, bathing the steep terrain in shafts of golden light fingers.

Golden is nestled in the Rocky Mountain Trench, built around the confluence of the Columbia and Kicking Horse rivers, surrounded by three different mountain ranges (most notably the Purcell Mountains and Rocky Mountains) and five National Parks: Yoho National Park, Banff National Park, Jasper National Park, Glacier National Park, and Kootenay National Park.

Before heading to my hotel for the evening, I headed through the town of Golden and began a slow, steady climb up the mountain to Kicking Horse Mountain Resort.

I was eager to experience all the mountain had to offer - including the highest dining experience in Canada.

Nowhere else can you ride a single gondola right to the summit, providing stunning views of the Rocky Mountains and surrounding national parks, as well as easy access to alpine ridges and bowls. These same ridges and bowls keep the snow stashed deeper and longer, which is why they're called the Champagne Powder Capital of Canada.

I slipped into the large gondola and began my slow ascent up the mountain, looking at the surrounding peaks and watching skiers zip and zag under the gondola, on their way to the bottom of the mountain. It was a fairly busy day and I could see a lot of families taking advantage of the cold, crisp mountain air and the groomed trails.

For me, I was looking for picture possibilities before an impending snow fall, and getting a hot bowl of soup at the resort's pinnacle restaurant.

The snow begins to move in at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort

dining at the top

I hit Kicking Horse Mountain Resort around noon which was perfect timing to take the Eagle’s Eye Express Gondola to the mountain top observation area and dining experience at Eagle's Eye Restaurant.

It took about 10 to 15 minutes for the gondola to reach the plateau where the restaurant is situated. Hopping off, I stood and took a moment to take in the stunning views. Snow was starting to fall in large, gentle flakes as I moved to the edge of the hill and watched boarders and skiers take steep routes from all sides of the mountain. There was no lack of pathways to take, with some hearty souls skiing and traversing up to a higher peak to what appeared to be a black diamond run.

Not surprising, there were a lot of skis and boards leaning up against each other, as guests who were there all morning were fueling up in Eagle's Eye Restaurant.

The aptly-named restaurant sits at the top of the gondola, at over 2300m above sea level and is the highest elevated restaurant in all of Canada. The multiple award-winning dining venue (including TripAdvisor’s 2015 Certificate of Excellence) offers stunning views of the five surrounding national parks and the breathtaking mountain peaks, down to the valleys.

Eagle's Eye Restaurant - Canada's most elevated dining experience.

heading down

I almost went into hibernation at Eagle's Eye Restaurant and hesitated quite a few times before pulling on my down jacket, thick gloves and toque, heading back into the cold. Before taking the gondola back down, I grabbed a couple more shots to round out my experience on the mountain. Even though the snow and temperature was dropping, I couldn't help pushing my time on the mountain, only leaving when a guide mentioned they were closing down the gondola for the day and if I wanted to catch a couple of shots as I drifted back to the bottom of the hill, I needed to leave.

home sweet home

I drove back into Golden and headed off to the Prestige Inn. The short, 15-minute drive back to the Inn was welcome, I was a little chilled from my day on the slopes and wanted nothing to do but hit the room, turn up the heat and relax (maybe even take a nap).

The Prestige Inn Golden actually sits on Hwy. 1, with easy access for travellers heading east to Calgary, or west to Vancouver.

After checking in, I walked up to the room, dragging photo bags and heavy boots.

Opening the door I was pleasantly surprised with my room - newly renovated with a king size poster bed, my eyes fell on to the jacuzzi sitting in the corner of the room.

My nap was put on hold while I filled the tub with hot water and soothing bath salts, and slipped into the jacuzzi, closing my eyes and letting my sore muscles relax. Heaven is the only word I could use to describe what I was feeling at that moment.

The designer suite at the Prestige Inn Golden.

dinner and then bed

Almost every time I've hit Golden, it's been only a quick stop to grab a coffee and fill up with gas and then keep driving. Like many (I suspect), I'd never actually turned right (going east) off Hwy. 1 and taken the trip into the actual town of Golden. With that in mind, I decided to see what it was like to get out of the hotel and head into town and grab something to eat. The front desk receptionist gave me quite a few good options, including Eleven22 Restaurant, Cedar House Restaurant and told me there was also a sushi place in town if I was inclined to go that route.

I decided to hit Whitetooth Mountain Bistro for a couple of reasons - it had a menu that covered everything from vegetarian, to vegan, to a wide variety of meat dishes - plus it had an award-winning wine list (for meat lovers they have a killer bison meatloaf).

Walking into the restaurant I felt instantly at ease.

Nice booths, black and white historical photos, local artwork and friendly staff.

After a great dinner of crab cakes and the pasta special, the chef Aaron Warnock came out to say 'hello.' A local, Aaron has been cooking for about 13 years (8 years at this restaurant) and learned his craft right here in town. His mentor, a European chef who was recommended by the Michelin guide in Europe, was a chef he says was his main influence and taught him the finer points of cooking.

"I like to play around with ethnic flavours and combine with Canadian ingredients. Rocky Mountain fusion would be our guiding ethos," he told me.

I told him I was surprised at the quality of restaurants the town had and he agreed that over the years, quite a few good cooks had come into the area and the food scene was getting better each season.

He gave me a couple of recommendations for the next few days, including Eleven22 and Cedar House, which I did hit - both were excellent and are worth the visit if you're in the area.

out to the back country

I didn't know what to expect as I pulled into the parking lot of the Rocky Mountain Riders office, located at the base of Kicking Horse Mountain Resort. I wasn't sure whether to curse, or congratulate Andy Brown, the communications and social media coordinator at Tourism Golden for setting this part of the trip up. He'd arranged an "extreme back country snowmobile tour." As I slipped into my heavy boots and wandered over to the office, I looked at the surrounding mountains we'd be heading into and I felt a little intimidated by the size of the backcountry surrounding the resort.

I hadn't been on a snowmobile for ages and I wasn't sure how I'd handle the challenge today.

My hesitation soon dissipated after meeting Jan Welkerling, my guide for the day. After a run through on the machine I'd be taking out, a 800cc SkiDoo, he assured me that "it'll all be great ... you'll do great and I'll be right beside you all the way." The way he threw the machine around easily, while checking that all the parts were there, and working, his talk about the trails we'd be riding on that morning settled my nerves somewhat.

After a group of three other riders (all from Quebec) pulled in, we dressed in our one-piece suits, threw on our Air Bag avalanche bags and headed out, taking a winding trail into the backcountry.

This tour, I discovered, is for "adventure seekers" who are looking to ride where the pros ride. I have to admit, I'm far from a pro, but Jan kept to his word and looked after me for the next four hours. The other riders were very experienced, so Jan put me through some training out in the back country and it was both an exhilarating and heart-stopping experience. The hills were monstrous, with almost vertical climbs. Jan, with a "heh no worries" attitude, double teamed me up the very steep sections. I would sit in the front, leaned over the bars, while he stood behind me and powered the machine up the mountain. One of the other riders would then bring him back to his machine, down at the base of the mountain. And after he'd zipped back up to us, we'd all continue our way until we reached the bowl area, where everyone was left to their own devices (and skill set) to zip through the trees, scale steep hills and glide through hip-deep snow, sliding back down the mountain terrain.

As the day wore on, Jan and the other riders showed me what was possible on these powerful sleds. It was impressive to say the least.

After a couple of hours, we broke for lunch and as granola bars and sandwiches were wolfed down, we stood in the silence of the moment, taking in the 360 degree views of the Canadian Rockies. It doesn't get much better than this.

As the day wore on, I felt a real sense of accomplishment as I pulled into the office, back at the base of Kicking Horse Mountain Resort, and slipped my helmet off. Swinging my legs back over the machine, I could feel muscles I didn't know I had, start to seize up from all the jolting they had been through, flying through the back country on the snowmobile. It was a great feeling though, and I told Jan that not only was it one of the best adventures I had been on in a very long time, but that I couldn't have done it with his guiding experience and patience. I couldn't recommend the experience enough for anyone who wants to get out into the best nature that Canada has to offer, with the confidence that the riders you're with have got your back.

Jan Welkerling, my guide from Rocky Mountain Riders.

Jan Welkerling shows his "12 o'clock" with the mountains as his back drop.

FINAL day

After grabbing a coffee and strolling over the wooden bridge downtown, I decided to head up to Mount 7, a high point on the edge of town, named for a river in the shape of a 7 that appears in the spring runoff that is plain to see from miles around.

A small, winding road led me up a mountain which gave me a stunning lookout over the valley surrounding Golden.

From this place, in the summer, hikers climb this trail which gives them a great view of the paragliders who use this mountain as their takeoff platform.

After spending a short time on Mount 7, I headed back into town, stopping at the Prestige Inn Golden for a quick lunch. I spent most mornings on this trip in their newly-renovated restaurant, Ricky's All-Day Grill, grabbing breakfast and now I wanted to try the food in the new Mexican-themed restaurant "The Cantina." The owners of the franchised Ricky's were of Mexican-descent so I figured if anyone could cook this food, it had to be them. I wasn't disappointed.

Ricky's All-Day Grill was just renovated.

back on the road - with one last stop

The weather is something you have to keep an eye on when traveling this area, and I could see a skiff of snow was slated to hit Hwy. 1 heading home, so I left Golden, making a pledge I'd be back next summer to take in the hiking, white water rafting, or maybe even visiting "Boo" at the grizzly bear refuge.

On my way south out of town, there was one last stop I wanted to hit - the Northern Lights Wildlife Wolf Centre.

Founded by Casey and Shelley Black, this adventurous animal-loving couple have spent the better part of the past 16 years operating the Wolf Centre, looking after the wolves and educating the public on the importance of wolves in our environment. The wolf pack, housed at this centre, were all born in captivity.

Casey, an ever-smiling, casual man, started as an animal trainer for Hollywood movies.

The glamour of Hollywood wore off, however, but his love of animals never waned. He, along with Shelley, adopted Aspen - a female wolf dog. The initial idea was to have Aspen as a spoiled movie star and ambassador for educating people about wolves. Eventually the movie star dream faded and Northern Lights Wildlife Wolf Centre was formed and Aspen became the star ambassador.

The centre is open year-round and one of the interesting activities you can do is take a photo hike with the wolves out in the forest. On this day, no hike was planned (another day activity for when I return), but I was able to listen to a young biologist give a "wolf talk" to myself and a couple tourists who had stopped in. Shelley did send me a couple of snaps, however, showing me how close guests come during their hikes with the wolves.

Capturing the wolves in their compound on a smart phone.

Wolf photo hike, courtesy of Northern Lights Wolf.

the final shot

I hit the road, just as snow was beginning to fall and clouds began to cover the mountain tops.

I turned the radio up, put my seat heater on and left Golden, knowing that my return, hopefully, would not be that far down the road.

I didn't make it down the road far, however, when the scene unfolding before me, made me stop, pull over and get one last shot. We live in a province of indescribable beauty.