British Columbia Canada

A River Safari – with an Unexpected End!

I left Jasper this morning with a happy heart… pleased that the boys got to experience a taste of her magic and looking forward to my return one day…

Torrential rain and a thick veil of low cloud accompanied the start of our return journey to Vancouver.

It will take us 3-4 days to meet our flight to Toronto…Today we completed the first of 3 stops, through Mount Robson Provincial Park on the (usually spectacular!) Yellowhead Highway through to Blue River. We passed the 2000km milestone too! 👍🇨🇦

Whilst we knew the mountains were there, it was only possible to imagine their magnitude!

Our first stop point was Mount Robson Visitor’s Centre.

After NZ’s Mount Cook, Mount Robson is one of my favourite peaks and the most spectacular mountains in the Rockies. It is also the highest at 12,972 feet (3,954 m).

The centre provided a good coffee stop but, with the weather closing in, even the hardiest of climbers were being encouraged to delay their ascents.

This is what we SHOULD have seen!

It was then on to Blue River, in the upper north Thompson Valley, our stop for the night. A town with only 250 residents – 255 tonight! 😂 Surrounded by rainforests of cedar and spruce. its lakes are fed by the surrounding glaciers and the mountain peaks that protectively surround the town.

As we pulled in, the mist lifted and the lure of a river safari called… A rickety old bridge spanned the Thompson River and the car was on it and over it before we could decide it looked like a bad idea! 😂

A quick cuppa and cookie from the floating restaurant and it was time to join our first boat .. two large kayaks strapped together with a small outboard engine (which, it turns out, had only 45 minutes of life left in it!)… we cruised out onto the river, watching an osprey soar from her treetop nest and an elegant blue heron waft dangerously close to the osprey chicks…

Although we searched the banks for bear it was not to be…but being at the very heart of the worlds largest inland temperate rainforest was wonderful! The weather changes consistently inconsistently and one minute we were basking in warm sunshine and the next in a rainforest downpour!

We docked at a small jetty and walked up to a beautiful waterfall… cloaked like a little band of evergreen druids!

It was then on to a speedboat for my favourite part of the trip .. just seeing Jack and Toms faces was priceless as we sped off! I lost all control and was shrieking like an idiot willing him to go faster!! The adrenaline junkie for fast rides in nature is never far from the surface!!!

As we changed back to our long boat kayak we soaked up the stillness of the quiet engine, powering slowly thru the water… in fact so slowly and so quietly in that it had stopped altogether… engine failure!

The guides face said it all and his quiet radio call to request a rescue made the trip even better! The boys soon offered to paddle … all 20 of us.. with two little oars..

The enormity of the effort made them more appreciative of the jet ski that appeared on the horizon … it slowly towed us back to base … a great fun adventure!!

Our stop for the night was Glacier Mountain Lodge, Blue River.. a good stopover but the sort of place where half the people have stories that should probably never be told… half tourists and half long distance truckers and oil workers… a bit of a mix.. but a good warm welcome and a steamin’ hot tub!

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Sacha Brakenbury

As mum to three sons (and auntie to ten!) Sacha is kept busy trying to keep the kids alive, safe, fed and watered. Having specialised in Child Psychology and Linguistics at the University of Reading, Sacha went on to complete her Postgraduate Certificate in Education before taking up her first teaching post as Head of Boys Sport and Year 6 teacher. After 6 years, Sacha was fortunate enough to awarded a travelling fellowship from the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust, enabling her to undertake an extensive research project overseas. Sacha has worked with some of the world's top professional sports and educational institutions across Canada, America, Australia and New Zealand - researching ways of engaging young people through the medium of sport and in particular how this can help to reduce drug use and gang membership. After returning to the UK Sacha became Education Director at Ipswich Town Football Club, leading in the government's 'Playing for Success' scheme. She went on to establish three highly respected Study Centres back in the East of England, each of which used sport as a means of motivating children and young people. After successfully completing her National Professional Qualification for Headship in Cambridge, Sacha went on to study for her Masters Degree in Education. With the arrival of her three sons, Sacha decided it was time to 'go it alone.' She set up her own business consultancy, supporting a range of charities and organisations across the UK. Securing funds in excess of £2 million pounds, Sacha was able to 'give wings' to a wide range of charitable causes close to her heart. She continues this today with work specifically for Child First Trust. It was her own kids that were the inspiration behind her establishing Learning Academies (www.learningacademies.co.uk) - a tutoring company that has the simple mission to motivate and encourage its students to become confident and assertive learners who are not afraid to 'take risks' and challenge themselves. As a passionate photographer, Sacha is never more at home than when she's travelling, camera in hand, boys in tow. As a qualified medic with the British Divers Marine Life Rescue, she is able to combine her love the outdoors with her passion for wild animals.

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