Spirit Trail Adventures Inc, with their beautiful Lodge located north of Kimberley, in the picturesque Lost Dog Valley. The owners Martina Danzer and Charlie Sims, are definitely not your usual tourism industry operator.

Although the husband and wife team love their home and the peace and serenity of life in British Columbia’s spectacular southeastern corner, choosing this lifestyle in the mountains was a conscious decision to make their own small contribution to finding new ways of creating and modeling sustainability on this planet.

Besides running their small B&B style lodge off the grid, growing organic vegetables, using the land in a stewardship‐like manner and co‐existing with the diversity of wild animals in the Purcell Mountains, above all ‐ they really love the members of their 13‐head horse family! They even feature them with individual horsenality bios on their website.

So it is no real surprise, that within the last 5 years, Spirit Trail Adventures has gained a wide reputation within the industry and amongst repeat customers for high quality, small group and personalized horse trail rides.

However, since then the couple discovered that there is so much more to the horse‐human relationship. The power of that process, which unfolds immediately and constantly as soon as customers start interacting with the horses, motivated them to get more involved in studies around Equine Assisted and Facilitated Learning Experiences.

This is an industry that has quickly gained recognition in North America, especially within the last 20 years. Horses are amazingly authentic sentient beings – what you see is what you get. By just spending a few minutes with a horse, it will quickly intuit the issues that a person needs to work on. The potential for the human to find increased physical, mental, emotional or spiritual health and well being is amazing and the couple is currently working on developing some additional new and exciting programs such as leadership development, spiritual healing programs, women retreats and individual “Being with a horse” classes.

Sims’s life‐long experience as a horse owner, wrangler and rodeo rider comes in handy to create a framework of confidence and safety around the horses. Danzer’s background as teacher, workshop facilitator and therapist provides for guidance in the human process. The couple deeply believes “that horses have a place in our developing consciousness and that we have come upon a time where the lessons that they have to teach us will be invaluable” (L. Hallberg – Walking the Way of the Horse).

In order to keep things rolling at Spirit Trail Adventures, which is a bit off the busy beaten track that is the East Kootenay tourism scene, the couple has focused on another entirely unique experience, which is a horse of a different colour altogether – and that’s igloos!

Their two main igloo adventures; Dinner in an Igloo and Sleepovers in an Igloo, have literally sparked a worldwide interest, with recent featured articles in prestigious magazines such as Abenteuer & Reisen, Beautiful British Columbia or the Detroit Free Press. They have become a regular appearance in BC Tourism’s news releases to tourism providers all over the world and Kootenay Rockies uses them more and more as a special touch for their media packages for international reporters. They have appeared in the Valley Echo, and now the Tourism Networker.

People are interested in unique and different experiences and travel sections of newspapers like to promote and write about something unique.

Using their story‐telling abilities and warm engaging characters, as well as a delightful touch in the kitchen, the couple has developed especially Dinner in an Igloo into a unique and fascinating experience for not just tourists, but regular Canadians, as well. The evening begins with a campfire beverage and stories from Charlie. Afterwards guests can explore the surrounding woods on snowshoes, go for a fun tobogganing run or give the Norwegian kicksled a try.

After cooking marshmallows by the fir (“eat dessert first”), guests then move into the igloo. Two to 10 people are catered to by the couple at the time, with a savory sweet squash puree soup launching things.

The meal has a self‐serve aspect, which serves a couple of purposes. First off, there isn’t room for a server to work and secondly, it makes people interact and get to know one another. Oftentimes the diners are complete strangers, hailing mostly from Britain, the USA or Canada.

Once the soup course is completed, Martina pushes a table mounted on skis into the centre of the nine‐foot diameter igloo. On it steams a salmon and scalloped potato entrée that takes on a whole new sensational height in the taste bud department thanks to the setting and ancient, tribal nature of the interactive meal.

While the confines of the igloo don’t allow for much elbow room, it does provide for a warmer environment — something that Danzer and Sims aim for in the bigger picture aspect of their multi‐purpose tourism business. Dinner in an igloo is often combined with a romantic horse drawn sleigh ride in the mountains, which simply adds to a truly Canadian experience and draws visitors from around the world.

So how did igloos enter the picture?

Several years ago “a neighbor built one in his backyard and we all enjoyed a salmon, cooked by Charlie with his special recipe. We had so much fun that we thought this might be a good idea for our (then future) business in the mountains,” Martina explained.

They build the igloos themselves, using a specially‐designed rig that backpackers can use to build shelters and which enables them to build blocks with the extremely dry Purcell powder. It takes a couple of days to build an igloo, “depending on how many blocks break,” Martina said, noting that no water is used in construction. It's all about scooping snow into the handy block maker and packing the snow down.

There will also be a new addition to the igloo adventures from next winter on. Couples or
friends can book in for a weekend and build their own igloo. The package will include one night
at the B&B, all meals, igloo‐building instructions and as the final reward – a night in your own
home‐made igloo.

“People have been inquiring about this for years – we finally decided to make it possible”, Danzer says. She also notes that the experience will also be offered in a couple’s workshop format – consciously taking advantage of the dynamics that play out while the couple is building something together. “We want to involve couples in a variety of outdoor activities, which will bring dynamics and hidden core beliefs to the surface. It will be an opportunity to move through those challenges in a more playful hands‐on manner, rather than sitting in an office, talking about relationship issues”. However, it is up to the guests to choose the approach that suits their needs best.

Another popular experience is the sleepover in an igloo. The close proximity to the house allows for warm bathroom brakes, while the spiral shape design creates a cocoon‐ like environment of stillness and peace. To make sure that the experience is dry and cozy, a waterproof and insulating double bubble foil is laid over the elevated floor, followed by an R‐12 value insulating layer, then a three‐inch foamy, a buffalo robe and then “monster down sleeping bags,” Charlie outlines.

The doorway is covered with a blanket and a candle is lit, making the igloo “ about zero degrees (celsius), so fairly warm, really,” he adds.

A wonderful addition to the region’s tourism picture, dinner in an igloo, described by The Valley Echo newspaper as a “warm time in a cool place,” tends to be experienced by tourists more than by locals. However, locals are starting to catch on. “Locals usually book in when they have family or friends over from other places in the world. They like that they can offer them something different”, Charlie says. “We love to share those fun experiences with people from all over the world. Spirit Trail Adventures complements any resort experience guests have in this valley. It is grass root, authentic, intimate and off the beaten path,” Martina adds.

A look at the testimonial book says a great deal about the experience. “Thank you for such a memorable and fantastic evening in the igloo. You made us feel more than welcome, your food is out of this world and your hospitality was above and beyond expectation,” wrote Amber, Graham, Chris and Gram from Great Britain.

“We had such a wonderful time. Thank you so much for the hospitality you showed us. The sleigh ride and igloo dinner was amazing. It was definitely a once‐in‐a‐lifetime experience. You both are so friendly and kind and you made us feel so welcome. Thank you again for everything,” stated Omar and Jinju Lechuga, from Phoenix, Ariz.

“Wow! Thanks for a truly wonderful evening! The house and its environs are inspirational. The hosts brilliantly convivial and the whole evening great!” said Dave from Hereford, U.K.

Once the igloos have melted and spring green begins to take root in the Purcells, Charlie and
Martina return their focus to horses and assisting people on their journey.

As a shaman at heart, Martina works continuously on the well‐being of her own being and of the world that surrounds her, strongly believing that we can only make miraculous changes from within ourselves. She invites and challenges those in her presence, to live up to their highest potential by accepting the responsibility of being the co‐creator of your own life,” Spirit Trail Adventures’ website notes.

Charlie's intimacy with the land provides for unique, transformational backcountry experiences, which will open your sense of self, spirit and connection to all the natural world,” the website says. Martina and Charlie have found a way to blend the traditions and teachings of several cultures, into a package that is more intended to heal and help and further than it is to entertain.

Spirit Trails is a very unique business with soul rides and not just trail rides, dinners in an igloo, educational wildlife safaris, sleepovers in an igloo or in the summer in a teepee, horse sleigh rides, backcountry horseback pack trips, guided hikes and x‐country skiing tours. To add a bit more to the diversity, Martina also offers individual counseling sessions for men, women and children alike. Art therapeutic modalities, horses and variety of other tools come into play to assist humans on their journey to more happiness, joy and peace.

Spirit Trails has used some creative marketing techniques as well, by introducing everyone to their horses on the website. The use of a guest book to leave testimonials is also a good idea and these testimonials can be added to the website as people pay attention to what others are saying about your business or experience.

Dinner in an igloo is not about a meal but about the experience to go back home and tell everyone you had dinner in an igloo ‐ how cool is that! Not everyone can say that. That’s probably also why more and more couples choose this experience for their wedding night or their anniversary.

Spirit Trail Adventures is located 10.5 km down Lost Dog Road, south of TaTa Creek, so its wilderness setting provides a perfect backdrop for four seasons' worth of adventures. For more, check out the website at: http://www.spirittrails.com/winter.

Printed with the permission of the Tourism Networker March 2009

Spirit Trail Adventrues

Easy

All ages

Other Lodging