Hopethiopia

The history of the Trail Riders of the Canadian Rockies dates back to 1923. The Rockwall area in Kootenay National Park had little historical significance were it not for a 1923 gathering that took place along the trail.

In August 1923 John Murray Gibbon organized a fishing trip along the Columbia River. As chief publicist for the Canadian Pacific Railway (C.P.R.) Gibbon had a number of friends in high places. The adventurers he assembled for the trip included Reginald Townsend, editor of Country Life in America, and Mrs. Townsend; H. B. Clow, illustrator and President of the Rand McNally Map Company and Mrs. Clow; H. Armstrong Roberts; Byron Harmon, photographer and official photographer for the Alpine Club of Canada; and famous Chicago artist Reinhard Palenske. Walter Nixon, an outfitter and guide from the Windermere region, outfitted the party and brought along his friend, Madeline Turner.

The first official ride to be held in 1924. Every mountain pass leads to endless possibilities of undiscovered valleys and hidden canyons. Carpets of wild flowers and majestic lodge pole pine provide the back drop of what many believe is the most beautiful scenery in the world. A wide open sky, framed by snow-capped mountains is the view from each horse. Your sure-footed horse watches the trail as you traverse canyons and climb mountains, keeping watch for the many types of wildlife that grace the area.

The high, uninhabited valleys of the Rockies offer peace and contentment combined with the thrill of majestic vistas. There is a sweep and majesty to this land, a towering grandeur and nobility of face, so powerful in its vast silence. This alpine land abounds in larch, spruce and fir trees, mountain animals and birds, meadows and parklands leading to the nearby snow capped peaks and ridges.

Visit http://trailridevacations.com/ for more information, video and photographs.