As the helicopter approached to pick up both my nine year old daughter and myself, and our guide yelled out above the roar of the engine to keep our head's and face's down, it quickly sunk in that this was not your typical family vacation.
The helicopter's landing skids touched down literally within feet of where we crouched in our small huddle of about 12 people. We had been waiting patiently and apprehensively to climb aboard. Once the helicopter landed, without turning off its engine and with its rotors still whirling above our heads, we quickly boarded, took seats, buckled up and were off - within seconds reaching a nearby mountain top to see views that would stun even the most jaded traveler. Welcome to the exhilarating world of helicopter hiking - family style.
Helicopter hiking with Canadian Mountain Holidays (CMH) provides hikers of all skill levels, from the very experienced to the complete novice -- even children -- the opportunity to explore breathtaking views of nature that are virtually unreachable without the assistance of a helicopter. Although children can visit at any time, CMH offers specially designed family programs during selected dates throughout the year.
Staying in the Bobby Burns Lodge
It all starts with your initial helicopter flight to the 24-room, 3-story lodge, your base for the four days and three nights you are in the Purcell Mountains, part of the Columbia Mountain Range. The Bobbie Burns Lodge is plopped in the middle of thousands of acres of spruce trees where there's no trace of human intervention, except for a long winding logging road that's the only other way in and out.
The lodge is so self sufficient it even creates its own electricity from its diesel generator. To put its isolation in perspective, when asked what about pets at the lodge such as a "house" dog or cat, the answer was simple: they probably wouldn't get along too well with the all too common grizzly bears and mountains cats.
First Class Lodging in the Middle of Nowhere
Although the lodge is isolated, don't confuse isolation with anything but a first class experience. It's a series of contradictions: Rooms don't have a phone or television in them, but the food is gourmet. One night our dinner choice consisted of cod in mustard sauce or steak with shrimp appetizer. Cell phone service is non-existent, but the lodge boasts a hot tub, mini outdoor basketball court, walking trails, exercise room, sauna and a pool room. Massages are available, too, for an extra fee. There's also a pond with frigid water, even in summer. Each room has a private bathroom.
What is Heli-Hiking?
The concept of Heli-hiking is very simple. The helicopter does the grunt work for you and lifts you up to a mountain to see spectacular sites such as alpine meadows or a waterfall. What no one told me was that the landing sites on the mountains, often as high as 7,000 feet, were not concrete "prepared" landing areas, as one sees at an airport.
The pilot and guide of the 14-seat helicopter take wind, weather and the hikers’ skill level into account and find a site to put the helicopter down. That meant a mountaintop landing on a ridge, next to a stream or in an alpine valley, but the landing was always on real turf.
After the helicopter landed and the hikers quickly disembarked we would hike to the next pickup location, where the helicopter would be waiting for us or would swoop in to pick us up and take us to another point. During the hikes, it could best be described as a science outing with the guides taking the time to point and explain in great detail the geological formations, as well as information on the local floral and fauna.
Hiking Experience Not Required
If you've never hiked before and are worried you would be in over your head, don't fret. Hikers select their own skill level and are segregated by skill level. This allows even the smallest child or a person with no experience to have a program virtually tailored to them. If you are experienced, then you would go on a more grueling hike.
Our group included children as young as six years old. (Cold weather and hiking gear, except for the most basic clothing is provided which was a lifesaver for this neophyte hiker from Florida who would have been virtually totally unprepared.)
