Volunteer Experiences
Author: Rachel Lodge
Placement: 2 months at placement 0083
Period: June - July
2007
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Volunteering in the rockies
Volunteering at this lodge was one of the most
fantastic and eye-opening experiences of my life. The lodge truly lives up to
its name as it is 40 kilometers from a paved road, nestled in a valley inthe
Hoff Range of the Canadian Rockies.
A small operation run by Laura Rutter, the lodge fosters relationships not only with the Canadian wilderness and Laura's bear dogs Ruff, Leo and Molly, but also with the guests as meals, hikes and conversations are all shared. While there, we communed with wolves, lived in the loft of a barn, hiked nearly every day on wilderness trails, scrambled up mountains and became close with many of our guests from all over the world. We saw
beautiful alpine meadows bursting with flowers, heard marmotswhistle and lived a life closer to nature. The lodge is perfect forthose who wish to experience the Canadian wilderness, hike the trailsless traveled and meet interesting world travelers.
I
have included a few pictures - the first is of Andy petting a guest's dog,
Bart with Molly checking out the sights and smells of the Ridge hike, arguably
the most difficult and best hike of the summer. The second is a picture of me
and Andy cleaning up after dinner. Yeah, that's a wood burning stove and no,
there is no sink.The third is a close up of a Calypso orchid, possibly the
mostbeautiful and fleeting of all of the gorgeous wildflowers that I came to
identify and recognize this past summer.
Rachel Lodge