It was almost like something out of a movie.
A coffee kettle was warming over a wood fire, while people in cowboy hats were milling around talking. In the background, one could hear the occasional snorts of horses and the sounds of them being hooked up to wagons.
Of course one wouldn’t see quite so many campers and modern amenities on the silver screen, but the spirit was there.
Nearly 50 people and 25 horses took part in a series of trail rides around the Athabasca Landing Trail in the southeastern part of Westlock County last weekend, returning to camp at the Echo Lake campground each night.
It was one of a series of weekend outings organized by Western Canadian Wagon Train, a group focused on recreational wagon and horseback riding.
Jeff Hale, who was leading last weekend’s outing, said in the past people went for a somewhat more authentic wagon train experience, but as the group ages more people want the modern amenities.
“At one point nobody slept in a camper, they slept in the covered wagons,” he said.
Sleeping arrangements aside, though, the nine wagons and eight riders in the saddle that took part in the weekend’s rides had nothing but positive things to say.
“We’re totally thankful; it’s a super good weekend,” WCWT president John Semotiuk said. “This is a great facility for what we’re here for, and the trails are beautiful.”
Like many members of the group, his love of horses goes back to when he was a kid, riding horses at every opportunity available to him.
“When I was a kid we had no horses,” he said. “I didn’t get a horse until I went to work.”
And now that Semotiuk can pay for the horses himself — no small expense as any equestrian will tell you — he’s happy to spend his downtime out on the trails.
There are about 75 members of the group, with roughly half that number playing an active role and taking part in the rides, which Hale said go roughly every two weeks throughout the summer.
This weekend’s ride, which saw the group travel about 13 miles each day, was relatively low key compared to some of the other rides the group has organized.
Last year, they did a 68-kilometre trip from Athabasca to Smith along an old trail, carrying everything they needed to camp with them.
“There were a lot of people who learned some hard lessons about packing too much weight and not having enough horsepower,” he said.
In Hale’s formative years, he was more comfortable with a fishing boat than on the back of a horse, but after moving to Alberta from Newfoundland he decided to learn how to do it.
His first ride was a donkey, which his kids still ride sometimes, and quickly moved on to horses — with the help of people in the group.
“There’s so much knowledge in the group, and everyone’s willing to help you,” he said.
Hale isn’t sure about the future of the group or of wagon train rides in general, though, as there are more people in the group aging than there are younger people signing up.
“This is getting to be a dying art,” he said. “Not many kids are getting into it these days.”
