Raising the Rafters - Exshaw, Alberta
Beauty, history, hospitality, great food, packhorses, cowboy hats and cowhands Rafters Six Ranch has it all!
A visit to Rafters Six Ranch in beautiful Kananaskis country and the Bow Valley area close to Calgary is a short trip into that childhood fantasy world of 'the wild west.' Grab a cowboy hat from the gift shop in the main lodge when you arrive and lose yourself in the legendary land of the cowboy for a few days.
There is nothing fake about Rafters Six. First built in the 1870's as a whiskey trading post it was later shut down by the Mounties before reinventing itself in 1926 as a guest ranch for people who wanted to experience cowboy life for a little while. Today the Cowley family own and run it, and they are an authentic cowboy family right down to their Stetsons, cowboy boots and the beautiful horseshoe ring that Stan Cowley wears on his finger (ask him to show it to you when you visit the ranch, it's an unique and beautiful piece of western jewelry).
With a dazzling view of the Rocky Mountain range always visible the ranch it's a spectacular place to enjoy sublime Canadian nature. Their horse rides follow trails through the picturesque Bow River Valley and the sound of the rushing river or rustling leaves matches perfectly with the cozy log cabins and crackling wood fire in the dining room.
Rafters Ranch offers an array of activities that will keep you busy for days. Good for families or couples you can do everything from adrenaline pumping white water rafting, zip-lining and mountain biking to gentle trail rides, quiet walks through wooded paths or just soak in their hot tub! And winter is just as fun with cold weather horse rides, tobogganing, sled rides, dog sledding, snowshoeing and more. Later, after you work up a hunger during all your adventuring, you can quench your appetite with a delicious meal in their casual dining room offering a full western menu (trust the GCAT crew the food is incredible! Hint: the ostrich burger is healthy and delicious!). The whole ranch is decorated with western memorabilia right down to the cowboy themed signs on the men's and women's toilets! It all makes you feel like you're an actor on a movie set!
Rafters Six Ranch is a fabulous western Canadian experience. The GCAT crew arrived as city slickers but quickly took on the persona of seasoned cowboys and girls. When we climbed back into our Chrysler van and continued on our way we had withdrawals from our horses and cowboy hats. Take it from us, you'll never feel more at home in a 10 gallon Stetson than you will while you're at Rafters.
Yee-haw!
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HOWLING DOGS AND MAD DOGS SLED DOG ABUSE
PRESS RELEASE PRESS RELEASE PRESS RELEASE
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ANIMAL RIGHTS ACTIVISTS UNCOVER DISTURBING FOOTAGE AT A LOCAL DOG SLED FACILITY.
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Over the past few months, animal rights activists have uncovered revolting footage of over 200 dogs attached to chains only a few feet long at a dog sledding facility located near Exshaw Alberta.
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This facility houses dogs for “Howling Dog Tours” as well as Mad Dogs sledding.
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Activists found dogs cowering away from humans, screaming, pacing, and licking puddles on the top of their houses in desperation for water, as water was not readily available for any of the dogs.
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But that was just the beginning.
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Activists also discovered another area containing a breeding facility along with old and sick spent dogs.
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Almost all their food and water bowls were empty. Many of them were chewing on rocks and eating their own excrement.
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Every dog was displaying some sort of mental distress whether it was pacing, chewing, or pulling on their tether. Yet the SPCA refrained from taking action.
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All of those dogs were sick and suffering. We saw dogs bleeding out of their eyes, dogs with strange patches of missing fur, dogs with hip bones visible, dogs with tumours, and dogs with open infected sores.
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One of the dogs had a bald rashy neck from trying to escape their imprisonment
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I think what hit me the most was their eyes. The way that they pleaded to be freed from their chains was heartbreaking and will stick with me forever.
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The stench was indescribable. The puppies were kept in puppy mill style cages.
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Many of the dogs houses were completely dilapidated.
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Howling Dog Tours has previously been under scrutiny after ex-employee Mr. Fawcett had shot the entire company’s 53 dogs upon instruction after demand dropped during the 2010 Winter Olympics.
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Howling dog tours claims on their website:
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“We feel that the dogs are the most important part of Howling Dog Tours. At Howling Dog Tours, having a kennel of 200 dogs allows for great run/rest ratios during the day as well as during the week.”
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However, information from an employee of Howling Dog Tours suggests these dogs are chained here throughout the entirety of their off season, and hidden cameras show the dogs were never walked or removed from their chains for nearly an entire week.
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The Canadian Veterinary Medical Association’s code of practice for Canadian kennel operations stated: “The tethering of dogs as a primary method of confinement is not acceptable.”
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Horrifyingly, within the Canadian dog sled industry, both 24 hour confinement through tethering and the shooting of spent, useless, or sick dogs remains legal. Apart from the province of BC, Canada has no standards or regulations for the treatment of dogs within the dog sledding industry at all.
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An anonymous activist states: “When animals are degraded to commodities, consistent abuse and exploitation arises. This is not an isolated case but rather a small part of a larger issue including the way humans treat animals within society.
The only reason that these industries continue operate is because people pay them. Lets use our dollar to vote against animal abuse and say NO to dog sledding.”
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WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP:
- Tag the media!
- Review Howling Dog Tours and Mad Dogs & Englishmen on trip advisor, google reviews, and yelp using a link to this footage
- Share this footage
- Organize a protest in your community! Message us if you need help
- Educate yourself on the reality of this industry at
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PLEASE SHARE THIS FOOTAGE FAR AND WIDE! LETS MAKE IT CLEAR THAT ANIMAL ABUSE WILL NOT BE TOLERATED ANY LONGER
Outward Bound Canada - Rocky Mountains 2015
Hiking trip in Rocky Mountains, Alberta with Outward Bound Canada.
Shot in Bow Valley, Exshaw Valley, Waiparous Creek, and South Ghost River Valley, Alberta, Canada
Shot, Edited and Logo Animation by Callum Sheedy
Thank you to Kashmir, Alex, Kenneth, Anthony, Connor, Devon, Kurt, Maddy, Mike and Steph!
Up We Go by Lights, Copyright Warner Music Group
I do not have copyright on this song, nor am I affiliated with or endorsed by Warner Music Group, Lights or any of it's affiliates.
pls no sue
Day hike #29: Mt Lady Macdonald winter scramble in Canmore with a friend!
Mt. Lady Macdonald scramble In Canmore just outside of Banff National Park.
Timestamps:
2:17 First views
4:23 Encounter with a herd of Bighorn Sheep
7:47 Abandoned Helicopter pad. Former half built teahouse site.
8:44 The next rise (as high as we ventured)
9:34 Enjoying some drinks that the angel brought.
Hiked this one with a friend so it's a different video for me. Much shorter and far less yammering from me. We came across a herd of bighorn sheep (I believe) that we had been warned about. I bushwhacked around them successfully but my female companion.... well....I had to basically chase the herd off the trail to get her to come up.
Once we broke out of the trees the wind became nuts. We bundled up and continued on but I knew the peak was a no go so we settled with the rise above the planned teahouse site.
This is the probably the last video I ever edit on Wondershare Filmora. I switched over to a MacBook from PC and Wondershare on the Mac is AWFUL. I've only edited with iMovie one video so far but I think it's gonna work out.
This trail is described in the Kananaskis Country Trail Guide 4th edition. Page 275. Trail 69.
Intro Music
Fargo by Riot
Props to martyupnorth and mattyoutdoors for inspiring me to share my adventures.
Get out there and hike!
Vancouver Island Pet Expo - Exhibitors 2012
The Vancouver Island Pet Expo was held on May 26th & 27th, 2012. These are some of the responses from the exhibitors throughout the weekend. The event takes place annually in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
vancouverislandpetexpo.com
104_0191.MOV
Stan Cowley Rafter Six Ranch, talks about what the Intenational Conferences on Responsible Tourism in Destinations contribute
Rick Guinn Interview; Rafter Six Ranch
Rafter Six Ranch
Heart Mountain, Alberta, Canada 2013
Early spring hiking in the front range mountains of southern Alberta.
Rafter Six Ropes Course
Rafter Six Ropes Course May long 2012
Minxy the Traildog | Surly Pugsley Fatbiking | Bragg Creek AB
Minxy's first ride of 2016 was out in Bragg Creek on Merlin View. We caught some beautiful lighting on our way back to the parking lot from the bench and snow conditions were fantastic! Get out there and ride.
Travel Alberta (remember to breathe) Summer 2012 - There Is
Best to buy
Ep. 12 Rafter Six Ranch.wmv
TransRockies 2010 Stage 6 Recon Ride
Get a taste of the Queen Stage of TransRockies 2010, Stage 6 from Little Elbow Campground to Rafter Six Ranch, led by our North Route coordinator, Jim Smith. Stage 6 features classic Kananaskis Country rides such as Powderface Creek, Powderface Link, Prairie Creek, Jumpingpound Ridge, Coxhill RIdge, and Lusk Pass. On the day our our pre-ride (June 6), Jumpingpoind and Coxhill, the most spectacular parts of this stage, were unrideable due to waist-deep snow at higher elevations. Most of the riding footage is from Podwderface and Prairie Creek trails, although we did check out Lusk Pass and ride all the way into Rafter Six. At the time of posting, Lusk has significant deadfall down on the trail, which will be cleared prior to the race.
Rafter Six Ranch Resort Web Commercial
Our web commercial made by the Erickson Group.