The Traditional Pack Trip..A Step Back Into The Past
The traditional pack trip is a step back into the times of our ancestors.
In the early times of our country, packers were secured for the tough job of moving supplies by horseback for the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railroad. These men were tough, talented and fearless in the face of an untamed west. Their knowledge of the wilderness and packing was rivaled only by their love of adventure.
With the completion of the railroad in 1885, the world turned its attention to the West. Mountain climbers, hunters and sightseers from all over the world began to flood into the Rockies and secure the services of these accomplished packers and their string of horses to outfit their expeditions into the most rugged wilderness areas
The pack trip continues to be a popular activity with adventure seekers from around the world. Moving efficiently through the mountain terrain, the pack train provides a safe, low impact, and practical way to access the remote untouched wilderness areas that lie miles from the nearest road.
Little has changed from the traditional trips of the first outfitters.
Accommodations remain a weatherproof canvas wall tent, cooking is done on a portable lightweight tin stove, a good cook is still highly valued, and the modern guides use the same packing equipment and techniques as those from the 1800s,
Traditional pack trips have no electric lights, no cellphone service and no indoor plumbing.
Trails are not groomed and are often shared with some of the most reclusive and formidable wildlife on the continent. Adventure abounds, friendships are made and stories from the past grow bigger and more glorious with the snapping and blazing of an evening campfire.
The people that seek to experience the pack trip are not deterred by the lack of creature comforts. They are looking for authentic outdoor experiences that give rise to memories that last a lifetime. They are happy to unplug from busy lives for a few days and plug in to a slower, more meaningful journey to places few people ever see.