Do It Differently Personal Training

Canyon Hot Springs was an okay facility in a beautiful area. I read the reviews in advance and knew that some people loved it, some liked it, some tolerated it, and others hated it. The “hot springs” is a warm mineral pool where the water is piped in from a hot springs about 2km away, deep in bear country. Hmm…we aren’t sure if we believe them, but we weren’t about to go exploring deep in bear country! Upon check-in, the hosts review the specifics of the campsite, details on hours and check-out procedures, how to access the pool, and briefly mention there are bears around. MORE BEARS! Ugh. Keep the bear spray handy, don’t let the kids play in the wild blueberries bushes behind the cabin (bear bait), and pick up every single crumb of food after each meal and snack. We’ve also memorized the “what to do if you happen to come across a bear” brochure…make noise (easy, we have children), stay in groups of three or more (four is the perfect number), don’t make direct eye contact (sure), and DO NOT RUN. That one seems so counterintuitive…just stand there and hope the bear loses interest. And if they approach aggressively and your bear spray does not deploy, lie on your belly (play dead) and cover the back of your neck. Ok. Sure. I’ll do that. Doesn’t sound scary at all.

After a dip in the bear-free mineral pool, we decided to visit the Enchanted Forest. The kids saw the colourful billboards on the way into Revelstoke, and we agreed to check it out. It’s a nursery rhyme wonderland that a creative (and I’m guessing a bit eccentric) woman started in the 1950’s and it just grew and grew.

When we returned to our cabin, we had some new neighbours! (not bears…Matt and Danielle). After the basic hellos and introductions and discussion about our license plate from Kansas, Matt told us he marched in this thing called “drum corps”. Turns out he was a contra player for Madison Scouts in 2003. Love it! Small world. When he heard that Ben and I met in Phantom Regiment, he started recalling his favorite shows and was very well versed in their repertoire. Impressive. We had some good laughs around the fire and it turns out he is also a master of riddles and had the kids completely engaged. Before we said good-bye in the morning we were calling him Uncle Matt!