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Sunday 16th June

So much has happened this week, I’m starting to lose track. We all went on a hike for cougars in the forest. We didn’t get to see any unfortunately but it was great to spend time with everyone within the amazing wilderness. I felt like Dora the Explorer. We also had a bonfire at night and ate and ate. Al was our master chief and everything tasted so good with Al’s favourite cooking technique of “Throw it in the fire”.

We ended up in the tipis and all told stories until midnight. On the way back to the cabin, there were so many stars in the clear sky that it took my breath away but only for a short while, as we were then attacked by Cocoa the Lama, who is even more terrifying in the dark. 

We always hear stories about grizzly bears in the area but so far in Canada I have only seen a black bear. That was until this Tuesday, when a grizzly came on to the Heaven’s Gate property! I can hardly remember what happened, as it was all so fast but the horses and lamas began running around like crazy. Hanna was the first person to see the grizzly, as she was closest. The dogs were out of control barking and it was actually pretty scary. The bear got closer and Brigitte came out with a fake gun that makes a loud noise. The bear reared onto its back two legs and it took six shots to scare it away. I always thought that I would be able to out run a bear if needs be, but I was recently told that grizzlies can reach speeds of up to 60km/hr, so I doubt even Usain Bolt would stand a chance.

Brigitte also began training the horses and it was so beautiful to watch. She plays really soothing music while she works with them and she knows all their personalities so well. It’s so relaxing to just sit and stare at her doing what she does best with the Canadian Rockies in the background. Melanie was deeply affected by the training and felt the emotions of the horses, many of which were rescues and sometimes find it hard to trust people.

We also exchanged two of our lamas to neighbouring farms in return for two goats, known as Tom and Tom and also for a small yet loud sheep called Hanna, named after the one and only WWOOFer Hanna. The hope is that in time Hanna and Lucky the sheep will be best friends and play together. Lucky is getting better every day and has even begun walking on all his legs as opposed to just his back two. Everyone is overjoyed about his recovery.

Yesterday we had a new WWOOFer join us from France called Allan. He’s quiet but very nice and we made a short, funny video about Cocoa the lama and he was the cameraman for day. I can’t wait to finish editing the video as Hanna, Collin, Allan and I had so much fun making it.

It’s been a while since I’ve conveyed my R Goss appreciation. One of Canada’s greatest exports! 

Lucky the Lamb - Tuesday 11^th 2013

Every day is different at Heaven’s Gate. You never know what’s around the corner, so it’s better not to plan to far ahead because when you’re looking after animals, you have to go with the flow. Plans and structure are easily thrown out of the window, for instance if one of the animals gets injured or if a new animal is rescued. Yesterday was definitely one of those days.

 We had planned to go on a tour to a nearby farm owned by the Hutterite community, similar to the Amish. All the WWOOFers were fascinated to see what life would be like for the Hutterites, especially as we had recently watched an awful film about the Amish, starring Harrison Ford. On arrival, the WWOOFers fascination quickly turned to a strange kind of fear. We must have looked hilarious, as we were all huddled closely together and to say the lifestyle of the Hutterites was different is an understatement. It was every stereotype that springs to mind when you think of such communities and although our tour guides seemed friendly enough; what did surprise me was their treatment of animals.

They had so much land yet all the calves were kept in cages barely bigger than their own bodies. The battery hens were crammed in to cages within an inch of their life, which understandably proved too much for some of the WWOOFers. When Brigitte asked ‘Why don’t you let them live free?’ one of the girls replied, “Because we don’t have enough space”, which was the most ironic answer she could of given.

Before we left, we had to stop the car for a flock of sheep crossing the road. We noticed that many of the sheep were walking with broken legs and we also saw that a lamb had become separated from the herd and Brigitte tried to guide it back to its mother. It was then that Brigitte luckily noticed another lamb with its head caught under a fence. It was alone and must have been there for days, as it was severely dehydrated and had no feeling in its front two legs, which it had been laying on. 

Brigitte prized the lamb free and asked the Hutterite girls, ‘who can I speak to about this lamb? It’s dying’. The girls laughed and said it wasn’t their place. We were all shocked that they could find this dying animal funny. Without hesitating, Brigitte told the girls that the lamb was coming home with us to Heaven’s Gate. After some discussions with the Hutterite leader, Brigitte ended up paying $40 for the lamb, which they would have left to die and in the car ride home Hanna announced that we should call the lamb Lucky, and no one could argue with that. 

The first thing Brigitte did when we got home was feed the Lucky milk replacer and we had to wash him because he was covered in his own feces. Brigitte asked who wanted to wash Lucky and we all shouted ‘ME!’

Today we took Lucky to the vet and we were all worried that we would find out he could no longer walk but lucky was true to his name and the vet told us that he had feeling in both his legs but they had become inflamed. Brigitte bought some antibiotics and hopefully with lots of rest and food, Lucky should be up and running around by next week.

 I keep thinking, what if we hadn’t gone to visit the Hutterite or if Brigitte hadn’t seen Lucky. I will never forget how Brigitte rescued him without a second’s thought and took him away from danger. I can’t wait to see Lucky running around with our other sheep Daisy and playing with the lamas. I’ve heard lots of stories about how Heaven’s gate rescue animals but now I’ve seen it with my own eyes and I can’t help thinking that all the animals at Heaven’s Gate ought to be called Lucky.

Saturday 8th June

I’ve been working at Heaven’s Gate for 7 days now and I still haven’t got used to the view I see every morning when I wake up and I hope I never do. I’m starting to get into a routine, as is the whole house. We always seem to get up in the same order and go to bed in the same order.

Hanna, the lovely 19 year old girl from Germany recently made a cake for all the WWOOFers, which took a total 17 hours to make! The oven kept turning off, as the power kept coming and going, then we had to go to bed and continue with it in the morning. So much time and effort went into that cake that it almost began to feel like a family member, until we finally ate it.

We also started the horses after the long winter, as they had been living the life of luxury; eating, pooing and sleeping but now we have to add working into that list and some of them were not amused. Pegasus has been given to me as my horse project, which I was so happy about because I naturally gravitated to her for some reason. She’s so beautiful and funny because she refuses to lie down and sleep, which results in her stumbling around like a drunk for about 2 hours. She feels scared when she’s away from the herd, so when we put the saddle on her in the round pen, she did all she could to get it off. Afterwards Melanie and I rode Gypsy, Angel and Pegasus. It was the first time I had ridden in 5 years and the first time I had ridden western style in my whole life, as opposed to English ridding. BIG CHANGE but it was great getting back in the saddle!

Phillip from the UK left yesterday and I was really sad to see him go. He was great and we found all the same things funny. Even though I love to travel and meet all sorts of people, I still love the UK sense of humour so much. Victoria from Canada also left today and she was the last none German on the farm, so I was hanging on to her for dear life. I suppose I better learn German and quickly!

We had our first BBQ yesterday and my god was it good. It was a feast for kings and the dessert, which is always my favourite part of the meal, was ice cream with homegrown rhubarb. Delicious! We also have a guest from Bavaria called Joseph, who works as a spiritual masseuse and also makes drums. He’ll be teaching us the art of massage and meditation, which will be a new experience for me.

As it’s Saturday and we have the weekend off, I plan to catch up with friends and family back home and do the odd bit of editing. We’re currently waiting to eat the next cake, which is in the oven, so will hopefully be ready by this time tomorrow!

I’ve been WWOOFing in Canada’s Heaven’s Gate animal sanctuary for five days now. Feel free to read my previous blog post to find out more about WWOOFing. I’ve always wanted to learn more practical skills. Skills you could use if the apocalypse was coming, so I jumped at the chance to help build a fence today. Luckily it was not the end of the world instead the fence was needed for the one week old baby alpaca (hasn’t been named yet) who is getting to big for it’s small enclosure, so a larger area had to be fenced.

 There has also been lots of spring cleaning and shoveling of poo to be done, especially in the fields that the horses stayed in over the winter. Melanie, Victoria and I have been tackling a specific area for two hours a day and we are convinced we will be body builders by the time it’s poo free. It is somewhat of a talent raking, shoveling and piling poo for hours and hours yet always improving your technique. The three of us ended up with a system that was so efficient we were shocked how much we had done in such a short time.

 Yesterday we had to dig some cables out of the mud, which had stopped working otherwise we would have not water supply. We got quite muddy but the more I dug, the more relaxing I found it. After working in an office atmosphere for almost two years after graduating university, it was a nice adjustment to be knee deep in the dirt, in the mountain fresh air.

 Whilst I was leaning on a fence today, a horse named Gladys rested he head on my back and fell asleep and I followed suit. By the time I opened my eyes, the other horses had gathered around in a semi-circle and were also asleep. It was one of my favourite moments so far. I was also chased by Cocoa the lama again, who began chewing, as if to spit on me but then decided against it but I’m sure it’s just a matter of time.

 We also had a new WWOOFer arrive from Germany called Collin, who will be here two weeks and was a great help building the fence today. At the moment Phillip from the UK is cooking for what seems like the second time is his life and if I survive to see tomorrow, we are hoping to go on our first hike in the mountains with the horses. Wish me luck!

I planed to work with horses in Alberta before I even got to Canada and anyone who has watched the show Heartland, will know why. WWOOFing, which stands for the World Wide Organisiation of Organic Farmers seemed like the perfect idea. You can do it all over the world and it mainly consists of the same principles. You help out on a family run farm and in return you get to live there and eat there for free!

I started horse riding when I was five years old in Sheffield, when it cost only £5 an hour. Slowly but surely it got more expensive. When I was 18 I remember it costing £23 for one hour and when I moved to London I had to give it up or live on the streets.

I have always lived in the big city and before I arrived in Canada I had lived in London for the last 4 years, so the prospect of living and working on a farm was an exciting change for me.

I arrived at Heaven’s Gate farm a few days ago and am happy to say it will be my home for the next two months. I was picked up in a small town called Pincher Creek in Alberta by Brigitte, who owns the animal sanctuary with her husband Al. Heaven’s gate is home to 19 horses, 3 donkeys, 2 alpacas ,4 dogs, 3 cats, 1 pig called Holy, 1 cow and lots of lamas. I already know to beware of Cocoa the lama, who has chased me on two occasions but hasn’t spat on me…yet.

A German girl named Melanie arrived with me and will be at Heaven’s Gate for three months. As we drove further away from civilistation and the roads became less visible, I realised how different things would be. Once we got on to the Heaven’s Gate property and turned the first corner, the road was crowded with horses and abackdrop of the mountains in the wilderness, which left me overwhelmed.

Here, phone signal is a thing of the past and wifi is a luxury, which I get every so often when outside and the power generator is on. There are eight WWOOFers altogether from all over the world. Some are here only for a few weeks, while others are here for the whole Summer. We live in amazing wooden cabins on the farm, full of books, board games, VHS and the odd DVD. When someone cooks, they cook for everyone. When someone cleans, they clean everything. The first thing I was asked by the lovely WWOOFers was if I could cook. Luckily for me, I guess I can and as some people hate to cook I have found my place amongst the herd and the bonus is, that means I don’t have to wash up. 

Soon we will start the horses, which means preparing them for riding after the winter. There is also another WWOOFer cabin to be built and I will be helping with that. Tomorrow we start work but at the moment it’s raining heavily, so we are all in the living room area watching Doctor Dolittle of all things.

Yesterday I left Jasper and it wasn’t easy. I LOVE IT THERE. I kept asking myself, ‘could I live in Jasper’ and I kept answering ‘YES!’. Ok, so it’s not got the bars and nightlife of Toronto but it makes up for that with its vast and beautiful surroundings and the friendly locals who you feel could wrestle a grizzly bear at any given moment and then offer you a cup of tea and a biscuit. 

We also climbed to the summit of Mount Whistler, with the help of the Jasper Tramway, though we did the last stretch on foot. At an altitude of 2466 metres, breathing becomes a sport. Every so often we would rest on benches that looked liked wooden coffins, one of which I thought I would need! It was an amazing feeling to reach the top but I won’t be climbing Mount Everest any time soon!

Jasper has managed to keep all the characteristics we love about small towns and balance it with the activities and restaurants, which appeal to tourists.

I interviewed a local man by Maligne Lake yesterday who was fishing and for me he summed up what a Canadian from Jasper is all about. He loved nature, loved to laugh and loved a good beer.

I arrived in Jasper, Alberta a few days ago and I can easily say it is the most beautiful place I have ever seen (sorry Sheffield).

When I imagined what Canada would be, I was clearly thinking of Jasper although I didn’t know it at the time. The amazing mountains, which protrude defiantly out of the landscape and leave you feeling so alive. I think because as you admire them you realize they were there long before you took your first breath and they will remain long after you take your last. 

Driving through the Rockies is a sight seeing extravaganza. Your eyes will dart from side to side, as if you were watching a tennis match. Not only will the glaciers, mountains, canyons and lakes leave you breathless but the wildlife, which even though you know is present, is always so unexpected. A moose or caribou grazing by the side of the road; a bear wondering close to a lake. For some reason you don’t think you will see them but Jasper is wild, so you always do. I have seen all the above animals and more in just two days and on numerous occasions.

I travelled with a German couple (Nick and Julie) and a French woman (Laurence) that I met on the train. Luckily we all wanted to see the same things. One of my highlights was seeing Moraine Lake, which has been my laptop screensaver for over a year and being there in person was incomprehensible. Lake Louise was also striking with its brilliant blue water, which is best appreciated from above ground, so we snuck into the Fairmont Hotel and got a better view from the top floor.

We also saw the Columbia Icefield, which has been rapidly receding for the last 100 years and to look at something that seems so constant and durable, yet know that it will one day vanish left me feeling thankful I had seen it but sad at the same time. We climbed part of it and with an altitude of over 2400 metres I felt like I had only been eating McDonalds for the last 5 years; 10 metres felt like 100!

I extended my stay in Jasper, as I want to see more and it’s so much fun here.

For more pictures check out my Facebook page  - https://www.facebook.com/CandidCanada

Here’s a link to Laurence’s website, who is an SEO consultant - http://masseronseoconsulting.co.uk/

So my train journey has come to an end. It was the longest train journey I had ever taken, in which my cabin quickly became my home. Yesterday was another great day. I met the young married couple, who were performing folk songs in the carriage for all to enjoy.

I also met a lesbian couple from Boston who talked about everything under the sun from faries and leprechauns to scientology and evangelicalisms. I also met a French woman who I really got on with and I will be heading on a road trip with her tomorrow morning to Lake Louise.

We also stopped of at Winnipeg and I got to do a bit of sight seeing but not as much as I would have wanted because I forgot to set my clock back and thought I had one hour less than I actually did. There’s nothing worse than rushing when you don’t need to and that’s coming from someone who is always marginally late.

I read a bit of my book and also got even more into Battlestar Galactica, so thanks Greg, who I couchsurfed with, for giving me a new addiction in between Game of Thrones.

We arrived in Jasper at 1pm and the first time I saw the rocky mountains was like I had wondered into Mordor out of Lord of the Rings but a really friendly version. The sun was a shinin’ and the locals were full of smiles. Looking forward to my time in Jasper armed with my camera.

(I wrote this post 2 days ago but was unable to post it due to limited wifi.)