Great Bear Chalet - "Be at home in a grizzly kingdom."

08/27/2026

Musings of Mountain madness...

A moment of zen. What a wonderful world it can be.

❤️ fiercely

08/14/2026

We don't 'tour' it, we coexist here.

'Circle of life', the spectacle, has returned to this river of bears.
What a wonderful world it can be.

Live gently. ❤️ fiercely

07/17/2026

Musings of Mountain madness...

Eco-rafting trips commence August 15th.
Get on board and join us for the spectacle. Don't miss the boat.
(Note: PFDs required by law & provided).

"Ah gimme the boat boys and free my soul,
I wanna get lost in your rock and roll.
And drift away..."

♥️ fiercely

Send a message to learn more

07/06/2026

Musings of Mountain madness...

Somewhere over the Rainbows, guiding two-time client/friend up into some 'tude with blooms. "Brian", who is into his 81st year and 15 months post-op from a left knee replacement, was a tremendous example of "Lotuslander" grit and a fine alpine companion. It was a stupendous day.

"Can you paint with all the colours of the wind?"

Keep crankin' & ❤️ fiercely

06/25/2026

Lovely short portraying our life here in this grizzly kingdom.
Reciprocity - trust is forged from compassion, honesty and commitment.

Live gently.

Written in Sand & Scent is a wildlife short film about bears in Bel...

04/01/2026

Musings of Mountain madness...

"Up among the firs where it smells so sweet
Or down in the valley where the river used to be
I got my mind on eternity
Some kind of ecstasy got a hold on me.
And I'm wondering where the lions are..." ~ Bruce Cockburn

Live gently. ❤️ fiercely

03/23/2026

Musings of Mountain madness...

"The grizzly bear is not a problem, but a presence to be respected." ~ Doug Peacock

Celebrating World Bear Day in a grizzly kingdom.

"All our friends are Wild!"

Live gently.

03/14/2026

Musings of Mountain madness...

"(Mountain) lions, and tigers, and bears - oh my!"

Old man Winter brought a wee puff of Arctic outflow and a skiff of snow to the "dance" over the last couple of days. Last night saw the mercury drop to -13C with not a cloud in the sky. The absence of moonlight allowed the Milky Way to shine with the glitter and twinkle of Sagan's "billions, and billions". Definitely a good night to prowl.

I was humbled again today by her nose. The only advantage to me, in our unspoken game of "Who goes there?", is the rare occasion when height gives me perspective to see what she may not have spotted yet. For now, the cat of many names pads silently around us however, neither of us has yet to score a sighting. Our waltz with ghosts continues...

"All our friends are Wild!" (and yes, the plural of deer is deer ;) )

Live gently.

03/11/2026

Musings of Mountain madness...

"Slow dancin', swayin' to the music..." or, "What's new pussycat?"

As light snow began to fall, Shy and I ventured into check on the cougar cache. It's been a week since the kill and the cat has fed well based on what we discovered today. Skull, lower jaw, pelvis, femurs, shoulder blades, humeri all picked clean. As Shy stood locked in by my side, hackles up, nose working the air filled with deer and cougar scent, I counted a total of five different cache sites within a twenty five metre radius. From fir needle duff and soil disturbance, the cougar had fed and then recached the remaining carcass within metres of the last place it had been stored in a surface "grave". The tactic seemed to have worked, as there was no sign of scavenging by ravens or eagles in the dense wood.
The mule deer are using proximity to the Chalet, especially at night, as witnessed by the"eye shine" I get from the reflection of my headlamp on our trips out to the woodshed and/or to p*e. However, I know full well that the eyes of others shine too.
This eternal dance of predator and prey will continue as Winter loosens its grip and the fresh greens of Spring begin to flourish. To every season, turn, turn, turn....

P.S. And to male and female alike, if you recognize the tunes you're also officially 'cougars'. Trust me, it's a compliment 'round these parts.

"All our friends are Wild!"

Live gently.

03/06/2026

Musings of Mountain madness...

What's that expression about curiosity and the cat?

Shyloh's keen nose stopped us again this morning overlooking the area where the cougar had cached its kill from two days ago. I noticed drag marks in the gravel of the highway shoulder and looked over to the opposite bank to pick up the obvious disturbance in the soil on the steep incline across the road. We followed up into the woods, moving slowly, keeping us closely tethered with her retractable leash. Tracking for approximately 200 metres off the highway, we came upon this impressive example of a 'cache' site in a drier, more secluded area within the Douglas fir forest. You can see how the duff and needles have been scraped in a wide swath around what remains of the deer carcass.
We will show some consideration, suppress our curiosity, and steer clear of the area so that kitty may finish her/his meal in peace aka respectful coexistence.

Live gently.