While some people are enjoying the last remnants of summer, there are always reminders that winter is just around the corner. That’s what Mark Burrage found when he and coworkers Larry Swinderski, Jason Cooke and Devin Nordquist went quadding in late September in the Crowsnest Pass.
A visit from Old Man Winter
“We probably had about six centimetres of snow down where we were,” said Burrage. “But there were places that had up to 30 centimetres of snow.”
Burrage was staying at the Inn on the Border, close to the Crowsnest Pass. A resident of Lloydminster, Alberta, he was working on servicing nearby oil rigs in Elkford. After the workday had ended, he and his coworkers would hit the nearby trails for several hours of quadding.
The snow was just one thing that made the trip memorable—the group also had an unexpected encounter with local wildlife.
“We were sitting at the fireplace next to the cabin one night when we heard a cougar,” said Burrage. “It was about six metres behind us. A few days later, we actually saw one, which was really neat—it was the first time I had even seen a cougar in my life.”
Mountainous memories
Burrage, a Honda loyalist, rides a Honda 420 Trail Edition and a Honda Foreman 500. Originally from Atlantic Canada, Burrage is a lifelong quadder.
“I’ve been quadding since I was about 12,” he said. “It was mostly for work back home in Newfoundland, where quads were a way of living—we would use it to pull firewood for our houses.”
Burrage said that his favourite part of quadding is climbing mountains.
“I’ve done some good climbing back home in Newfoundland, but nothing like we do here,” he said.
Burrage and his buddies ventured up trails such as the Trail of Seven Bridges. The off-road adventures and the friendliness of the locals and other patrons at the Inn made the trip thoroughly enjoyable.
“I’d love to go back any time I can,” he said.
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