A couple of summers ago, Daniel roped his partner at ENM, Colin Lacey, into a fairly epic four day horseback riding vacation at the beautiful Anchor D Ranch in Kananaskis Country near Calgary. “It was actually a birthday surprise for Colin,” says Daniel. “My girlfriend and I took Colin and his wife Karin up to the Anchor D. We know they enjoy these kinds of wilderness adventures. This one was extra cool because the whole trip was led by Terry Grant, the host of the show Mantracker.”
It turns out that Terry Grant’s cousin Dewy Matthews owns the Anchor D, and every year Terry guides a group of people on a four day trek through the spectacular mountains.
“The views of the Rockies are incredible up there. You’re riding along the continental divide and it’s just mountains, lakes and rivers as far as you can see.”
Daniel and Colin rode into the mountains with a number of wranglers from the ranch. The horses and wagons ride along trails to several destinations, including pristine alpine lakes full of trout, high passes overlooking miles of peaks and valleys, and scenic canyons where the group would stop for lunch.
“We’d wake up every morning, have breakfast, then get right back on the trail. It was purely horseback riding, all day every day, and it was great to have Terry along to tell us interesting stories about the place and just generally keep everyone comfortable and feeling entertained. He’s got so much experience in the wilderness, especially in Alberta. It’s fun to learn some things from him.”
Terry was the host of Mantracker on the Outdoor Life Network for six seasons, from 2006 to 2011. The popular show followed Terry and a sidekick as they hunted for two individuals, known as the “Prey” through various backcountry settings as they tried to reach a pre-determined destination. Terry had 36 hours to catch up to them before either time ran out or they crossed the finish line.
Over the six seasons, the odds of beating Terry were about 25%. He usually got you.
“These kinds of trips are fun for us because, outside of the everyday running of ENM, it’s great for us to have these kind of experiences together,” says Daniel. It definitely bonds you to spend four days riding and camping in the wilderness. It lets us come back to the business feeling refreshed and renewed and ready to tackle the obstacles of development and construction.”
