Gilbert, Ruth & Snickers at Timber Ridge Trails

On the Monday of the August long weekend, Gilbert, Ruth and Snickers went to check out Timber Ridge Trails in Lumby, BC.  CHHAPS (Canadian Horse Heritage & Preservation Society) is planning a September retreat there so we wanted to take a look at the facilities.  We were lucky enough to run into our hosts, Darlene & Laverne Wolney, at a  restaurant in Lumby, so we followed them out to the campsite.

Coffee on at the fire pit.

It was just after an exciting display of thunder and lightning, accompanied by a heavy rain, and we’d had a long day followed by a good meal, so we had a quick tour of the campsite, then retired to the cabin for the night.  After a very quiet night – we didn’t even hear the coyotes that Darlene asked about the next morning – we woke up to a relatively cool, overcast morning.  As the first one up, Gilbert started the fire in the big firepit before Darlene arrived to make coffee. (Note: click on any of the photos to see larger version)

The huge frypan and old woodstove in the cowboy kitchen.

Darlene at the fire pit at Timber Ridge Trails.

Our hostess Darlene made cowboy coffee and pancakes for us, which we ate at the kitchen’s skookum wooden tables, built by Laverne.  Laverne has made almost all of the furniture and structures at Timber Ridge Trails using wood from the area mostly milled on his own equipment.  Very impressive!

The kitchen structure and furniture were made by Laverne Wolney

Campsite at Timber Ridge Trails

There are 10 campsites at Timber Ridge Trails, spaced around the grounds.  There’s an outhouse at each side of the camp, and a cute little shower house where you can take a shower using sun-warmed water.  For those who don’t have sleeping quarters in their horse trailer, a camper or a tent, there are three options.  There’s a cute little shepherd’s hut (again, built by Laverne), with a small double bed that sleeps one or two, and a cozy cabin with two sets of bunk beds that can sleep four.  They also have a travel trailer that they can bring in, which will sleep up to six.  If there are too many trailers for the ten campsites, visitors can overflow into a nearby meadow.

The charming shepherd’s hut, made by Laverne from larch trees cut near the site.

The horse stalls at Timber Ridge Trails

As far as accommodations for horses are concerned, the camp is equipped with fourteen solid panel stalls arranged adjacent to each other in double rows.  Their proximity helps keep damage to the natural forest floor to a minimum.  There’s a bin for manure, again to keep the camp’s landscape as natural as possible.  There are hitching posts near most of the campsites for ease of tacking up.

There are plenty of trails to ride, from one or two hours to a full day if you choose.  The trails are marked with color-coded markers, but Darlene makes sure all the riders have a color-coded map and her cell phone number in case they get lost.

It’s a peaceful spot, away from any sign of human habitation, yet an easy drive from Lumby.  There’s no electricity, but lots of non-electric amenities.  We’re really looking forward to our “retreat” in September 2012.

Timber Ridge Trails is located at 81 Kerby Road in Lumby, BC.  The hostess is Darlene Wolney, and she can be reached at 250-309-3544 or via email at timberridgetrails@gmail.com.

More photos below (click on any photo to enlarge), plus see more photos and the trail map on a separate page.

Sun warmed shower at Timber Ridge Trails

The water wagon at Timber Ridge Trails

This little bunkhouse sleeps four

Bunkbeds in the bunkhouse

Inside the bunkhouse