By Debra Bokur

I’m lying on my back, floating in a canoe on a remote lake in the Manitoba wilderness. The water is black, reflecting a host of stars in the cloudless sky, with the faint pulse of the Aurora Borealis slowly revealing itself as the night lengthens. Earlier this evening, I wandered the shoreline in the company of astronomer Buzz Crowston, who informed me that the star I’ve been wishing on for all these years was not, as I’d believed, the North Star Polaris. In retrospect, this explains a lot of things.

Long before the sun rises in the morning, I manage to coax myself from the deep warmth of my cozy bed at the Elkhorn Resort & Solstice Spa to meet up with Celes Davar, owner and operator of the award-winning eco outfitter Earth Rhythms, Inc. The hunting-lodge style property offers rooms in the main lodge, along with private chalets. Located within Canada’s Riding Mountain National Park biosphere reserve, the resort partners with Earth Rhythms to offer a variety of themed and customized experiential wilderness programs, rounded out with wellness activities and indulgent spa therapies. Davar leads me into the misty forest to watch for some of the local wildlife, which includes herds of wild elk, moose families, beaver, and assorted birds of prey. True to his promise, within the span of an hour, no less than four velvety-antlered moose saunter across the path where we silently wait, each of them supremely uninterested in the jeep where we sit, or the sight of my nose pressed excitedly against the passenger window.

The afternoon is warm and clear, and I’m able to enjoy a hike with Davar and two local biologists. We scout for elk, then collect local Saskatoon berries and the leaves of the Blue Giant Hyssop plants that grow here in the wild. The leaves of the Hyssop, which belongs to the mint family, are used to make a tummy-soothing tea.

Besides hiking, seasonally-themed activities include cycling, kayaking, and wilderness education programs facilitated by biologists, naturalists, botanists, and other field experts – all with the promise of luxurious spa treatments and long mineral pool soaks waiting at the end of each day. Treks to track migrating elk and moose, for instance, include hands-on lessons in the use of radio telemetry systems to locate animals that have been tagged for herd pattern studies.

In wintertime, you can go dogsledding in the morning, carve your own goblet from ice, warm up in the thermal Equinox Mineral Pool at the spa, and experience a Reiki session, muscle-soothing massage, or body treatment with such indigenous botanicals as pine oil or prairie mud. Fitness classes, including yoga, Qi Gong, and Pilates are offered regularly.

Back at the resort, I refresh with a Cinnamon Clove Soak followed by a deep tissue massage in Solstice Spa, then head for dinner. The gourmet, regional cuisine features such local Manitoba products as bison, pickerel, and Saskatoon berries, and a carefully tended herb garden provides ingredients for both the spa and kitchens. I order the Pan-fried Pickerel in Buckwheat with Saskatoon-herbed Beurre Blanc. Tempting as the Manitoba Berry Crisp on the dessert menu is, I skip it and head outside for a pre-bed stroll. The sky is clear again, studded with glowing stars. I get my bearings and locate Polaris; now that I know which star it is, I intend to catch up on my wishing.

For more information call (204) 848-8739 or visit www.elkhornresort.mb.ca or www.earthrhythms.ca

March/April 2008

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