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| ~ Recipe for Women's High Adventure ~ Triple Creek Ranch Blends a Dash of Excitement, a Pinch of Merriment & a Sprinkling of Wonderment! by Viv Chapleo & Jill Hoelting - WAVEJourney.com January 2011 |
Day 2
Following a delightful breakfast of fresh-baked pastries, seasonal fruit, made-to-order hot menu
items, juices, coffee & tea in the dining room, cowgirls united at the main lodge for a 30-minute
drive to the trailhead to join our steeds for the day.
Wranglers had gone ahead, trailering the horses to our meet-up point and readied them for us to
mount once we joined up. Today's ride was going to be our longest, 34 klicks (21 miles), to Tin
Cup Lake in the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness. Our ride would have a gradual ascent of 2,000
feet elevation gain before arriving at the trout-filled subalpine lake sitting at 6,200 feet above
sea level.
Following a delightful breakfast of fresh-baked pastries, seasonal fruit, made-to-order hot menu
items, juices, coffee & tea in the dining room, cowgirls united at the main lodge for a 30-minute
drive to the trailhead to join our steeds for the day.
Wranglers had gone ahead, trailering the horses to our meet-up point and readied them for us to
mount once we joined up. Today's ride was going to be our longest, 34 klicks (21 miles), to Tin
Cup Lake in the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness. Our ride would have a gradual ascent of 2,000
feet elevation gain before arriving at the trout-filled subalpine lake sitting at 6,200 feet above
sea level.
Take twelve adventurous and spirited women, combine with nimble-footed equine athletes, add
luxurious and elegant cabins, stir in gourmet cuisine, infuse laughter and camaraderie, blend
vigorously for five glorious life-changing days, and voila ~ the outcome is the most exciting
women-only horse riding adventure the Northwest has to offer.
luxurious and elegant cabins, stir in gourmet cuisine, infuse laughter and camaraderie, blend
vigorously for five glorious life-changing days, and voila ~ the outcome is the most exciting
women-only horse riding adventure the Northwest has to offer.
This past October, Triple Creek Ranch in
Darby, Montana invited WAVEJourney to
participate in a one-of-a-kind women's
horseback riding adventure, the inaugural
"100 Klicks for Chicks" (100 kilometers/klicks
= 62 miles) endurance ride. Triple Creek
Ranch owner, Barbara Barrett, dreamed of
taking the concept of the men's 100-mile
Desert Caballeros horse ride in Arizona
(now in its 65TH year) and giving it the
"Triple Creek twist".
Barbara conjured up a much more civilized,
luxurious and gourmet version, while still
keeping with the spirit of the intrepid and
like-minded women that this ride would
draw from far and wide. General Manager,
Leslie McConnell, then took the reins and
set the wheels in motion to produce a riding
experience that would be deserving of any
adventurous horsewoman's bucket list.
After all, we women are too savvy to want
to camp out, sleep in a cowboy bedroll for 5
nights and eat only camp food made for the
masses. We women want our high
adventure by day, a world-class meal at
night, a hot tub to soak our weary bones
while sipping our beverage of choice, and a
comfy and cozy bed to lull ourselves to
sleep while dreaming of beautiful horses,
majestic mountains and that delectable
caramel hazelnut torte we devoured at
dinner.
Darby, Montana invited WAVEJourney to
participate in a one-of-a-kind women's
horseback riding adventure, the inaugural
"100 Klicks for Chicks" (100 kilometers/klicks
= 62 miles) endurance ride. Triple Creek
Ranch owner, Barbara Barrett, dreamed of
taking the concept of the men's 100-mile
Desert Caballeros horse ride in Arizona
(now in its 65TH year) and giving it the
"Triple Creek twist".
Barbara conjured up a much more civilized,
luxurious and gourmet version, while still
keeping with the spirit of the intrepid and
like-minded women that this ride would
draw from far and wide. General Manager,
Leslie McConnell, then took the reins and
set the wheels in motion to produce a riding
experience that would be deserving of any
adventurous horsewoman's bucket list.
After all, we women are too savvy to want
to camp out, sleep in a cowboy bedroll for 5
nights and eat only camp food made for the
masses. We women want our high
adventure by day, a world-class meal at
night, a hot tub to soak our weary bones
while sipping our beverage of choice, and a
comfy and cozy bed to lull ourselves to
sleep while dreaming of beautiful horses,
majestic mountains and that delectable
caramel hazelnut torte we devoured at
dinner.
The Ranch
Triple Creek is by far not just any ordinary
guest ranch, but a member of the esteemed
and exclusive Relais & Chateaux collection of
the world's finest hotels and restaurants. This
all-inclusive luxury ranch provides superlative
service, gourmet dining, house cocktails and
house wines, as well as, use of all ranch
facilities, fly-fishing lessons, tennis, fitness
center and more. The friendly, competent and
professional crew pay special attention to even
the smallest details, like fresh-baked cookies,
fresh fruit, and homemade trail mix placed in
cabins each afternoon.
Triple Creek is by far not just any ordinary
guest ranch, but a member of the esteemed
and exclusive Relais & Chateaux collection of
the world's finest hotels and restaurants. This
all-inclusive luxury ranch provides superlative
service, gourmet dining, house cocktails and
house wines, as well as, use of all ranch
facilities, fly-fishing lessons, tennis, fitness
center and more. The friendly, competent and
professional crew pay special attention to even
the smallest details, like fresh-baked cookies,
fresh fruit, and homemade trail mix placed in
cabins each afternoon.
Situated in a relaxing and impressive natural environment at the foot of Trapper Peak in
Montana's Bitterroot Valley, ranch guests will often times catch a glimpse of elk grazing in the
meadows, bald eagles soaring high above and turkeys lazily wandering between cabins.
Montana's Bitterroot Valley, ranch guests will often times catch a glimpse of elk grazing in the
meadows, bald eagles soaring high above and turkeys lazily wandering between cabins.
Day 1
Our all-female group was comprised of 10 enthusiastic and diverse horsewomen (2 Canadians
and 8 Americans) and complemented with 2 wranglers, coincidentally both named Kristen
(affectionately nicknamed K-1 & K-2).
As we all come from far and wide, our compadres that had chosen to arrive a day earlier were
able to cowgirl-up for the first warm-up ride, a 10 klicks (6 mile) outing from the ranch. Those of
us that arrived too late for the warm-up ride had the liberty to spend the afternoon leisurely
exploring the ranch and savoring our luxury cabins until the cocktail get-together at the Rooftop
Lounge.
Our all-female group was comprised of 10 enthusiastic and diverse horsewomen (2 Canadians
and 8 Americans) and complemented with 2 wranglers, coincidentally both named Kristen
(affectionately nicknamed K-1 & K-2).
As we all come from far and wide, our compadres that had chosen to arrive a day earlier were
able to cowgirl-up for the first warm-up ride, a 10 klicks (6 mile) outing from the ranch. Those of
us that arrived too late for the warm-up ride had the liberty to spend the afternoon leisurely
exploring the ranch and savoring our luxury cabins until the cocktail get-together at the Rooftop
Lounge.
During cocktail hour, we were thrilled to meet
Darby's local Master Hatter, Jimmy Harrison,
from Double H Hats. Jimmy "the hat man" had
brought an impressive display of his custom
handmade western felted-fur hats and
beautifully crafted belts. Each of us
enthusiastically tried on numerous hat styles
to find our perfect adornment, resulting in
custom orders from some of the group.
Darby's local Master Hatter, Jimmy Harrison,
from Double H Hats. Jimmy "the hat man" had
brought an impressive display of his custom
handmade western felted-fur hats and
beautifully crafted belts. Each of us
enthusiastically tried on numerous hat styles
to find our perfect adornment, resulting in
custom orders from some of the group.
Following cocktails, fellow riders joined spouses
for a scrumptious 4-course gourmet dinner.
While the wine flowed freely over the course of
the evening, we satiated our appetites. Exciting
and convivial conversation emanated, cultivating
the female bonding process.
for a scrumptious 4-course gourmet dinner.
While the wine flowed freely over the course of
the evening, we satiated our appetites. Exciting
and convivial conversation emanated, cultivating
the female bonding process.
Although reluctant to break up the soiree, eventually it was time for me to conclude the evening,
retire to my cabin and wind-down in front of the roaring fireplace with my night cap before drifting
off to peaceful slumber.
retire to my cabin and wind-down in front of the roaring fireplace with my night cap before drifting
off to peaceful slumber.
Our 3.5 hour ride to the lake, crossed Tin Cup
Creek, a wide mountain stream, three times.
Jagged peaks of the Bitterroot Mountains filled
our vistas as we riders continued getting to
know each other and shared life experiences.
All the while our sure-footed mounts provided a
calm, yet energetic pace as we made our way
along the trail. The higher we rode, the cooler
the weather became and eventually we were
riding through a beautiful snow-covered forest
before arriving at the lake. All the way to our
destination the wranglers ensured that we
stayed warm, dry, hydrated and comfortable.
Creek, a wide mountain stream, three times.
Jagged peaks of the Bitterroot Mountains filled
our vistas as we riders continued getting to
know each other and shared life experiences.
All the while our sure-footed mounts provided a
calm, yet energetic pace as we made our way
along the trail. The higher we rode, the cooler
the weather became and eventually we were
riding through a beautiful snow-covered forest
before arriving at the lake. All the way to our
destination the wranglers ensured that we
stayed warm, dry, hydrated and comfortable.
| Page 1 of 4 / Next Page / |
| WAVE Journey.com Women's Adventures, Vacations & Experiences ~ Your Journey Starts Here! |
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A Woman's Directory For Travel and Life.
WAVE Journey is your one-stop online resource for women-oriented travel businesses and
services around the world.
WAVE Journey is for every woman to enjoy. If you love to travel, cook, read or revel in outdoor
activities this website is for you. If you are looking to connect with other like-minded women or if you
are interested in finding travel businesses or services that cater to women, WAVE Journey is your
number one online resource.
WAVE Journey is your one-stop online resource for women-oriented travel businesses and
services around the world.
WAVE Journey is for every woman to enjoy. If you love to travel, cook, read or revel in outdoor
activities this website is for you. If you are looking to connect with other like-minded women or if you
are interested in finding travel businesses or services that cater to women, WAVE Journey is your
number one online resource.