Ten minutes after the helicopter lifts off from its pad at Golden’s small airport we are skimming the wild, snow-dusted tops of the Purcell Mountains.
The pilot tops a rock dagger, swoops down and circles for a few seconds as we snap pictures of grazing elk and mountain goats .
The summer was not kind to Western Canada, but on this Sunday afternoon in September the weather is magnificent. A deep blue sky is flecked with fluffy clouds and the mountains march to the horizon in crystal clarity.
Five more minutes and we are above the rolling alpine meadow at the 7,260-foot Bald Mountain and setting down beside Purcell Lodge.
In its third year of operation, the blue-roofed, three-story building is tucked into the northern end of the Purcell Range, above the headwaters of the Spillimacheen River and on the eastern boundary of Glacier National Park.
Capable of housing 28 guests in a mix of private and dormitory style rooms, it cost almost $1 million to build.
Its spacious and gleaming dining and living room is warmed by a fireplace and comfortably furnished with fir-plank tables, chairs and couches handmade on site.
Hot showers, flush toilets, a quiet reading area on the upper bedroom level, an advanced sewage-treatment system and electricity generated by harnessing the flow of a small stream elevate it above most back-country lodges.
Then there is the food. Juergen Gasenzer, a young cook who came to Purcell Lodge in January after a year in the kitchens of Chateau Lake Louise, pampers guests with delicious breakfasts and dinners served family-style at the long tables.
Dinners with soup and artful salads with main dishes ranging from roasts to fish Wellington are preceded by hot snacks and wine or beer from a cash bar.
After breakfast, a table is loaded with cold cuts, cheese, nuts, fruit and bread for guests to prepare lunches to take on hikes.
The magnificent outdoor setting is the lodge’s main attraction. Accessible only by helicopter or, in the summer, a long hike from logging roads to the south, it sits in splendid alpine isolation.
In the spring and summer, the rolling meadows are rich with wildflowers. Hiking can range from easy strolls to more strenuous climbs on nearby peaks.
In the winter, up to 53 feet of snow turns the area into a paradise for cross-country and telemark skiers.
During our three-day stay, my wife and I shared the lodge with eight other guests: A couple from Vancouver, another from Prince George, sisters from Calgary and Edmonton on their second visit, and from Kamloops, a retired businessman and his wife.
Our first full day was typical of the visit. During an early breakfast, guests were sorted into levels of energy by Russ Younger, co-manager with Paul Leeson of ABC Wilderness Adventures Ltd., which owns the lodge.
Four serious hikers decided to tackle the 8,500-foot peak of Copperstain Mountain on the other side of a wooded valley to the east and would be led by Mark Zimmerman, the lanky carpenter who helped build the lodge in 1990 and stayed on as a guide and maintenance worker.
The retired couple would stroll the easy path running north from the lodge, and we would head unescorted south along the edge of Glacier National Park to the 7,600-foot peak of Bella Vista.
Within 30 minutes of setting out, the lodge was out of sight and we were alone on a vast sweep of rolling meadow punctuated by clusters of fir and pine. To our right, the ridge dropped away to the Beaver River Valley. On the other side of the valley, forbidding snow-capped mountains stretched to the north and south, the troughs between them occupied by blue-ice glaciers, their tips wreathed with streamers of clouds.
After returning to the lodge and taking a hot shower, we relaxed with glasses of red wine beside a fire and gazed at the mountain peaks as they changed color with the setting sun. There was easy conversation, the afterglow of a day filled with fresh air and exercise, and the comforting sounds of Gasenzer’s pots and pans in the kitchen.
The ease with which Purcell Lodge accommodates guests ranging from the intense and almost compulsively active couple from Prince George to the grandmother from Kamloops who worked on her needlepoint in the evenings, is a testament to the marketing savvy of Younger and Leeson.But marketing was not uppermost in my mind. Bundled into a down-filled vest on the balcony outside my bedroom, sniffing the crisp air of a September night, all I could absorb was the breathtaking beauty of the shimmering curtains of northern lights and the carpet of stars above the total silence below.
Bring strong legs but leave smokes behind
Seasons: Individuals can book winter holidays from December through April and summer vacations from late June through mid-October. Group bookings can be made any time of the year.
Access: There is no road to Purcell Lodge, although it is possible to hike in during summer and fall from logging roads to the south. Most guests take a 15-minute helicopter flight from Golden. There are three flights per week (Sunday, Wednesday and Friday). Cost per person is $130 for a round trip.
Accommodations: The lodge has room for 28 guests. All private rooms have queen-size beds and access to a balcony. Some rooms have an additional upper twin-size bed for a third person, or to allow separate sleeping arrangements for two people. Shared, semi-private rooms sleep four people in twin-size bunks. Purcell Lodge doesn’t allow smoking. Bookings for children younger than 12 usually aren’t accepted.
Cost: All prices are per person per night and include all meals, snacks, guiding and instruction. Cost of beverages from a cash bar, taxes, gratuities and the helicopter flight from Golden are not included.
Low season (December, January, April, September, October): $140 for private, single occupancy; $110 for private, double occupancy; $96 for semi-private quad-occupancy, or third person in private room.
High season (February, March, July, August): $160, $130, and $110 for similar rooms. If guests stay for five or more nights, the price is discounted by $45 per person.
To get there: Golden is on the Trans-Canada Highway about three hours from Calgary. Greyhound offers service from Calgary and Vancouver.
———-
For more information, contact ABC Wilderness Adventures Ltd., Box 1829, Golden, B.C., V0A 1H0; phone 604-344-2639, fax 604-344-6118, Attn.: Purcell Lodge.
