June 24, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
Fort St. John, Sightseeing Tours
View a larger image on flickr.com
I woke up this morning to lovely weather and a dog bouncing merrily off of the walls with excess energy. It was clearly time to find somewhere to walk. I took off on the sidewalk but soon stumbled across the Fort St. John Community Walking Trails.
The trails loop around the north half of town through forest and field, and even into a few of the local parks. Eventually the city hopes to wrap the trails around the entire city and perhaps even add a section leading out to Charlie Lake (a small community built around a lake just northwest of Fort St. John). Being pet and bike friendly, the trails encourage healthy, green living and save walkers from the trauma of being driven off a walking trail by some madman on a dirt bike as motorized vehicles are not allowed on the trails.
Today we found ourselves jogging through mature stands of poplar on paths lined with bluebells and wild roses. It was like running through a perfumery! Though the trails are often quite busy we had them almost entirely to ourselves. The only thing we ran into was a healthy young moose.
He was stripping branches of new leaves just off the path as we jogged by and I will admit that I was quite startled and not a little frightened by his sudden appearance. Fortunately my dog decided against barking and getting us trampled and we were able to walk by without incident. At a mere 2 meters away it was the closest I had been to a moose in years! He watched us as we walked by, all the while munching on the trees.
By the time we got back home, my dog and I were both hot and tired but somehow exhilarated from our brush with the wild on Fort St. John’s Community Walking Trails. So if you happen to be in Fort St. John and in need of some fresh air and exercise, be sure to check out the community walking trails, you might even meet some locals whether they are wild or just walkers.
Tips for Meeting Moose:
- Don’t take dogs out on the trails unless they are used to wild animals and know better than to bark
- If you don’t want to run into any animals, make lots of noise while walking, but if you do encounter one remain quiet and do not make any sudden or loud noises
- Walk by the animal calmly and don’t make any sudden movements
- If you are as close as I was, don’t take pictures, a loud camera noise or a flash may startle the animal
Moose are generally quite docile but if you startle them you may run into trouble, so proceed with caution (be quiet and calm: don’t ever run and scream when you stumble across one) and try not to make any impact on the animal.