Back to your Roots – June 3 & 4

In this brand new 2 day workshop for 2017 we will go back to learn about simple things, taking the slow road to enjoying life and the peaceful environment here at Bear Valley Highlands.
Find out what you will learn and experience during your weekend stay:

As an experienced outdoor educator and guide, Charles will take us on a morning hike to explore the rich kingdom of plants – how to identify them, how to use them, and ultimately, deepen our relationship with the natural world.
On Bear Valley’s private 7-acre lake, Charles will take us back in time to reintroduce ourselves to an age-old mode of travel; the canoe. Our paddling session will include stroke instruction, manoeuvres, safety topics and rescue techniques. Charles will share his tips and tricks for experiencing the incredible freedom that wilderness canoeing has to offer. Rediscover the canoe as one of the most unique and meaningful ways to explore Canada’s stunning waterways.


Anneh has been making willow baskets for the last 12 years. Recently she started incorporating bulrush, birch bark, cedar bark, driftwood and clay pottery into her basket adventures. She will guide us through the process of making a simple, beautiful gathering basket.


Barbara has been living off grid with her family at Bear Valley Highlands for the past 10 years and being an avid cook and gardener has been experimenting with slow foods such as fully fermented doughs for bread and cheese making with her own goats milk.
She will show us how to make a simple cheese without the use of commercial cultures as well as different types of sourdough breads that are easy to incorporate into any lifestyle.
Inbetween she will also be our chef for delicious organic meals!

Meet your instructors :

About Charles
As a Paddle Canada-certified canoeing instructor, and former instructor with the National Outdoor Leadership School, Charles has an infectious passion for self-propelled travel and connecting people to the land and to themselves. On heaving oceans and alpine rivers, Charles has travelled over 6000km in a canoe. His business, Elements Adventure Company designs custom wilderness experiences, from day-long mushroom hunts, to 2-week river canoeing expeditions.

Charles’ long history in organic farming and a degree in Agricultural Science have given him a unique appreciation for nature and the human relationship to it.
When not on an expedition or teaching a canoeing course, Charles can found with his young family exploring the meadows and forests near their Vernon home. His favorite family adventure so far has been canoeing among the Broken Group Islands archipelago off BC’s far west coast.
Find Charles at Elements adventure company

About Anneh
Originally from the Netherlands, Anneh Kessels now has her studio next to the beautiful Bulkley River. She has found her way to Quick, BC, in a very round-about way, and is extremely happy to live in this great and lively community!
Anneh has been making willow baskets for the last 12 years. Recently she started incorporating bulrush, birch bark, cedar bark, driftwood and clay pottery into her basket adventures.
Anneh enjoys going out and wild-crafting all her willows, bulrushes, birch and cedar along local rivers, streams and lakes. After this she cures all her materials, before making them into traditional or one-of-a-kind baskets.

About Barbara
Barbara and her family immigrated to Canada in 2003, leaving a demanding career in advertising and marketing behind to live a different, more meaningful life. She feels fortunate to have found Bear Valley Highlands as her little paradise which the family shares with a small herd of Scottish Highland Cattle, a mixed herd of dairy goats, horses, chickens, cats and dogs.
Barbara is passionate about organic, local slow food that tastes amazing and still leaves her with time to play!

workshop fee : $ 280
accommodation including all meals ( 2 days) : $ 180

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