It's A Freakin' Sleigh Ride, Okay?

Selected the wrong line when we had a group outing one afternoon.

Assumed it would be a nice mix of girls and guys going on a sleigh ride around beautiful Lake Louise.

Wrong.

Seven middle aged guys, all in black leather jackets and sunglasses, average weight pegged at about 230 (from the looks in the horses' eyes anyway) being carted along the hiking path all by ourselves.

Even the driver was shaking his head.

Before we got on, as he brought the sleigh down the path towards us, he wasn't slowing. I gestured and said, "Yo, we're your four o'clock."

He just kept on going.

And from the looks of everyone within fifty feet, the usual patrons are grandmothers and little eight year old girls in colourful snowsuits.

Now the worst part was, as we were on the hiking path, hiker's - mainly Swedish models - would have to step down off the path to let us pass.

We could see them smiling as they looked at the horses. Then the smiles changed - okay, vanished - as the seven of us lumbered into view. I kept pulling my red shawl up over my face, trying not to be embarrassed.

But again, dramatic scenery all along the trail.



Here our guide, trying to pretend he's not really with us, stops us in front of a frozen waterfall.

Others were climbing this with ice picks and mountaineering boots. We just pulled our shawls tighter.

So although I don't recommend this activity, the seven of us did feel a lot closer afterwards.

But only in the most manly, masculine sort of ways, of course. What ho!