History of Pathways
The history of Pathways began in 1970, when Chris and Dean came to British Columbia from Eastern Canada. Although they had attended the same university, it wasn't until they paddled the Bowron Lake circuit together, that their friendship was sealed. They first read about the Bowron experience in a newspaper article and decided to make the trip after their first year of living in British Columbia. It was around the evening campfire that they became close friends. They discovered a common thirst for adventure, a love of nature, and a desire to share that love with others. Little did they realize that the Bowron Lakes would play such a huge role in their lives. They started guiding groups around the Bowron Lakes in 1973.
Pathways was the first commercial canoe guiding company to operate at the Bowron Lakes. Pathways operates six Bowron Lake canoe trips, as well as, a number of Yukon canoe expeditions. These include the Yukon rivers, the Big Salmon River, and the Wind River.
In a continuing effort to share the uniquely Canadian experience of canoe expeditions with others, we have tried to keep Pathways small and we go to great lengths to ensure that Pathways' guides share their love of the Canadian wilderness and of canoeing. We keep the same guides from year to year and now the Pathways’ ethic is guaranteed to be carried on into the next generation. Dean's dream of having his children carry on in the guiding tradition has been realized. His son Kris, his daughter Cheryl and her husband Merlin have gone from being a special addition on the trips to becoming full-fledged guides who are interested in taking over Pathways when Dean has been put out to pasture (or river).
Pathways was the first guiding company to operate commercial trips in Bowron Lake Park. So, after thirty years and over three hundred Bowron Lake expeditions Pathways’ guides still maintain their love for the Bowron Lakes and their enthusiasm for sharing nature with others. Pathways is very proud of its tradition of excellence, its safety record, and its satisfied clients.
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