Rugged ATV Adventure on Vancouver Island
by Mark Corbett
Riding around Vancouver Island's back country straddling a 750 lbs.
Bombadier All Terrain Vehicle (the Cadillac of ATVs and capable of 100
clicks per hour), gives you a Zen-like, yet dusty sense of the here
and now.
The best part for me was how we get to experience an authentic and
rugged journey through Nanaimo’s back country without blazing one new
trail or even venturing off the beaten path. We tackled the
challenging terrain down perfectly suited and long abandoned logging
roads.
Over the course of a hot and sunny afternoon in July, we were exposed
to some of Vancouver Island's most exciting terrain. We scrambled
along the shores of the beautiful Nanaimo River up steep rocky
inclines to the majestic vistas of Wolf Mountain and Mt. Benson. We
went through a labrynth of old logging roads crisscrossing the wild
terrain and came to appreciate the survivor like instincts needed to
hold it all together on those powerful back country toys.
With only 7 lbs of pressure in their tires, the Bombadiers hang on to
just about any piece of turf you could imagine. But we had to hang on
too. The ride was a bit grueling at times, but with some elbow grease
it was manageable and ultimately quite a rush.
“I wanted to build my own outdoor go-cart track since I was a kid,"
says Jim Sharanowski, owner of Track 'N Trail ATVs in Ladysmith. "But
one day I realized that there already exists a great big natural track
right in my own backyard.”
After retiring from his career as a boilermaker, Sharanowski and his
wife bought enough Bombardier ATV's to go on back country tours with
themselves and eight other guests.
Exciting for both locals and visitors, this affordable and accessible
Vancouver Island adventure is available to anyone who is at least 18
years old, carries a valid drivers license and signs the waver form.
On a scale of 1 to 10, this trip gets an 8+. To book your excursion,
call Jim or Karen at Track 'N Trail at 250-245-2624.
