Cycling the Frozen Wild: Escape the Hooved Man in Northern Saskatchewan > > >
I had an incredible experience in Northern Saskatchewan during the winter of 2024 and since that time, have been wrestling with how to put my thoughts and feelings of this event into words (I have since returned, in 2025, and am now organizing additional trips there). We journeyed across frozen rivers, lakes, and marshes, weaving through tall stands of aspen in an environment as remote as it was stunning. We witnessed one family’s deep and devoted connection to the land and how it provides so much for them in ways that is lost on most people today. What my fellow cyclists and I experienced during this adventure transcends what I can fully convey, but here is my simple attempt.
On a relatively warm February day (-1°C) in 2024, 14 fat bikers and I gathered in a discreet parking lot along a gravel road south-west of Cumberland House, Saskatchewan. Cell service had vanished 45 minutes earlier, and it would stay that way until our return to “the real world” two days later.
We had gathered here for Escape the Hooved Man, an adventure set in the world’s largest inland water delta—a place far removed from “civilization.” Here, we’d spend the weekend cycling pristine trails, disconnected from modern conveniences like running water, with power only available when the trusty Honda generator was up and running. Even reaching the central gathering place for this adventure, Big Eddy Lodge, would require a fat bike ride of nearly an hour from the nearest road.
Our overnight bags and supplies were loaded into wooden sleighs pulled by snowmobiles, driven by Michela and her partner Leo. Michela is the founder of Aski Holistic Adventures and organizer of Escape the Hooved Man. Leo is her quiet but skilled French partner, a man whose chance tale of ending up in this remote place from his native France is something that will make any adventurer smile. (You’ll have to ask Michela about this story!)
As we jumped on our fat bikes and began our way down the frozen trail, I eagerly wondered what would await us. Most of the riders did not yet know each other, so the ride to Big Eddy Lodge began in near silence. Snow crunching under tires and soft breathing were our only soundtrack, allowing the land to slowly introduce itself:
Discreet. Open. Wild. Serene. Whispering. Remote. Inviting.
Slowly but surely, we began to get an idea of the magical weekend we were in for.
After about 45 minutes of peddling, peering through the edge of the forest, Big Eddy Lodge made its first appearance. Situated on the banks of the Saskatchewan River, the lodge is home to Michela, Leo, and Michela’s parents, Solomon and Renée Carrière.
Big Eddy Lodge and our Hosts
As we rode up the far bank of the river and up to the lodge, Michela’s parents, Renée and Solomon awaited with the warmest smiles imaginable. Their welcome felt like a homecoming, foreshadowing the hospitality that would define the following days and nights.
Michela and Leo began unloading our overnight bags from the sleds they’d pulled in and directed us toward the cabins we’d all been assigned.
The lodge is actually a collection of cozy buildings: a dining hall with a kitchen, an outdoor kitchen, a sauna, tool sheds, outhouses, and a variety of cabins. Our accommodations were rustic but comforting, with shared spaces heated by wood stoves.
Renée humorously remembers the moment when Solomon told her that walls between bedrooms weren’t necessary when they built their first home there. That fact is true through to now and the moment I stepped into Solomon and Renée’s cabin, the place myself and a few friends would call home for the following two nights, the sight of the interior and wood heat felt like medicine, melting away any lingering thoughts of the outside world.
We were soon invited to the dining hall, where warm moose stew awaited. Around that table, bonds began forming—between us riders and with our hosts. Each of the cyclists had a unique personal story and over the coming days, we would learn about the Carrière family’s rich history and deep connection to the land.
Michela, organizer of the weekend, operates Aski Holistic Adventures (a 2024 Indigenous Tourism Award Finalist) and creates opportunities for people to connect with the land through log construction workshops, canoe trips, outdoor adventures, Land-based culture camps, nature therapy, survival workshops, and of course, fat bike events. Her ability to host, organize, tell stories and make people feel at home was something truly wonderful to behold. (Michela also starred in the 11th season of Alone: Arctic Circle.)
Solomon, a Cree/Metis member of Cumberland House First Nation, is a world-champion paddler whose legendary status is matched only by his humility—ok, and his ability to tell incredibly engaging stories! For many decades “Sol” also raised and trained sled-dogs, which included running his dogs across Alaska’s famous Iditarod Trail. In fact, the trails we had and would be cycling on were at one time trails that Solomon would run his dogs down. When I asked him how many KMs of trails he might one day be able to groom (he’d love to one day host an Iditarod Trail Invitational qualifying fat bike race), he closed his eyes for a few moments, carefully determining his answer. When he opened them, he calmly answered, “I figure about 450 miles.” Wow, I thought.
Renée, a land-based educator, splits her time between education-focused work in Saskatoon and the lodge, the place that has been her home for nearly 40 years. She is an entrepreneur and a land-based educator and is passionate about the land as a teacher. She and Sol homeschooled their three children (including Michela) at the lodge and is currently researching the fire-burning practices of Indigenous people. Making everyone feel like a member of her family seemed to come naturally to Renée, even during tense games of cribbage!
Leo, Michela’s partner, brings about his own quiet creativity and steady hand to the weekend and the lodge. Prior to moving to Canada, he had been living in Norway to learn the art of log home construction. This expertise plays a big role in their lives as he compliments Sol’s log building skills (and at the time of this writing, is working on a large new log sauna!) and his past time as a BMX rider in France brings additional flair to everyone’s fat biking experience.
I understand that spending so much time talking about our hosts might sound unusual for a piece written about a bike weekend, but to not include so much about these great people would ignore a critical part of what was so remarkable about our two days and two nights there.
Sitting in the kitchen around a dining table with wild tea in hand, listening to stories of life and the land and living here; the slow shift that takes place before you suddenly realize that everyone they meet becomes family and land means so much more than we are accustomed to understanding. It is something that must be seen, heard, tasted and breathed, nothing written here will do it justice.
The Trails and the Hooved Man
And oh, the riding? The riding was perfection.
The highlight of the weekend was the Escape the Hooved Man night race—a 32-kilometre solo ride through immaculate trails under a canopy of stars. Before we began, Michela shared the legend of the Hooved Man, adding an important layer of Indigenous history and culture to the experience.
Starting at one-minute intervals, each rider entered the darkness alone. The trail was perfectly groomed, its angled edges providing just the right guidance and flow. For some, the race was an all-out push; for others, it was a multi-hour meditative journey, just them, the bike, and the land. The solitude of the ride was profound, compounded by the fact that we didn’t have any sense of where we truly were—trusting that the winding trail would, eventually, lead us back to the warmth of the cabins.
The next day, we retraced the trail—in reverse—in daylight. Under a brilliant bluebird sky, the landscape revealed its full beauty, and the experience was no less magical. Later, we joined in a spirited relay race filled with laughter, camaraderie, and plenty of good-natured competition.
With the exception of a few steep sections, the trail is relatively flat but it takes you through natural environments most haven’t witnessed this closely. Carefully groomed trails meander through tall marsh reed grass standing taller than I’d ever seen it before. The trail runs down frozen rivers and streams and crosses them frequently. Many of the forest sections have a beautiful flow that urged us forward, faster and faster, back and forth, side to side through the towering aspen.
The Saskatchewan River delta played an indelible role in the riding too. The canvas it provided was nothing short of spectacular—vast, wide open spaces, endless frozen waterways, quiet whispering forests, and the knowing that the wildlife who make this space their home may be around any corner.
Calling the trail experience here a fat biking nirvana would not be out of place. For those with an adventurous heart who love winter riding, this deserves a place on your bucket list.
It is a place I cannot wait to ride again.
More Than Just a Ride
Every ride was punctuated by moments that made the weekend unforgettable: hearty meals, stories around the table, and the quiet warmth of shared experiences. Solomon’s tales of the land, Renée’s hospitality and Michela’s immersive event created a sense of belonging that is hard to put into words. By the end, it was clear this family doesn’t just host visitors at a lodge—they welcome new friends into their lives.
Escape the Hooved Man provided us with not only an incredible cycling adventure, but the opportunity to recreate with the land through an Indigenous lens was truly profound. Understanding the interconnected nature between humans and the natural spaces around us helps one slow down, more fully take it all in, and better appreciate the experience of the land.
We came for the trails but left with so much more. The land, the stories, the connections—they’re gifts that linger long after leaving Big Eddy Lodge.
After spending 2 days, 2 nights and many meals together, not to mention riding over 100 kms on bikes, it was hard to leave. But we were truly leaving with so much.
Special thanks should also be extended to Calvin, Hobbes and Susie for making us all feel so loved. These three canines who also call Big Eddy Lodge home are the sweetest bunch of dogs. They even accompanied us the entire 14k distance back to our vehicles when the adventure came to a close…even if they maybe weren’t supposed to!
If you ever have the chance to experience Escape the Hooved Man and the incredible humans that have created the experience, take it. The nine-hour drive from Winnipeg was worth every moment of travel, and I can promise it will be for you too—no matter where you are coming from.
For details on attending a group road trip to Escape the Hooved Man in 2026, please see here.
🏞️ — Dave Ternier
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