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In the Kootenay Rockies, Take in a Head Banger Tour – minus the Heavy Metal

Think a memorable head banging experience automatically equals relentless baselines and squealing guitars?  Perhaps it’s time to change your perspective and head to the Kootenay Rockies.  Here, amid rugged mountainous terrain, bighorn sheep are boss.  And come late fall, they take to a less conventional stage during one of their most, um, active times of the year.  In November, the area’s Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep gather in the upper Windermere Valley for their annual rut – a mesmerizing and somewhat jarring experience also referred to as head banging.  With rams (males) and ewe (females) separated for much of the year, dominant males will duke it out, battering their magnificent coiled horns.  All to impress the ladies.  This rarely-viewed and remarkably thunderous occurrence determines their status amongst the herd, and ultimately pairs them with their future mate.  If this sounds like a wilderness outing worthy of an audience, then join the pack with a journey to the Village of Radium Hot Springs, bordering Kootenay National Park, for the fourth annual Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep Educational Tour.  Set to scale the heights November 1-2, and November 8-9, these outings, led by naturalists, will prove an up-close-and-personal opportunity to learn the history, habits, and future of the bighorn. With some 160 Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep calling this region of the East Kootenays home, you’ll take in a world of bighorns in their natural habitat.  Transportation, guides and ample opportunities for photos are offered; plenty of stories to tell your friends are guaranteed.  www.radiumhotsprings.com