Wild Times In Harrison Hot Springs
It’s Friday and we all need a bit of a lighter look at the world around us. Too much COVID-19 all the time.
So, a tip of the hat to True Key Hotels & Resorts who brings a touch of humour to us today.
The BC hospitality company reports that with COVID-19 keeping everyone close to home, the world is seeing the rewilding of animals in cities and towns. It points to stories of dolphins returning to Venetian canals; wild boars wandering the streets of towns in Italy and … yes, believe it or not … the return of the legendary Sasquatch to its natural habitat of the village of Harrison Hot Springs in British Columbia.
Smile, if you wish, but there are pictures … and videos … documenting Sasquatch’s return.
For those of you who aren’t up on your Sasquatch lore, well, he (or perhaps, she) is described as “a bi-pedal mammal of exceptional size — sometimes reaching 14 feet tall — with great strength and reddish hair covering its entire body, the Sasquatch is legendary in Harrison Hot Springs with many regional sightings.”
Harrison Hot Springs is located 90 minutes east of Vancouver, and the eco-tourism destination draws visitors from around the world in search of this elusive and legendary mammal.
So, What’s The Story, Really
Alright, so maybe somebody is pulling your leg here.
Well, True Key Hotels & Resorts explains that it decided to take a light, humourous approach because right now, it’s Harrison Beach Hotel is closed to all non-essential travel, however it is accommodating essential workers.
Jenn Buerge, general manager of the property, explained: “With Harrison Beach Hotel closed for all non-essential travel, we wanted to bring joy and a little bit of humour to keep our past and future guests engaged while they are unable to visit us in person.”
And it has work as the simple idea to dress up in the Sasquatch suit and create content to share on social media has drawn strong engagement among the hotel’s followers.
The hotel team has captured photo and video content — sharing it across Instagram and Facebook — of the Sasquatch enjoying the luxuries of the property, wandering the empty streets of Harrison and generally making himself at home touring the lakeside community well-known as a haven for the celebrated creature. Oh, and you can also see the Sasquatch dancing solo in the village square, showering in a steamy hotel shower, demonstrating proper social distancing and soaking in the lake vistas.
A Little More Sasquatch Lore
The word Sasquatch is thought to be a mispronunciation of the local Sts’ailes First Nations word ‘Sasq’ets’, meaning ‘hairy man.’ The Sts’ailes believe the Sasquatch is a spiritual being that can vanish into the spirit realm at will, which may explain why the elusive being is so difficult to track down. For centuries, the Sasquatch has occupied a unique niche in the oral traditions of the First Nations communities of Harrison Lake and Harrison River.
Harrison Hot Springs is not only home to the Sasquatch but also to Sasquatch Days, a great weekend celebration, held annually since 1938.
This event brings the local Sts’ailes First Nations bands to Harrison for a weekend of Canoe races, salmon barbeque and Sasquatch storytelling and the community is looking forward to hosting the event again in 2021.
Follow Sasquatch
To follow along on the Sasquatch’s escapades at Harrison Beach Hotel, follow along via social via https://www.instagram.com/harrisonbeachhotel/ and https://www.facebook.com/harrisonbeachhotel.
For more on the Harrison Beach Hotel go to www.HarrisonBeachHotel.com ; for more on True Key Hotels, check out www.truekey.ca .
