'This is freedom': Sask. mother embraces nature in and outside of business life

Starting a business at nine months pregnant isn't easy, but for one Saskatchewan entrepreneur it has been a labour of love.

Katie Ecklund has always loved the outdoors. Growing up, she spent time snowboard racing near Meadow Lake and later coached the sport for 10 years.

Now, the mother of Ainsley, 12, Gunner, 3, and newborn Brooklyn is harnessing her passion for the outdoors to make a living.

Ecklund started an eco-tourism business called Prairie Rentals. It offers dogsled adventures in Duck Mountain Provincial Park on the Saskatchewan – Manitoba border.

"When you're having a great day with the dogs, and you're on the trail, and things are going great," Ecklund adds, "this is freedom."

The business also rents kicksleds and snowshoes, and offers outdoor camping workshops, ice mazes and wilderness tours.

Ecklund says these are great ways for people to have fun as they connect with nature.

Being immersed in nature has always been therapeutic for Ecklund. She says it helped her deal with her emotions after experiencing the trauma of losing her 13-year-old cousin to suicide when she was only 11.

"He was my best friend.… It turned my whole world upside down," Ecklund said. "I had major depression and I didn't even know it. I cried for years."

The depression started to lift when she got a job as a canoe guide in the remote Canadian wilderness.

She says she finally started to feel happiness again one morning as she sat by a waterfall, taking in the serenity of nature.

"That's a part of me that I can't lose, because that is what makes me happy," Ecklund said.

Living a simple lifestyle in a rural area has also helped the family bond.

Ecklund's partner Mitchell Wilson is an avid hunter and outdoorsman. Her kids are learning survival skills, such as lighting a fire and coping with the elements.

She says survival experiences can help you appreciate the comforts of home. 

"I might go out and get cold, but then we come in and be warm," Ecklund said. "Without going through hardship, how do you know what the good times are?"

Ecklund has a team of five dogs that pull kicksledders through the park trails.

She says harnessing is a great way to give some large energetic breeds exercise, and for owners to embrace winter in a new way. 

"Any dog can be a sled dog," Ecklund said. "It's just whether they're trained in the will to pull."

In addition to working outside, the family also lives a land-based traditional lifestyle, which includes making their own dog food from scratch using locally sourced oats and wild-caught meat.

Ecklund says she plans to tour the province this winter with newborn Brooklyn snuggled up in a wearable baby wrap.

She also wants to grow the business, and is grateful to be able to make a living doing what she loves along with her family, as they share their passion for the outdoors with others. 

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