Merritt-based naturalist and avid hiker Frank Ritcey poses for a photograph.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED/Frank Ritcey

BC naturalist and wildlife photographer Frank Ritcey has spent a lifetime exploring the wilderness and taking others with him on the trails to share is vast knowledge of the natural world.

Ritcey, who lives in Merritt, was diagnosed with aggressive metastatic prostate cancer just under a year ago and has been battling devastating mental and physical challenges caused by the disease and the treatments for it.

“You’re not only told your chances of survival are really slim, at the same time the treatments take away all your testosterone,” he said. “You’re going into a fight without that fighting spirit testosterone gives you. It’s a very tough thing for men to go through.”

Despite his daily challenges and uncertain future, Ritcey is continuing his legacy of pulling people together and sharing his passion for the wilderness, this time to support cancer research, reduce the stigma around prostate cancer, and bring more awareness to the healing powers of nature with his recently launched Hike for the Cure campaign.

“Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men and unfortunately a lot of people have the mistaken idea it’s benign, and most of the time it is, but the problem is when it metastasizes, it moves out of the prostate itself and becomes incurable,” he said. “That’s a really tough prognosis to have, there has got to be a cure for it.”

The campaign was launched in association with the Canadian Cancer Society and has raised more than $11,000 to date, with funds going directly to the society for prostate cancer research. It is also about raising awareness of the disease and reducing stigma around it to encourage more men to get themselves checked for it regularly, and reach for professional help after a diagnosis.

Early testing requires a blood test and while Ritcey has been getting checked regularly for 15 years, the timing of his test and aggressive nature of his cancer meant it wasn’t caught before it spread.

READ MORE: West Kelowna resident demands financial review of controversial water treatment plant

The primary treatment for prostate cancer is to shut down the body’s ability to produce testosterone because it fuels the growth of the cancer.

Ritcey is candid about having testosterone taken away and the devastating physical and mental impacts it has, which can be difficult for men to talk about.

“Much of our identity as a male is tied up in that testosterone, it’s extremely difficult,” he said. “Physical and emotional changes happen... after they give you the first shot, I felt I’d lost my identity.”

Ritcey has a professional counsellor and psychiatrist working with him and wants to remove any stigma around seeking professional help for mental health.

“The professionals know the right things to ask, the right things to say,” he said. “Professional help allows you to get grounded and hold yourself back from breaking from despair. It got me through a very hard bout of depression.” 

READ MORE: Without explanation province wipes CN Rail's $2.7M fine for starting BC wildfire

The naturalist grew up in Wells Gray Park immersed in nature. His dad was a wildlife biologist and his mom took him foraging for edible plants. During his battle with cancer, he is bringing more understanding of how healing nature can be.

“When I was first diagnosed it was a great shock, I was fighting with a lot of emotions,” he said. “My testosterone was stripped away and I didn’t know how to handle it.

“I told myself there wasn’t any good in crying myself to sleep and being emotionally unstable, and I decided to go out on a mountain.”

Ritcey said he got to a mountain and parked, then followed some elk tracks and spent the day hiking, taking pictures and looking at places moose had been feeding.

“By the time I got back to my truck I realized I spent the whole day without sorrow or dread,” he said. “I was thinking, this works for me and I can show other people.

“When you get to your hiking site, if you stop and make an offering to nature and start that conversation, you are cognizant of it surrounding you and you being a part of it. It gives you a whole different perspective when you’re going through horrible things.”

READ MORE: South Okanagan foresters, First Nation seek more sustainable silviculture practises

Ritcey doesn’t have the energy to hike the distances he used to but that doesn’t mean he is giving up.

He is lifting weights and running on a treadmill to keep his strength up. He heads into the hills as often as he can where he sits under giant trees to get a sense of calm and immerse his senses in the natural world. It recharges his batteries to continue his fight.

Part of the Hike for the Cure is a Facebook page where people are sharing photographs of their favourite hikes to promote the healing power of nature and encourage others to get out to enjoy it.

Ritcey will be posting about the informative nature hikes he will be leading in Wells Gray Park and Kamloops area where those who want to join can sign up.

“There are a lot more trails for me to hike and a lot more people to meet and take out hiking with me, the goal is to keep doing this as long as I can, and hopefully by then a smart young doctor has come up with a cure for the disease,” he said. “I’ve got great confidence in myself, there is hope.”

READ MORE: Kamloops elder, leader devotes life to reclaiming traditional knowledge

The Canadian Cancer Society is a nationwide organization raising funds for cancer research and support people going through treatments. Donations made to Hike for the Cure will be handled by the society and donators will receive an automatic tax-deductible receipt.

“Every contribution helps, I’d be thrilled if people made a five-dollar donation, if we all pitch in we can make this happen and help find a cure for this horrible disease,” he said

Ritcey shares incredible wildlife videos with footage collected from his network of trail cameras set up in the BC Interior. For many years, he was a regular guest on CBC radio where he did segments about the outdoors. He worked as a coordinator for WildSafeBC from 2011 to 2018 working to minimize human impacts on wildlife.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Shannon Ainslie or call 250-819-6089 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. SUBSCRIBE to our awesome newsletter here.

News from © iNFOnews, 2025