Klinaklini Outfitters
John Erickson operates a wilderness camp on the banks of the Klinaklini River, the longest wilderness river system in southern British Columbia. Flowing 200 kilometres from the dry West Chilcotin plateau to the rainforest of Knight Inlet, the river runs through a wildlife rich, extremely mountainous, untouched valley. It is a varied, unique and isolated eco-system. Within a short distance lie many of the habitats of British Columbia; valley bottom to alpine meadow, dry interior to rain forest.
It is a wilderness area that is full of wildlife. “Every major large animal lives in the valley,” he says. “For the ungulate and large predator populations to be sustainable a diverse ecosystem must be maintained.”
“We’re keenly aware of how fragile the ecosystem is,” Erickson, the owner of Klinaklini Guide Services, continues. “You can’t put a road in the middle of wilderness and think everything is going to stay the same. Large tracts of unbroken and diverse wilderness are a necessity to maintain total ecosystems.” So far the area is untouched; to reach base camp requires a half hour floatplane ride and then a 45-minute powerboat drive.
Klinaklini Outfitters is both a wilderness tourism and guide outfitting operation, and it is not for the faint of heart. The rugged country means clients have to be fit, and bears are everywhere. Erickson likes it that way – it’s true wilderness, he says. He is working behind the scenes to make sure it stays that way. “We’re very aware of the necessity to maintain habitat, particularly one which provides undisturbed calving areas and continuous access routes to the sub-alpine meadows and willows,” he says. “It’s our policy to support all efforts of conservation and protection and to harvest big game only within long term sustainable limits.” Anglers are encouraged to catch and release, especially the sensitive bull trout.
So far, resource companies have overlooked the valley because of its inaccessibility and remoteness. But Erickson keeps his ear to the ground and does small things around camp. Power at the tent lodge is solar with a gas generator back up, and Erickson is planning to install small hydropower this summer. He uses four stroke engines on his boats, and the motors are more efficient and pollute less. He also encourages his guests to leave no trace of their daily recreation activities.
“It’s an incredible wilderness,” Erickson says, and as long as he’s involved in the Klinaklini, he will fight to keep it that way.
Website: www.klinaklini.com
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