Environmental Ethics
We refuse to compromise the place that we care for while sharing it with the people we care for. We want you to enjoy the wilderness of Wells Gray Park. We also want to avoid the impact that increased use has the potential to cause.
The huts that make your stay more comfortable also make it more environmentally sound by enabling us to control the use in a sustainable manner. The huts have a very small footprint, less than 1,000 square feet, and are in very unobtrusive locations. Standing on the ground in front of the huts, you would see a landscape absolutely unchanged from what it was a millennium ago. There is only one small trail, there are no fire pits, no latrine holes, no trees are cut, nothing removed or changed, no signs, and no generators or noise.
Water Management
We have chosen not to put running water into our cabins. Alpine environments are notoriously dry, and we did not feel the water use that would result from installing running water in the cabin was justified. Your drinking water is carried from springs in buckets. The bulk of your wash water comes from rain barrels. Did you know that one hour of rain can easily fill a 40-gallon rain barrel? This is sufficient for the 20–30 gallons per day that we use for all washing purposes.
Your grey water is filtered and sent into a gravel drop system. There is no evidence of the discharge or its effects around the cabin.
Your guide will tell you when it is appropriate to swim in some of the less sensitive water sources. You will be asked to use your bandana and water bottles to clean off any bug repellent before jumping in for a refreshing dip!
Waste Management
Very little waste will be generated on your trip with Wells Gray Adventures. Any food waste (you will be amazed at where the leftovers end up and how good they taste!) is compostable, and we put it into the compostable toilet unit.
The cans and bottles are washed and separated. We generate one cubic meter of recyclables per year, which is taken out and recycled.
Our paper waste is burned. This adds to our carbon footprint but produces fewer emissions than driving a vehicle to the trailhead to remove the paper waste would.
Energy Management
When you choose to join a trip with Wells Gray Adventures, there are many ways in which your carbon footprint is reduced. All of our trips are self-propelled. You will hike or paddle to get to your destinations.
We only use solar-generated electricity. In the huts, all the lights and the emergency equipment run off solar panels. There will be no generators on a trip with Wells Gray Adventures.
The huts require very little fuel to keep everything warm and cozy. With 10-inch Styrofoam ceilings and floors and 8-inch walls all we need to keep warm in the summer is the fuel used to cook our meal.
In the winter, our propane saunas are much more efficient than any wood-fired sauna and just as hot. You can ski out from all three huts and it is easy to snowcat and ski into Trophy Chalet. All of this dramatically reduces your carbon footprint.
Increasing Our Knowledge
The best way to save our environment is to keep learning about it.
Our non-motorized adventures, either hiking, canoeing, or skiing, are led by well-trained guides whose job it is to help you understand the park and ensure that its ecological integrity remains intact.
Our company is famous for naturalist trips. When you join us for a trip, we will assume that you want to learn more about the environment you are in. We want you to leave with a much better understanding and appreciation of the park after a trip with our company.
The Bottom Line
Wells Gray Adventures’ first priority is the integrity of the land base in which we are privileged to operate. In the interest of stewardship, Wells Gray Adventures asks their clients to sacrifice a level of their personal convenience and luxury to ensure that we can continue to offer an adventure that is completely sustainable. Our company believes that a true wilderness experience requires as much simplicity and as little impact as possible, and this is what we offer. During your trip with us, you will thrive while using only a tiny fraction of the resources that we all normally consume in our everyday lives, yet we guarantee that you will feel well looked after and comfortable .
We have been operating in Wells Gray Park for 39 years – but because of our stewardship, you will be experiencing the park the same way it was a millennium ago. We promise that you will never be able to tell that we have already shared this inspiring place with thousands of people.
We would be privileged and honoured to share it with you!!
Best regards,
Tay Briggs
Ian Eakins