
YOUR GUIDES TO THE
Bella Coola Backcountry
DISCOVER


JOSEPH BATTENSBY
- N U T W I N A L U S -


For 37 years I have had the privilege to call this beautiful place my home. I was born and raised in the Bella Coola Valley, am a member of the Nuxalk Nation, and have been exploring the coastal rainforest since I was a little boy. Naturally, growing up in a place like this I developed a passion for the outdoors and spent most of my life romping around in what people are referring to as the backcountry but to me it feels more like my backyard. As the years have gone by, access to some of Bella Coola’s most spectacular views have been degrading and becoming harder and harder to get to. Coming from a contracting background our family-owned and operated company was primarily a logging company, owning tugboats and working on the water sorting logs and loading barges. Along with logging, we did many other contracts with the Ministry of Forest, BC Parks, and the Central Coast Regional District, all mostly based around their Rec sites and trails. Over the years I have been involved with the building of some picnic tables, outhouses, footbridges, and signs that you see out there today along with trail building and maintenance. With the ups and downs of the logging industry, we wanted to do something more sustainable and in alignment with keeping this beautiful place as it is. In spring 2019 we sold our logging equipment and made the transition to the tourism industry with the idea that we can get people out to these must-see places with ease, using a UTV built to handle whatever these roads become in the future. Many people show up unequipped to venture out into the rugged terrain and are nervous about venturing out into the wild by themselves. We aim to provide an experience that you can enjoy and explore the Bella Coola Valley with comfort and ease, let us worry about the logistics so you can just experience what this place has to offer.

EZRA MECHAM
- S I N U K L H M -

Yaw smatmc, my name is Sinuklhm or Ezra Mecham. I am a proud Nuxalkmc born and raised in Bella Coola, Nuxalk Territory. I have spent the 26 years of my life living and growing in this community where I work as a Nuxalk Forester, and on the land where I fish, forage and hunt as Nuxalkmc. I am a small-town guy through and through, raised on a farm gardening and milking cows, to running around the rez as a teenager fishing in the creeks and now as an adult, working for my nation and community both professionally and voluntarily. I have a strong sense of community that has led me into being a volunteer director for several nonprofit NGO’s that develop recreation and economic opportunities in our community. My passion for much of this comes from my experience in the forest industry, where for 10 yrs I have worked alongside many great professionals and community members, and from them I have learned how to give back to the community, how to support local events and provide our services to the community to make it a better place. While I love this work, I have worked in forestry since I was 16 years old. I’ve been a Forester, a Logger, a Wildfire Fighter, a Tree Planter, a supervisor, a Manager and many other jobs; this diversity has kept me interested and constantly learning new things about my work, but it’s also given me the confidence to try new things. In 10 years of my life, I have learned so much about the territory, Nuxalk culture, harvesting techniques, our forests, our ecosystems, and the history of the land and people, and sharing that history and knowledge appeals to me in a way that forestry no longer does. I hope to be able to share these things with you and that you can learn about the Nuxalk People, the history of our community and the land while you enjoy the natural beauty of our home.


" What a fantastic adventure! Even better than we expected!
Exhilarating ride with a super professional and friendly guide. Would absolutely love to come back and do it all again."
CHRISTINE // LANGLEY, BC