Meet The Team

The Wild Earth Family

Blue Netherclift – Founder

Blue is the owner and operator of Wild Earth Adventures with a passionate vision for the company. Originally from the UK, as a teenager he ventured into the wilderness of Algonquin Park in Eastern Canada, on his own, for two weeks in a canoe, with no idea what he was doing. It was his coming of age, his call to the wild and he never looked back.

Since graduating from London University’s Agricultural College in 1994 with a BSc in Land Use and Recreation, Blue has been travelling the world working in the adventure tourism industry, leading expeditions throughout Africa and South America. An avid skier and climber, the call of the wild continued to pull him back to Canada to explore the vast wilderness he now calls home. With a combination of a solid background in adventure tourism, an intimate knowledge of Canada and his network of contacts Blue has been able to design and sell unique adventures that share his passion for wild places.

Keri Rutherford – Guide

Enticed to Bella Coola by its wild beauty and endless backcountry potential, Keri’s easy going charm and infectious energy is sure to put a smile on your face. Originally from the farming country of Owen Sound in Ontario in Eastern Canada, Keri graduated from an outdoor recreation program which led to her long career in the outdoor industry.

A born guide, Keri feels most alive in the backcountry whether canoeing wild rivers, trekking along old trapper routes, dog sledding through snowy tundra or most recently learning the art of backcountry skiing. She hunts moose, rides horses, crochets hats and can even bake muffins on an open fire. With Keri’s outgoing personality and free spirit she’ll be sure to provide you with an entertaining and adventurous time.

Cecelia Mortenson – Rock and Alpine Guide

Cece is an internationally experienced guide who has 15 years mountain guiding experience extensively in the North Cascades, Alaska, Bolivia, Argentina, Chile, Mexico, and Antarctica and most recently in Canada where she is an ACMG assistant alpine guide and rock guide. While in Antarctica, Cecelia worked with leading glaciology, paleontology, biology and other science projects providing field mountaineering logistics and guiding support.

Chris Leonard – Guide

Chris grew up in Newfoundland on the rugged coast of eastern Canada. In 2001 he bought his passion for the outdoors to Western Canada and now lives  in Canmore, Alberta with the love of his life.  Chris first joined the Wild Earth team in Bella Coola in 2006  and loves coming back every year to explore more of this vast and untouched wilderness. After many years sea kayaking with clients around Vancouver Island, Chris now spends as much time as he can climbing and skiing in his local mountains. He also teaches Outdoor Leadership and trains guides in Advanced Wilderness First aid.   In his spare time he is a Primary Care Paramedic, and enjoys working on his tan lines. Clients will find Chris to be a very relaxed guide (see photo!) with a strong emphasis on safety and fun.

Phil Stone – Author, Photographer, Mountaineer

Author, photographer and mountaineer Phil Stone spent 15 years researching before publishing Island Alpine in 2003, the ultimate guidebook for hikers, climbers and skiers exploring Vancouver Island. During these research years Phil spent countless hours guiding and instructing in the mountain regions of Western Canada. During this time he was very active as a climber in his own right, establishing many new routes through Strathcona Park and Vancouver Island.

Phil enjoyed his first hiking experiences in Newfoundland on the wild eastern shores of Canada and in the English Lake District with his Father. Phil calls Quadra Island home, which  is one of the wilder Gulf Islands of British Columbia. After 20 years exploring and writting several books he continues to explore and adventure as owner and editor of the Discovery Islander and WildIsle publications.

Brooks Hogya – Paramedic, Instructor, Backpacking guide

Brooks is well known in Western Canada as the owner/operator of Slipstream Wilderness First Aid and we were happy that he has decided to come out of ‘retirement’ as a backcountry guide to lead our westcoast backpacking trips.

As a Wilderness First Aid Instructor since 1991, Brooks has taught hundreds of 5 and 10-day classes of Wilderness First Aid all over Western Canada to guides, outdoor adventurers, field scientists, park wardens, and the like. From 1986 to 2003, Brooks was a Backcountry Adventure Guide leading wilderness trips from 5 to 25 days in length in Western Canadian. Brooks and his lovely wife, Anne Marie, have 2 highly-energetic young sons, Austin and Oliver.

Maria Jorgenson – Camp Cook and Support Staff

Maria was born and raised in the wild frontier town of Anahim Lake on the Chilctoin Plateau near Bella Coola. An accomplished horse rider and avid traveller, she loves to entertain and is a fantastic cook. Maria worked for many years at the Dean River Lodge, one of the premier fishing lodges near Bella Coola. She is always looking for new challenges and in her spare time loves to travel.

Kinley Aitken – Food and Nutrition

Kinley has many talents and it’s hard to know where to start. As well as a keen yogi and nutritionist she is also a professional guide and chef. During the summer, Kinley organizes the food for Wild Earth trips in between her work as a rock guide in the Canadian rock climbing mecca of Squamish, near Vancouver. During the winter months she seeks steep and deep powder while working as the chef for Whitecap Alpine ski touring lodge.  Kinley also enjoys hanging from a rope while rigging in the arts and entertainment and industrial rope access industries. Her diverse background means that Kinley, as well as being a keen adventurer, really understands the needs of guests on a multi day trip and can organize a tasty menu that is both nutritional and delicious.

David and Joyce Dorsey – Horse Packers

The Dorsey family run the pack horses on Wild Earth’s flagship trip, the Wild West Mackenzie Trail, as well as other packhorse supported trekking holidays in Tweedsmuir Park and surrounding areas. David and Joyce are an integral part of the landscape having worked guiding guests on horseback for over 25 years.

David Dorsey’s connections with the country go way back with First Nations ancestry on his mothers side, a grandfather, Thomas Squinas, who lived hunting and trapping through the mountains all his life and his other grandfather, Lester Dorsey was one of the great pioneers of the area. Wild Earth work exclusively with the Dorsey’s  in offering trekking with pack horses in the spectacular wilderness area and are proud to call them friends.

Jared Hobbs MSc – Biologist and Photographer

A registered biologist Jared is the perfect person to lead our Photography and Wildlife Tours. Jared is based in Victoria, British CIn 2006 Jared was the recipient of the International Shikar-Safari Conservation Award for his dedication to the preservation of species and ecosystems. His passion for the environment is matched only by his love of photographing the natural world.olumbia and has worked throughout the province on many of British Columbia’s rarest species.

Jared has been studying and photographing endangered species since graduating from UBC in 1994. In 2007 he published an award winning book ‘Spotted Owls, Shadows in an Old-Growth Forest’ with Douglas and McIntyre. He continues to strive to increase his knowledge of North America’s flora and fauna, capturing unique images of wildlife in their natural habitats to increase public awareness.

His images are represented by All Canada Photos and Getty Images. Since 1994 Jared’s client base has grown steadily to include clients such as Canadian Geographic, Beautiful British Columbia Magazine, government agencies and environmental groups.

Chilko – The Dog

Chilko is a 3 year old chocolate labrador with a ton of energy and a heart of gold. You may meet Chilko on one of the horse trails with the pack train. She is a tough tomboy and incredibly strong, both on the trail and in the water hence the nickname Beastie. However she is incredibly gentle with kids and very protective with a ferocious bark, making a great bear dog. Her favourite thing to do is swim and by the end of the day she is found curled up snoring.

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