The Skookum Project

Delivery Coordinates: 52°50′02.5″N 126°57′24.8″W

Mission: Better Fuels for Everyone

Photos: Jeremy Koreski / Justin Bailie / Copi Vojta

Words: Jason Rolfe / Rob Elam

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Propel’s West Coast roots run deep. Our mission to provide better fuels for everyone wasn’t concocted by a marketing firm in the big city--it was dreamed up and defined around rainy campfires after days spent fishing the remote steelhead rivers of the Pacific Coast. Propel’s commitment to our mission is driven by a sense of adventure, community, stewardship and quality of life: Traditional West Coast values.

Kimsquit Bay Lodge is a remote, off-the-grid fishing and eco-tourism destination located in coastal British Columbia, Canada. Jeff and Kathryn Hickman—owners of KBL and long-time friends of Propel—needed to solve the logistical challenge of delivering Diesel HPR to the lodge in order to further their goal of converting their operation to cleaner energy. Propel’s supply and logistics team embraced the opportunity to demonstrate Propel’s expertise in solving multi-model, low-carbon logistics; in the process, they connected a land and water-based supply chain to successfully deliver Diesel HPR to one of the most remote locations renewable fuels have been utilized to date.

ABOVE / Skookum Project short film in collaboration with Kimsquit Bay Lodge and Fly Fish Journal

“Clean fuel seemed impossible in such a remote location.”

Jeff Hickman, Owner Kimsquit Bay Lodge

Jeff, Kathryn and their team have been converting the lodge from fossil-fueled power to cleaner, better energy that aligns with their values and the values of their guests. It’s a comprehensive effort that touches on all aspects of lodge life.

High efficiency solar; improved water and septic systems; smaller, high MPG diesel ATV vehicles; and new high-efficiency diesel generators: these are just a few pieces of the renewable fuels puzzle.

ABOVE Welcome to Kimsquit Bay Lodge on the Dean River in coastal B.C. Canada

ABOVE Jeff, Kathryn and Oly Dean Hickman aboard the MV Sitka, North River SeaHawk 2700, in the Dean Channel

ABOVE Those who know, know: The world’s strongest steelhead live here.

ABOVE The prize: A wild Dean River steelhead

ABOVE Oly Dean and his mom Kathryn catch a ride to meet the arriving float plane

ABOVE Lodgistics (Lodge + logistics): Jeff works on the Diesel HPR filling station at the lodge

ABOVE Flying into KBL via the Inside Passage.

ABOVE Filling up at KBL: Capt. Terry reloads the Cessna Caravan 675

With access to the lodge limited to sea and air, it seemed impossible to find clean, low-carbon renewable diesel fuel to power the ATVs and generators in such a remote location.

Nonetheless, the Hickmans persevered, and with the assistance of Propel’s supply and logistics team their progress toward a zero fossil fuels future is going strong.

We call it the Skookum Project.

ABOVE Kimsquit Bay is located at the head of the Dean Channel, a long fjord on the central coast of B.C. Canada

ABOVE The last mile: Propel’s DieselHPR barge delivery approaching the KBL site. Efficient, multimodal logistics planning made it all possible.

ABOVE KBL utilizes Polaris diesel ATVs for lodge transport. Powered by Propel Diesel HPR = Skookum!

ABOVE Jeff filling a Polaris Ranger diesel ATV used for transport around the Dean River wilderness

LEFT: The old RIGHT: The new

ABOVE A KBL ATV doing ATV things

ABOVE Transloading people and gear from ATV to boat

ABOVE Jeff in the fuel shed

LEFT Off the grid fuel transport RIGHT HPR badged ATV

ABOVE A remote location accessed via floatplane to awaiting jet sled river transport

ABOVE The Dean River is for wild steelhead lovers only

ABOVE Propel Skookum PNW swag pack

“Propel and KBL are Skookum. Powerful. Natural. Strong. Steeped in West Coast values.”

Rob Elam, Propel CEO

Propel and Kimsquit Bay Lodge hold a number of values in common: a strong sense of place and quality of life, and an appreciation of hard work—of not taking the easy way out. Chinook Jargon was the traditional trade language of the Pacific Northwest, spoken from Alaska to California by native peoples, early settlers, traders and sailors. In Chinook Jargon, Propel and KBL are Skookum. Powerful. Natural. Strong: Steeped in West Coast values, history and traditions.

ABOVE Releasing a wild Dean River fish in the green room: Ultimate steelhead conditions.

ABOVE A steelhead fly box. Bright day bright fly, dark day dark fly. Just make sure you have good steelhead juju.

ABOVE A Steelhead angler walking between fishing runs, pondering his life decisions.

ABOVE A steelhead angler swings his fly through Pappy’s Playground run on the lower Dean River.

ABOVE  In. The. Net.

ABOVE Steelhead release

ABOVE Fishing rods set up for the day.

ABOVE Emerald shades of “steelhead green”

ABOVE The lower Dean River

ABOVE Launching into exploratory water, KBL style

Follow along as we share Skookum-powered stories and adventures from Kimsquit Bay Lodge and the Dean River, powered by Propel Fuels Diesel HPR.