‘Pretty stressful’: Ambitious couple wrap up first year owning remote camp near West Kelowna

David and Genevieve Atchison took a leap of faith last year when they sold everything they owned in Alberta to purchase an off-grid wilderness resort, sight unseen, in West Kelowna.

The couple moved into their renovated fifth wheel RV at Jackpine Lake Wilderness Resort this past spring to take on their first year of ownership of the remote fishing camp.

It was a long-dreamed of opportunity to escape the rat race and provide a place for their kids and grandkids to enjoy.

“You only live once and we want to show our kids you don’t always have to stay doing the same things society tells you to,” said Genevieve in a previous article with iNFOnews.ca.

The middle of October marks the end of the first year of business for the couple, after a summer that brought both costly and unforeseen challenges, and rewarding achievements.

“We knew there were going to be headaches, we just didn’t know what they’d be,” Genevieve said. “I think we have a good system in place now.”

The wilderness resort is an off-grid campground on the north shore of Jackpine Lake, a 42.5-hectare trout fishing lake roughly 30 kilometres northwest of West Kelowna. It has a cabin and a couple of RVs to rent, along with several first come, first serve tenting sites.

The rough access to the site isn’t accessible in the winter months. It was previously owned by a local family for more than three decades, who had set up a spring fed water system from a natural spring further up the mountain.

This season, the system failed.

“They had about two kilometres of line but it didn’t work properly so I spent countless hours trying to make it work,” David said. “One day the pipe broke and it drained the whole pond. I had to go buy a cistern and set it all up. Now I haul water from town.”

Genevieve said hauling water in is much easier and less time consuming.

Every Monday, David sucks out the sewers from all the RVs onsite and heads to town to top up on propane, gas and water.

“The water system was super stressful all summer,” she said. “In order for our rental cabin to have hot water it needs to have pressure and we weren’t getting that pressure.”

David said there were other unexpected costs that came up.

“There was a lot of vehicle maintenance stuff, all the vehicles we have are older and things were breaking down,” he said. “It was just a lot of costs we didn’t anticipate.”

When the couple first took ownership, they added two side-by-side RVs for people without trucks and campers to rent, with plans to set up more RVs, but they changed their minds.

“We didn’t realize the workload to suck up the sewers, fill them with water, and keep up with propane, batteries, repairs and storage,” David said. “We thought, ‘I bet we could do a really nice glamping set-up instead. Then roll up the tent and put it in storage in winter.'”

The glamping site is almost complete, with a cedar panelled shower and kitchen area. It’s located right on the lakefront.

“We slept in it last night, and you lay in bed and you’re looking at the lake, it’s a special experience,” Genevieve said. “We’re just staining the countertop where the table and kitchen stuff will be.”

The couple accomplished one of their biggest goals this year, having relatives to come stay for parts of the summer.

“They love it here,” David said. “It’s the perfect place to let the kids be kids. They can just play and they’re not on their tablets. They’re catching frogs and snakes and fishing, doing stuff outside like they should be.”

The couple also hosted their first fishing derby and enjoyed potluck suppers with seasonal campers, most of whom are returning next year.

They intend to build a sauna and shower area the campers can use and the general public can rent out for two-hour intervals while enjoying the lake views and a campfire.

With the seasonal closing date swiftly approaching, the couple are slowly putting furniture, vehicles and tools away, and preparing to winter in Mexico.

When asked if they fear vandalism while they’re gone, they said they will be storing the picnic tables so they don’t get dragged onto the frozen lake.

“We’ve got friends who go skidooing here to keep an eye on the place, as well as others who will rent out the cabin so they can hunt or icefish,” David said. “We’ve met a lot of great people here this year.”

The campsite reopens officially on May 15, but that depends on how much snow falls and when the road becomes accessible.

Go here for maps and directions to Jackpine Lake Wilderness Resort.