When the landslide blocking the Chilcotin River west of Williams Lake was finally overtopped on Aug. 5, all eyes turned to the flow of debris pouring into the Fraser River and making its way downstream.
One person keeping a keen eye on the Fraser was Andrew Fandrich, general manager of Lytton-based Kumsheen Raft Adventures. While Kumsheen is able to start raft trips on the Thompson River in April, they don’t generally start trips down the Fraser until Aug. 1, when the water level is low enough after the spring freshet.
“We thought we might have to postpone our trips because of the slide conditions, but we did a test run through Hell’s Gate on Aug. 8,” says Fandrich. The first regular trip of the season down the Fraser took place on Aug. 11, and while the river has returned to normal levels for this time of year, what’s not normal are the massive piles of debris now piled safely above the river.
“There’s lots of debris on the banks,” says Fandrich. “When the water came out of the Chilcotin it came up about six feet here, and all the trees that were coming down got stuck on shore. The water dropped back down to normal within 24 hours, and the debris got stuck above the high water mark. There are whole trees on the banks.”
Hell’s Gate is the narrowest part of the Fraser Canyon stretch of the river, and Kumsheen Rafting — which has taken more than 300,000 people on raft adventures since it was founded in 1973 — runs trips through it from early August to mid-September.
“We knew the Fraser from Lillooet to Vancouver would absorb the waters from the slide, but we definitely were concerned for the people of the Tsilhqot’in Nation, and those living along the Chilcotin River,” says Fandrich. “Now we’re concerned for the salmon runs, the First Nations, and the guides and outfitters who depend on these rivers.”
Fandrich says that while there hasn’t been a lot of change on the river in the 50 years that Kumsheen has been in operation, the atmospheric river in the Southern Interior in 2021 provided some new rapids.
“There’s one just upstream of Alexandra Bridge. That area got a lot of rain, and a few creeks flooded and pushed a lot of rocks and boulders into the Fraser. That’s what creates rapids. There’s a nice big back eddy on shore behind where all the debris came down, so we can get the boats in there, motor upstream, and come down again.”
River-rafters don’t just get a different perspective on the debris that came down after the Chilcotin landslide; they also get a totally different sense of the sheer size of the canyon along either river, one that’s completely different to what people see from Highway 1, notes Fandrich.
“When you’re at the bottom looking up, it looks much more grand than when you’re on the highway looking across. What strikes everyone is how big it is. And you can see lots of cool historical pieces, like railway bridges on the Thompson and Fraser, and glimpses of the old Cariboo Waggon Road. There’s a place just downstream of China Bar tunnel where you can see the old road hanging off the cliff. And you see all sorts of wildlife, like eagles, osprey, bears, and bighorn sheep.
“We love sharing this amazing river with our guests, to notice their perspective change from the beginning of the trip to the end. We feel satisfied when they leave with a much deeper sense of appreciation for the Fraser.”
