Meager Creek Hot Springs September 2009

[Jamar_26]

I took a drive from Vancouver with the attempt to make it to Meager Hot Springs. All the signs on the way up showed it to be open. I made it all the way to the bridge that has the RV trailer for collecting your $5 fee at around 10:00 AM but the attendant said it was closed today (September 19, 2009) due to a wash out over night/early this morning. He said he was going down the road to put up the closed signs. I guess I will have to try and make again some other year. This weekend was the only chance that I had to go up there this year so maybe better luck next time.

[Bulldozer]

Wow thats a bummer, I'm a week and a half away from my next venture up that way. Hopefully they'll have something worked out by then. What do you say Mike? are they going to repair the road?

[trevor_n_jane]

Grrr, any update? Hoping to head there this weekend....

[Glenn]

It was another large debris flow at Capricorn Creek (these happen - it's a geologically unstable area). See http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/dsq/Engineerin ... mation.htm

I wouldn't be surprised if the road was closed for the season. I'll be up there in the next few days and will see what I can find out.

[MikeRysavy]

I just got this email tonight from Mike Sato:

"On Saturday morning (Sep. 19th) Capricorn Creek was washed out. Josh, the caretaker, filmed the washout as it was happening. I am attaching the video that he sent me of the washout.

I think the season for Meager is over because of the washout. This washout is a lot worse than the washout that occured at Meager Creek in 1998. It will probably cost a lot of money to replace the bridge and improve the roads again. So I am not sure if it will all be fixed by next spring."

I have the video, I can forward it to someone that has a way to host it and link it for viewing. Let me know... Hope this helps!

Mike Rysavy

[Bulldozer]

Here's a link MikeRysavy,

Josh Fairbrother's video of Capricorn Creek washout, Warning of strong language, if you don't like strong language mute your volume now. But I agree with Josh when he states, "Wholly F*#$ I'm Gettin Outta Here" Personally I turned the volume up to hear the roar of the washout coming down.

http://s238.photobucket.com/albums/ff317/Vancouverite1/Meager%20Creek%20Hotsprings/?action=view&current=P9190377Capricorn.flv
Gotta remember how to do it each time.

Govt. aerial picture of 1998 washout and this 2009 washout is said to be worse this time.
http://gsc.nrcan.gc.ca/landslides/photo_library_details_e.php?ID=10

This was the reason the campsites were moved back 8 klm from Meager hotsprings. Less chance of having someone in this or on the wrong side of this.

[trevor_n_jane]

I guess there was somebody stuck on the other side of this.

http://www.clubtread.com/sforum/topic.a ... hichpage=1

[Kim_S]

By the sound of that post, it looks like they had to abandon their car and hike out on foot around or over the slide!

[Mike_Sato]

Meager Creek Valley is one of the most geologically hazardous areas in Canada. Therefore, access is restricted after 8pm. The only exceptions are people who contact the caretaker/site manager ahead of time and let us know that there are going to Harrison Hat or Elaho Trail or doing other activities, such as mountain climbing. In particular, hikers that go to Harrison Hat almost always pay the hot spring use fee beforehand because they will use the hot spring on their way back. Therefore, hikers to Harrison Hat are almost always carrying a user permit that was issued by the caretaker/site manager. The permit system allows the caretaker/site manager to know who is inside the gates (number of people, name of driver and licence plate) at any given time. This way, in emergency situations, the Ministry of Forest, or RCMP or search and rescue can be called.

I went to Meager Creek on September 21st to check on the aftermath of the mudslide. Before going to Meager Creek, I had a meeting with the site manager, Josh and caretaker, John in Pemberton. Josh confirmed that according to our records, there was no one in the Meager Creek Valley after 8pm on Friday September 18th.

When I went to Meager Creek on September 21st around noon, I noticed that there was a car parked near the Lillooet River Bridge gate. After opening the gate and driving about 500m, I saw two people, a man, woman and dog. They were covered in mud past their knees. They said that they had gone to Capricorn Creek and had come back. The parked car before the Lillooet River Bridge gate belonged to them. After driving another 700m, it was impossible to drive further, because the FSR was covered in mud about 1 feet deep for 150m ahead. So I got off my car and walked 1.8 km to Capricorn Creek.

When I got to Capricorn Creek, there was mud everywhere. The Capricorn bridge had been washed away. Capricorn Creek itself has shifted 50m south of its previous location. I was very close to the Capricorn area during the mudslide of 1998, and was the first person to see the aftermath of the mudslide in 1998. However, this mudslide was worse than the Capricorn Creek mudslide of 1998. It is obvious that the season is now over for the Meager Creek Hot Springs. Meager Creek Hot Springs’ reopening will depend on the budget of the Ministry of Forest. The reconstruction will be costly as the bridge and 200m of new road will need to rebuilt. The reconstruction will likely not occur until the next fiscal year. So Meager Creek will be closed until at least next spring.

I had traveled to Meager Creek to do a Meager Creek FSR condition assessment. The Ministry of Forest engineers were doing an aerial assessment by helicopter on September 21st at the same time as me. The Ministry of Forest saw that there was one car stranded on the other side of Capricorn Creek. There was no hot spring use permit issued by the caretaker/site manager for that entire week for Harrison Hat. The caretaker/site manager did not hear from any visitors that they were going to Harrison Hat or mountain climbing. Therefore, it is likely that the car stranded on the other side of Capricorn Creek was trespassing as no one was supposed in Meager Creek Valley after 8pm on Friday September 18th.

A Pemberton towing company called me about towing that stranded car. With the bridge and road washed out, it would not be possible to drive there until a new bridge and road are built. I told the towing company that unless they are going to remove the car by helicopter like ICBC did in 1984, they will probably have to wait to until the roads and bridge are built.

Mike Sato

[Kim_S]

Mike, thanks for the detailed update on the situation with the mudslide. One of the posters at the clubtread.com forum posted in Trevor and Janes post below indicated that the stuck, abandoned vehicle was either a Nissan Pathfinder or Toyota Forerunner. He indicated he was going to contact the owner about the removal of the vehicle. Perhaps you had already had contact with the owner.

Anyway, the slide looked really bad in the short minute of video.....

[Jeff Allen]

Wow Tom, that video, short but I'd be getting the F- out of there too!!!

[Jamar_26]

Thanks every one for the great replies and all the updates. I hope that Meager will be able to reopen next year; I would like to check it out sometime. Keep the updates coming everyone, again thank you for all.

[Kim_S]

Article about the mudslide and eventual reopening:

http://www.whistlerquestion.com/article ... osed-again