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Harrison Hut Workhike · Fri. Oct. 22nd, 2021 - Sun. Oct. 24th, 2021
Warning: This is an old trip - it already happened
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Start: Friday, Oct. 22nd
End: Sunday, Oct. 24th
Pre-trip meeting: Wednesday, Oct. 20th, 6:30 pm
Pre-trip meeting location: zoom
Description:
It’s time to pay a visit to Harrison Hut! Of all of our four beloved huts, Harrison may be the most complicated to access. Logging, a landslide, and an abundance of grizzly bears have resulted in the closure of the access road to cars and recreational activity. However, we have a permit to unlock the gates and visit our hut twice a year for maintenance, and that’s what we plan to do this weekend.
Building Harrison in 1983!
Harrison Hut is located at the northernmost part of the Pemberton Icefield, and is accessed by a 6 hour drive (including 1.5 hours on the forest service road) followed by a 6 km hike. We will leave Vancouver on Friday afternoon and camp along the FSR that night, before heading to the hut Saturday morning. We’ll do some work on the trail and hut, stay the night, and then head out on Sunday (getting back to Vancouver very late Sunday night). The permit allows for 4 cars only, and the group size is currently limited to 12 people. It is logistically challenging to get permits and keys to the gate, so it’s important that anyone signed up as committed is actually very committed.
There is a risk of landslides along the road that increases after high heat or heavy rain. We’ll keep an eye on the forecast and cancel the trip if need be. There is also a significant population of grizzlies living in the area, so we’ll practice bear awareness and safety. Finally, the conditions of our permit are very strict, so the group will have to be on top of it when it comes to following these conditions.
The Work:
-Digging a new outhouse pit (maybe). The current state of the outhouse is not totally clear, but we’ll come prepared and play it by ear
-Clearing the trail of downed trees, large rocks and other obstacles
-Chopping and hauling wood to restock the stove
-General miscellaneous hut work and any other surprise tasks that might arise
The Hike:
-The hike is not particularly long (6 km), but there are some steep sections. If we can’t make it all the way to the trailhead due to issues with the road, the hike could be extended.
-Downed trees on the trail are expected
-Some combo of rain, snow, mud, cold etc. will probably happen because this trip is in October
-Experience is not required--if you have a good attitude, baseline fitness and want to try hard this could be suitable as a first overnight trip
More info about Harrison is available on our huts website https://huts.ubc-voc.com/Harrison/ and the Wiki https://www.ubc-voc.com/wiki/Harrison_Hut
This trip is a little more complicated than some other weekend backpacks on the agenda due to the permit situation, so people in this group should be committed to going and getting it done! That being said, this is an awesome opportunity to learn more about the VOC huts and all of the work we do to maintain access to them. If you’re looking to get more involved in the club, you’re curious about some of our club’s hut culture and history, and you want to help keep access to Harrison possible for years to come, then this is the trip for you :)
Feel free email me if you have questions!
Posted: 2021-09-29 16:47:54
Last modified: 2021-10-18 17:43:54