Hope Side Trips and Hell's Canyon
On our way to the Adams River, the group stopped in Hope, British Columbia for the night.
One of the interesting features in Hope was the Othello Tunnels which were part of the Kettle Railway system which
opened in 1916.
One of the interesting features in Hope was the Othello Tunnels which were part of the Kettle Railway system which
opened in 1916.
Even though we arrived at the tunnels at 3:00
p.m., it was dark in the canyons and even
darker in the tunnels. The two women in these
pictures are Jackie and Lynn Rogers.
Ironically, the four of us made it to the tunnels
a couple hours ahead of the rest of the group.
On the morning of our departure, we noted
the fog and so elected to take the
Kingston-Edmonds ferry rather than the Port
Townsend ferry. This was a good decision as
the rest of the group made the round trip from
Port Townsend to Whidbey only to have to
turn around and drive down to the Kingston
ferry because the fog did not permit landing at
Whidbey..
p.m., it was dark in the canyons and even
darker in the tunnels. The two women in these
pictures are Jackie and Lynn Rogers.
Ironically, the four of us made it to the tunnels
a couple hours ahead of the rest of the group.
On the morning of our departure, we noted
the fog and so elected to take the
Kingston-Edmonds ferry rather than the Port
Townsend ferry. This was a good decision as
the rest of the group made the round trip from
Port Townsend to Whidbey only to have to
turn around and drive down to the Kingston
ferry because the fog did not permit landing at
Whidbey..
Afer visiting the tunnels, we
went to the Hope slide, 18
kilometres east of Hope. This is
one of the largest slides in
Canadian history. The
southwestern slope of Johnson
Peak collapsed on January 9,
1965, spreading 47 million
cubic metres of debris, 85
metres thick, over a 3 kilometre
stretch of the Hope-Princeton
highway resulting in only four
deaths since this was a
relatively unpopulated area.
went to the Hope slide, 18
kilometres east of Hope. This is
one of the largest slides in
Canadian history. The
southwestern slope of Johnson
Peak collapsed on January 9,
1965, spreading 47 million
cubic metres of debris, 85
metres thick, over a 3 kilometre
stretch of the Hope-Princeton
highway resulting in only four
deaths since this was a
relatively unpopulated area.
The next morning, we all visited Hell's Gate on the Fraiser River. This is the narrowest point in the Fraser River. At
spring levels, over 200 million gallons of water surge through this 110 foot wide gorge. That is twice the volume of
Niagara Falls! In 1914, a slide resulting from construction of a railway at Hell's Gate almost destroyed one of the most
magnificent migrations of Sockeye in the world. Fortunately, a team effort by the United States and Canada resulted in
the building of giant concrete spillways to slow down the current. This endeavor was successful and resulted in the
restoration of the Sockeye migration over time. However, those Sockeye who do not make it through Hell's Gate on the
first try are usually destined to failure.
The water level at Hell's Gate was at a historic low when we visited. Fortunately, the spillways were still under water two
weeks before when the salmon passed through the area. In the picture below, the spillways are totally visible.
spring levels, over 200 million gallons of water surge through this 110 foot wide gorge. That is twice the volume of
Niagara Falls! In 1914, a slide resulting from construction of a railway at Hell's Gate almost destroyed one of the most
magnificent migrations of Sockeye in the world. Fortunately, a team effort by the United States and Canada resulted in
the building of giant concrete spillways to slow down the current. This endeavor was successful and resulted in the
restoration of the Sockeye migration over time. However, those Sockeye who do not make it through Hell's Gate on the
first try are usually destined to failure.
The water level at Hell's Gate was at a historic low when we visited. Fortunately, the spillways were still under water two
weeks before when the salmon passed through the area. In the picture below, the spillways are totally visible.
After visiting the slide, we went back to Hope and walked around the town looking at some of the many wood carvings
for which Hope is well known.
for which Hope is well known.
To reach Hell's Gate, we took a tram to the bottom of the canyon where we ate lunch looking over this great rapid.
Below, looking down river from Hell's Canyon.
