Harrison Hut
| Harrison Hut | |
|---|---|
 Harrison Hut during construction | |
| Overnight Capacity | 15 |
| Coordinates |
|
| Elevation | 1725m |
| Fee | $10/night |
| Reservations | No |
| Locked | No |
| Built | 1983 |
| Caretaker | Varsity Outdoor Club |
The Harrison Hut was erected in the fall of 1983. You will find the hut on the northernmost part of the Pemberton Icefield (south of Meager Creek valley), in the headwaters of Barr (a.k.a. Madhorse) Creek and near the peaks of Overseer, Frozen Boot, Zygo and the Three Stooges.
No reservations are taken, but please see the VOC Hut Registration page to help coordinate use.
For the most up to date information on the Hut see the Bulletins on the Hut Registration Page.
VOC huts are open to all non-motorized, non-commercial users. A $15 per person per night fee applies to pay for hut maintenance. The fee can be sent in to the VOC via our Showpass Donation Page or can be left at the hut in the blue drop box. If neither of these work, you can send it to the VOC by mail. VOC trips have priority during fall and winter holidays (New Years, Reading Week, Easter) so please contact the VOC before planning a trip during this time. Commercial groups are requested to contact the VOC before using any of the huts. There is a lost and found page for items in and around the VOC huts.
Facilities
The Harrison Hut is a large gothic A-frame, sleeping 15 friendly people. It has a very efficient wood stove, and is surprisingly cozy and warm. Clothes and boots may be dried. Dead wood for fuel can be obtained from a small forest 50 m away; the use of the stove for the past 15 or so years does not seem to have damaged the forest. A Coleman stove and a Coleman lamp are provided, but you have to bring your own fuel (white gas). There is an outhouse. Water may be obtained from a nearby creek.
Library
- VOCJ '69 to VOCJ '07-'08, except VOCJ25 ('82), VOCJ28 ('85), VOCJ29 ('86), VOCJ43 ('00-'01) to VOCJ49 ('06-'07)
Skiing
The purpose of the hut is to provide access to excellent backcountry skiing. There are several glaciers within easy ski access from the Hut, and several peaks are nearby, offering suitable destinations for day trips. The Harrison hut is often used as the start or end point of the Pemberton Icefield Ski Traverse
Hiking, scrambling and mountaineering
There are several possibilities for hiking, scrambling and mountaineering in the area. The most popular routes are on Overseer Mountain, Frozen boot, and the Three Stooges.
Frozen Boot (Mount Breshnev)
- The North Ridge is a nice scramble. Mostly hiking with a few class 2-3 steps.
- The South Ridge is also a class 2-3 scramble, accessed from the col at the top of the Roller Coaster Glacier.
Overseer
Overseer is the highest summit on the Pemberton Icefield. There are two routes to get to the mountain from the hut. The first option is to ascend to the top of the Roller Coaster Glacier, cross over to the Madhorse Glacier and descend towards Overseer. The other option is to cross the north ridge of Frozen Boot (steep grassy slopes) and come up along the Madhorse Glacier.
- The South Ridge is a moderately difficult scramble with some loose rock. The rock is better on the ridge crest, but the climbing is more difficult (up to class 3). Difficulties can be avoided (at first on the left, then on the right), but the rock gets much worse away from the ridge.
Access
Summer: Work is currently in progress to restore summer access after the big Mt. Meager landslide of 2010. See the Harrison Hut route page for details.
Winter: Access during mid winter is problematic. The Lillooet River FSR is usually not plowed, and commonly gated at km 9 (just past Hurley FSR turn-off) due to avalanche danger. This makes mid-winter access a long and arduous affair, adding roughly 40-45km of travel along logging roads.
Access history NOTE THIS IS NO LONGER CURRENT AND SHOULD NOT BE FOLLOWED
Access to the hut has often been, and at times still is, problematic. The Lillooet River FSR is gated in winter due to avalanche danger 28km before the Meager creek turn off (at the Hurley turnoff). If you manage to get past this gate and the road is devoid of snowpack and avalanche debris, there is another gate at the start of the Meager Creek FSR on the Lillooet River Bridge. Assuming you can get past the gates then you can drive up the Meager Creek FSR. The Meager Creek valley is surrounded by rotten and unstable volcanic rocks that can produce debris flows. In recent years these have destroyed several bridges (Capricorn Creek, Meager Creek). In December 2003 the Meager Creek bridge was taken out by such a debris flow, people who were trapped behind the bridge at the hot springs had to be flown out by helicopter, and it took until the fall of 2007 to repair the bridge. In the absence of a bridge, the Meager Creek is hard, if not impossible, to cross. It is rumored that it is possible to ford the creek about 5km upstream above the confluence of the two branches of the Meager Creek.
After 37km from the start of the Upper Lillooet River FSR, turn left onto the Meager Creek Main FSR (this is about 1km past the BC Parks Upper Lillooet River recreation site, see link). The Meager Creek Main logging road crosses the Lillooet River after a couple of hundred meters, and is gated at the bridge. The Meager Creek valley is a very geologically active area that sees frequent landslides. During times of elevated landslide risk, the gate will be locked to restrict public access. Before heading out, check the Squamish Forest District website for up to date information about closures. Closures usually occur in periods of very hot or wet weather. As of July 2009 the gate at the start of the Meager Creek Main logging road is closed between 8pm and 8am. In the morning, the hot springs caretaker unlocks and opens it so that the cars can drive through.
Continue along this road. After about 6km turn left onto the Meager Creek South Branch and cross the (new) bridge over Meager Creek. Pass the Meager hotsprings, and cross Barr (a.k.a. Madhorse) Creek. As of June 2008 the Lillooet and Meager FSRs are in 2WD condition.
Counting from the start of the Meager Creek South Branch FSR, take a left turn after about 5.3km (at 10U 465984 5599351 UTM NAD27 at 2530'/ 770m elevation). You are now on the Barr Creek FSR, an overgrown logging road that switchbacks up on the southwest side of Barr Creek. Ignore four spur roads on the right (one just before the first switchback, a second spur road between the first and second switchback, a third spur road in between the second and third switchback, and a spur road well past the third switchback). The Barr Creek logging road is in fairly rough shape and partly overgrown with alder. Currently (June 2008) the road is in 4wd (moderate clearance) condition until a good turn around between second and third switchback, expect paint-scratching alder and moderate cross-ditches until here (3120' / 950 m). To get any further you will need a serious 4WD-HC vehicle (lots of alder and big cross-ditches). Follow the Barr Creek logging road for about 4-5km to the top (northeast) corner of a large clearcut (10U 467246 5599111 UTM NAD27, 3810' / 1160m elevation). You have now reached the trailhead. Impassable cross-ditches block the road about 100-200m before the trailhead.
A newly flagged bushwack (June 2008) follows the broad ridge up on the southwest side of Barr creek to the alpine. The route is marked with blue (new) and orange (old) flagging tape, and follows, at times, steep forest with moderate underbrush. The flagged route ends at a sub-alpine bench below and east of the 6700ft bump ("pine bump"). From the start of the bench (10U 468173 5596622 UTM NAD27 at 6170' /1880m), continue southwards along the bench until it is possible to descend towards the creek draining the Magic Carpet glacier (middle of three glaciers south of the hut). Crossing the creek might require wading through ice cold water. The choice of descent point may depend on availability of snow for glissading and location of snow bridges. The most mellow route follows a longer contour around the valley.
Hello VOC, Just a quick note to pass on that as of early morning September 19, 2009 Capricorn Creek has had a significant debris flow that washed out the Meager Creek FSR used to access the Harrison Hut. The road is closed indefinitely. Any updates will posted on the Squamish Forest District webpage. Please let your members know about the washout. Thanks, Dave Dave Southam, RPF Operations Manager Squamish Forest District 604-898-2141
History of the hut
External Links
UBC Chronicles Archives (pdf file) mentioning the death of Julian Harrison (Fall 1983, p.14)