SUMMER2016
MOUNTAINLIFE
77
Thefirstfewpedalstrokesfeelalltoofamiliar,butthebackdrop
is fresh.Aknobbed tirekicksupacloudofdust,which settles
quickly to reveal themighty andmuddyFraserRiver, a giant
snake dissecting the valley in a canyonof precipices reaching
up to plateau farmlands. Above, white peaks glisten in the
sun, the remaining strings of snow in the valley.
Lillooet is often described as “where the wet meets the dry,” a reference to the town’s
geographical position in the rain shadow of BC’s Coast Mountains. Yet, for all the
rugged beauty of these rainforest hills bordering onto a desert canyon, the landscape
in view is not a limitless playground for mountain bikers to bask in. This is St’át’imc
Territory, stretching from Long Island on Harrison Lake in the south, up to Churn
Creek Protected Area in the north. After generations of land appropriation by non-
native settlers (beginningwith the Fraser CanyonGoldRush in 1858), a reluctance to
allow recreation access tooutsiders lingers. But thehardworkof a few locals could soon
helpkick start tourism in this remote resource-driven community.
Since themid90s, Lillooet’s localmountainbiker numbers havemore or less remained
in the low double digits, but all throughout, oneman has stood as the shovel-wielding
anchor of mountain biking throughout the valley. “Sometimes I’d be scrambling for
people to ride with, but evenwhen I had other mountain bikers to call, I was usually
the only person willing to do any work on trails,” says Kevin Aitken, local municipal
councillor, mountain biker and proud Lillooet lifer. “But recently, there’s been a real
influx ofmountainbike/outdoor-type people, sowe’re trying tobuild (the trail system)
backup again.”
In 2016, Della Creek remains the tried and tested trail that draws the majority of
mountain biker visits. Local forestry workers first stumbled upon the unused trail and
word quickly spread to Aitken through the tight knit Lillooet community.Withmore
than a fewPulaski swings from local riders, this sublime singletrack above the banks of
theFraserRiver soonbecamemountainbiking’s best kept secret northof Pemberton.
P.74-75
. Steve Storey explodes into Lillooet JUSTA JESKOVA.
P.76
Lillooet nights. JUSTA JESKOVA.
BOTTOM
Fromgold rush togravity rush, the Fraser River has seen it all. VINCE SHULEY.
ABOVE
Nice and remote.
VINCE SHULEY.
