World Rivers Day Guided Paddle 2024

Join our giant flotilla of canoes and kayaks travelling 40 km from Hope to Agassiz!

We invite you to paddle with us and a team of river scientists, an Indigenous cultural guide, historians and naturalists who will all share their knowledge and different perspectives of the mighty Fraser River.  Bring your own boat or hop aboard one of our large, guided Voyageur canoes. There’s something for all skill levels, and a motorized escort boat will keep everyone safe on the river.

Along the way, you’ll visit the gravel bars, side channels, islands, and riparian forests that make this part of the Fraser so important to fish and wildlife. Mark Angelo, founder of World Rivers Day, calls this part of the river the “Heart of the Fraser” in honour of the ecological wealth found there. The Hope-to-Mission stretch produces up to 10 million pink salmon annually, and hundreds of thousands of chum salmon. No other part of the Fraser produces more fish. In fact, 30 species of fish are found here, including the largest population of sturgeon in Canada.

As the population of this region continues to grow, it is increasingly important that we better understand and protect this incredibly important river.

COST:

• Your own canoe or kayak - $150/person

• Voyageur canoe space - $217/person

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See “Skill Levels” below; to find out which travel option is best for you.

Age limit: For the safety of everyone, kids 8 years old and older are welcome to participate in this program. Anyone age 18 and younger must be accompanied by parent/legal guardian on the same vessel.

Price includes:

• Professional river guides

• Powered safety raft escort

• Bus transportation between Agassiz and Hope

• Educational tour

Note: This is a self-catered event; bring your own drinks and packed lunch.

SKILL LEVELS AND PHYSICAL DEMAND:

Own canoe or kayak

Participants will be paddling in a high-volume river. The stretch of river between Hope and our terminus at the Cheam Fishing Village & Campground is a mix of class 1 and class 2 water rapids so participants in their own boats must have river paddling experience and be physically able to independently manoeuvre their boats in turbulent water.  Currents will assist paddling, so the trip is moderate in terms of physical demand.  Participants will be getting in and out of the watercrafts by travelling across rocky, uneven river shore (there is no dock).

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If you choose to bring your own watercraft, please note that you are required* to bring your own safety gear as well. We will be checking to make sure everyone has brought:

1. one life jacket/PFD for each person on board

2. one bailer or manual bilge pump

3. one sound signaling device, such as pealess whistle

4. secure buoyancy fore and aft

5. one buoyant heaving line at least 15 metres long

*We reserve the right to turn away participants/watercrafts if deemed unsafe or the required equipment is absent. Participants’ registration fee less a $50 administration fee per person will be refunded.

Voyageur

These large canoes hold up to 20 paddlers and offer excellent stability. Each Voyageur is navigated by experienced river guides. Paddling is easy and no experience or special equipment is required. You’ll paddle the river as the Stó:lo and early settlers did!

Participants will be expected to paddle, but we will be going down river with the river current so only moderate physical fitness is required.  Participants will need to be able to manoeuvre in and out of a large canoe, and walk in the water to the watercraft across rocky, uneven river shore.

Please be aware that our programs run regardless of weather conditions, unless we determine that it will affect the safety of participants.

Itinerary:

Sunday, September 22, 2024

8:00 AM - Check in beside the Fraser River on Wardle Street in Hope, followed by an introduction and safety talk. People with their own boats may drive directly to the launch area to unload there if the vehicle is capable of driving over rock and sand. Otherwise, park on Wardle St and carry boats down.  

9:00 AM – Flotilla of boats depart from Hope, traveling 40 km downriver to the Cheam Fishing Village, stopping for lunch and sights of interest along the way. Both guest speakers will address the group when we stop midday for lunch but be sure to stay within earshot of the Voyageur canoe to hear the guest speakers along the way.

5:00 PM – Arrive at destination. Shuttle bus takes participants back to Hope (25-minute drive). Staff watch over boats at the Cheam Fishing Village until participants return with their vehicles to load canoes/kayaks and head home.

Be aware that times are approximate. Start and end times may vary depending on the speed of the group, weather conditions, etc.

What to bring:

Participants should be prepared for the demands of changing weather and all belongings should be packed in waterproof bags (especially electronics!).

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• This event is self-catered, please bring sufficient water for the day, lunch and snacks for yourself as needed.

• Hat, sunglasses and sunblock

• Sturdy footwear that you’re OK getting wet! —ie watershoes or secured sandals are good; wool socks inside old runners work well too

• Toque and gloves

• Rain jacket and rain pants

• Waterproof carrying bag

• Warm layers (non-cotton)

• String for glasses (it can get very windy!)

• Complete change of clothes

• Camera

• Binoculars

Meet your Guides:

Dianna Kay: Siyámíya tel skwíx. Te lítsel kw'e te Sq'éwqel. Kwelaxtelot tel álex. Latsullh ewesteleq, syélxt, qas te sxé:ylt te Halq'emeylemqel.

My name is Dianna Kay and my sister Karla (the taller one). We are teachers, academics, researchers, and writers of Upriver Halq'eméylem.

Jordan Rosenfeld: Jordan is a practicing fresh-water biologist who will show us some of the fish species found in the Lower Fraser. Look for Jordan’s beach seine net during the lunch break!

Kristine Perez de Leon: Kristine’s number one passion in life is mountain adventure. She would spend every waking moment outdoors if she could. Hiking, backpacking, trail running, mountaineering, rock climbing, paddleboarding, backcountry skiing, snowboarding, mountain biking - if it’s an outdoor mountain sport, you can bet she’s done it and loves it. In the past few years, Kristine completed a 55km ultra trail marathon, a 9-day backpacking thru-hike, summited hundreds of BC’s most magnificent peaks, completing many of these adventures solo. Kristine has previously worked as a snowboard instructor in Whistler, as a primate and forest conservation manager in Nigeria, a PNW wildlife education director and hiking community platform founder in Vancouver, and as HMCOL’s Executive Director since 2021. She is thrilled to share her knowledge, experience and passion for mountain exploration with program participants.