Word from Bob: Skookumchuk Hotsprings and Church

A FEW TIMES A YEAR I drive the 160 kilometres north to Pemberton. I first spent two seasons in the area, on summer jobs, in 1967 and 1968. The valley, that has experienced so much change, still offers many outdoor opportunities.

Just yesterday, my Berlin friends, Harald and Brigitte ended their nine day visit to BC, on this outing. We drove north on Highway 99, by passing the resort town of Whistler. East of Pemberton and the Mt Currie Indian Reserve, we left the highway. An hour of gravel road, provided for some exhilarating driving, despite the potholes and washboard. Beyond Lillooet Lake the road continued to follow a power line as it continued through a deep, empty valley. The river, broad in places, was often a series of rapids. Across the valley, snowy peaks stood out against a cloudless September sky. The all gravel in-SHUCK-ch Road, so rough in places, led us to Skookumchuck Hot Springs. Tsek (pronounced Chick) Hot Springs in the St'at'imcets language is the local indigenous name. A few kilometres south was the village of Skatin (formerly Skookumchuck).

At Skookumchuck Hot Springs, we stopped beside a closed office, in a forested campground. After deposting our day usage fee in the honour box, we changed in the primitive facilities, run by the nearby native community. Then three of us fitted into a zinc tub that was only just big enough. We soon found that the more submerged we were, the less the mosquitos fed on us. With two taps, one hot and one cold, we immersed ourselves in perfect warm water. We were in a clearing with a motley assortment of of converted septic tanks, tubs, etc. to serve the handful of visitors.

Our tour continued to the nearby First Nations village of Skatin (formerly Skookumchuck) and to visit the Church of the Holy Cross. The wooden building, from 1905, and in a style known as "Carpenter Gothic," was in poor condition. Precariously perched above were three crooked and narrow spires, that crowned the facade. Once inside, we were taken back to perhaps simplier times, to ritual and worship; given the highly decorative altar, the rusty wood stove and the rows of empty pews. Late afternoon sunlight poured through spare surfaces of stained glass, creating prismatic blobs and patches of intense colour, within the shadowy interior. A Catholic church, this structure belongs to the Skatin Nation, who are a part of the larger Salish speaking peoples.

For 48 kilometres we returned on gravel, stopping at a native graveyard, just up the road. After that, we whizzed back to Vancouver in the gorgeous evening light.

Local First Nations site:
In-SHUCK-ch Nation

On the church:

Church of the Holy Cross – Ama Liisaos – The Skookumchuck Church -Skatin, BC « skookumheritagechurch.ca

On the hot springs:
Skookumchuck Hot Springs, British Columbia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia