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2 Seasons Adventures hit hard by wind storm during high water

A Hay River tourism operation on the shoreline of Great Slave Lake has been hit hard by high water and high wind.

Kathy McBryan, left, and Fraser Pike — the owner/operators of the 2 Seasons Adventures campground on the shore of Great Slave Lake — stand in front of yurts moved and damaged by high water, wind and driftwood on the evening of Aug. 29. Paul Bickford/NNSL photo

During a wind storm on the evening of Aug. 29, the 2 Seasons Adventures campground suffered an estimated $250,000-$300,000 in damages.

According to Environment Canada, the wind on the evening of Aug. 29 was 26 km/h, gusting to 55 km/h. The wind was coming from the north and driving already high water onto the shoreline.

The damage at the campground is extensive — sand and large pieces of driftwood were driven over its gravel road, yurts were dislodged and damaged, an events area was destroyed, a cabin was knocked over, and a beach was covered by high water.

"We lost 45 revenue camp stalls on the beach that are destroyed," said Fraser Pike, who owns and operates the campground with his wife, Kathy McBryan.

Pike said the camp stalls, where people would park their campers for the summer, were the main source of income for 2 Seasons Adventures because people want to be on the beach.

Except for the high water, he said the beach stretches about 150 feet into Great Slave Lake.

McBryan believes the loss of the camp stalls, now underwater, is the worst of the damage because families would spend their summers there.

"This place is always full of children and families and activities and life," she said. "The only way you can think of it is when you see the pictures on the news when hurricanes and tornadoes hit. That's how you feel. You feel like it's a natural disaster."

McBryan added the beach is the main selling feature of 2 Seasons Adventures.

Kathy McBryan, a co-owner/operator of the 2 Seasons Adventures campground, stands near an events area damaged by high water and driftwood driven by wind on the evening of Aug. 29.

"That's why people come and camp at 2 Seasons," she said. "They want the beachfront. They want that kind of lifestyle. Otherwise, you can go camp in any bush."

Pike said that when the wind and water began to rise, some guests were at the campground, both at the campsites and in the yurts.

"We had to evacuate all them," he said, noting that involved up to 10 people.

Two weeks previously, there was a smaller flood of the camp stalls area, meaning 40 families had already been moved from the area.

Pike said they realized there was a problem brewing on Friday evening, Aug. 28.

"The wind came up and it was kind of washing over the beach," he said. "And Saturday afternoon (Aug. 29) around 4 o'clock the water came up and by 10 o'clock Saturday night we were devastated."

The destruction of the events area is a major blow.

Fraser Pike, a co-owner/operator of the 2 Seasons Adventures campground, stands on driftwood covering a road at the site. The driftwood was forced ashore by high water and wind on the evening of Aug. 29.

Pike said the area — including a dance floor, a stage and a tiki bar — was used for all kinds of activities, such as weddings, dances, a pig roast and more, and it is now ruined and needs to be replaced.

Three of the yurts — circular tents which were an estimated 350 feet away from the water's edge — were moved by the rising water and driftwood, and floated into each other. They will need to be put back in place and require new flooring, electrical and propane.

"You can't just pick them up and move them back," said Pike. "You've got to carefully rebuild everything."

Pike said that the road — covered by driftwood after the storm — was built at an elevation two feet higher than the 100-year high-water mark, as determined by surveyors.

The owners are not sure how to protect the property in the future.

"Do we build a barrier like they did in the West Channel and then you don't have a beach," said Pike. "Where do we go from here?"

The 2 Seasons Adventures campground is now closed for the season. It normally closes on Nov. 1.

"We're done for the year," said Pike. "Now we're on straight clean-up mode."

The business owners are planning to rebuild the damaged or destroyed sections of the campground.

"We're definitely rebuilding," said Pike. "Hay River definitely needs the campground."

However, he noted the exact extent of the damage won't be known until the high water goes down in Great Slave Lake.

"We don't know what's going to be left when the water goes down," he said. "We won't be able to know until we see it."

The owners opened 2 Seasons Adventures five years ago.

Pike and McBryan live year-round at the campground in a house that was not damaged.

Other areas of the shoreline of Great Slave Lake were impacted by the high wind and high water.

The beach at the Hay River Territorial Park was covered in a jumble of driftwood.

There was also some erosion at certain locations.

At the Sept. 1 meeting of town council, Glenn Smith, the senior administrative officer for the town, said the Aug. 29 storm involved significant water and some risks associated with high north wind on the shoreline.

Smith noted there were some reports of damage to one or two properties on the lakefront, along with water entering a property on Lakeshore Drive.

The SAO said the town was in close contact with the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs during the storm.

"We're still in some discussions on what can be done, if anything, and recognizing that high winds and high water levels through the fall, as we switch to more predominant wind season and north winds, we'll probably see some other scares," he said.

Stephane Millette, the town's director of recreation, said Porritt Landing escaped without damage despite extremely high water.

"Our docks at Porritt Landing were actually above the retaining walls," said Millette. "The water did lower and there was no damage to the docks or to any vessels to my knowledge."

Chief April Martel of K'atlodeeche First Nation said there was no damage on the Hay River Reserve because of the high water and high wind.