People stranded in Squamish Valley after bridge washes away

For a Vancouver couple, a day trip into the backcountry this weekend turned into a terrifying experience.

May and Oleg Zadnipryany drove into the Squamish Valley on Saturday morning along a remote forest service road to admire the Squamish River. The trip, however, did not go as planned.

On the way back, the couple came to a bridge about 30 kilometres from Squamish Valley Road and saw that the line of cars ahead of them had stopped.

“We get out and there’s no bridge,” May Zadnipryany told CTV News. “All you see are the two pipes on the side.”

A bridge washed away on a forest road in the Squamish Valley on Saturday, September 14. (Courtesy: Oleg Zadnipryany)The bridge had been washed away, leaving a muddy gorge in the road, with steep drops on either side.

“How do we get out of here? We’re going to be stuck here,” she remembers thinking.

The couple had not planned to stay overnight in the valley and had not brought extra food. Zadnipryany said she worried she would not make it to her health care job in Vancouver.

The Zadnipryanys waited for a few hours, thinking that help was on the way. After seeing a man make it through successfully, they decided to abandon their truck and cross the debris field on foot, putting aside the fear of being washed away by the river.

The effort involved scrambling over slippery mounds of mud and crawling through the dirt, with Zadnipryany eventually climbing up the other side first to throw a rope to her husband.

“We did it, but it was very scary,” Zadnipryany said.

A bridge washed away on a forest road in the Squamish Valley on Saturday, September 14. (Courtesy: Oleg Zadnipryany)The pair then walked along the dirt road for two hours until they encountered a Good Samaritan who offered to drive them back to Highway 99.

Once they arrived at Sea to Sky, a $300 cab ride was the final step in the couple’s adventure, and they arrived home around 11:30 p.m.

“It was a nightmare,” Zadnipryany said, recalling the ordeal. But what worries her most are the people who may still be trapped behind the washed-away bridge.

When the Zadnipryanys arrived, there were already a handful of nature lovers there, including two families with small children. There may have been more on the way from the campsites along the route.

Zadnipryany does not know whether any of the stranded people reached the other side, or whether rescuers have been sent to the scene of the accident.

Posts on local Facebook groups indicate that people were still stuck on the roads Sunday, with commenters offering rides and deliveries of supplies. There is no cell reception in the area.

CTV News has reached out to the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District, the District of Squamish, Squamish Search and Rescue and the provincial government for more information on the situation.

The photo shows May and Oleg Zadnipryany. (Courtesy: Oleg Zadnipryany)Another unknown is when the couple will get their vehicle back, or how long it will take for the bridge to be rebuilt. In the meantime, Zadnipryany says the incident has some lessons.

“The mud is like peanut butter, and it’s a good thing I had my boots,” she laughed, adding that she had brought a change of clothes, which her husband had questioned since they were only going on a day trip.

“It was a lesson for us to always be prepared when we go out there. You never know what will happen,” she said.