Sept. 25th Tombstone Territorial Park

Anthony

I was on the road at 6:00 this morning with plans to hike to Grizzly Lake and return. The weather forecast was cloudy with some sun around 11:00. Since sunrise is at 8:00 it was dark when I started. Within 15 km of Dawson I saw a bear on the road. The bear took off quickly but I could see it was all black. Just a black bear, not a Grizzly. When I got to the Dempster Highway, it started to rain. I did all 60km on the gravel road, in the rain, in the dark. I drove into the trail parking and was surprised to see another car already there. Since the rain was heavy I sat in the car for an hour and a half, drinking bad coffee and listening to my iPod. At 9:15 I decided to pack up and go home. The rain was solid and I couldn't see any mountains. I was peeing in the parking lot, when a girl walked in from the road. She looked like she had had a rough night – way too much alcohol. She walked by me to her car, checked the stuff beside her car and came back to talk with me. She got lost in the woods yesterday and had spend the night in the woods. When the light came this morning she had followed a river until it hit the road, and she walked back to the car. She had been with her boyfriend Anthony and his brother and she had lost the path on the way back. The gear beside her car was theirs and they must be out searching for her. She was going to walk back up the path to look for the brothers, but I volunteered to hike up and look for them while she rested. Off I went, and 1.5 km up the trail I found Anthony's brother. He was sitting under a large tree which protected him from the rain, with a small fire going. He was waiting for Anthony who was out searching. I gave him the news and carried on. About 2 km later I came across Anthony. He told me he had walked the trail to Grizzly Lake and back 4 times during the night looking for his girlfriend. I gave him the news and down he went. I went up to the lookout, and by the time I got there the rain had turned to snow. I took a few pictures, but I could not see the big mountains, so I descended. At least I was useful.

Snowcaps

Sept. 24th Tombstone Territorial Park

We drove the Dempster Highway all the way through Tombstone Park. The park stretches from km 51 to km 116. The trip took 2 hours because the gravel road is slow and we took many photo breaks. The park facilities are closed for the season so we ate lunch in the car. The temperature was plus 4, but the wind was strong as it whistled down the valley. After lunch we hiked up Goldensides mountain for 2 km and then back. We actually met 2 other tourists hiking the same path. That made at least 6 tourists in the 2,200 sq km park.

Peaks surround the valley

This lake is 3 km from the Continental Divide.

Mountains at the north end of the park

Joan hiking up Goldensides Mountain

Sept. 23 Top of the World Highway

Dawson is 105km from the US border. It is connected to the US by the Top of the World Highway. The highway follows an old indigenous path on the top of the mountains. The Highway is gravel and has some wonderful views of the valleys along the way. We started the drive in cloud and fog, but as we went up for the first 12km, the sun soon appeared, Again we found the driving to be incredibly slow as I stopped for photos every 10 km. It took us 5 hours to cover the 200km there and back.

Fall colours on the hills

US and Candian Customs are in the same building

Our reward at the end of our drive.

Sept 22 Tombstone Territorial Park

Storm Coming

We chose Dawson because it is close to the Tombstone Territorial Park. The park is still a hundred km away, mostly along the Dempster Highway. The Dempster Highway is a gravel road going 800km from Dawson to Inuvik. It is in good shape - for a gravel road. Today we did a hike through the woods to the tree line so we could see the mountains. When we cleared the tree line we saw plenty of mountains, and a rain storm coming our way. Instead of lunch we quickly descended to the car and drove through the park to several other viewpoints. We did not get rained on, it just snowed a little.

The Dempster Highway

Sept, 21 Drive to Dawson

It was a cold night in Carmacks.. We were on the road by 09:00. We drove beside the Yukon river for a while and the steam was rising from the fast flowing water.

The Yukon River in early Morning

An Aspen Forest  in Fall colours

The bridge at Pelly Crossing

We got to Dawson around 3 and found the AirBnB house we had rented, but no key and no host. Joan asked the neighbours and sure enough the man across the street told us where to find the key. We now have a whole house in Dawson with a nice kitchen / living room on the top floor so we can enjoy the view. 

Sept. 20 Drive to Carmacks

The last sunrise in Haines Junction

After a nice sunrise we said goodbye to Haines Junction and headed to Dawson City. It is a two day drive so we stopped overnight in Carmacks. It is now full fall colours in the Yukon. The hillsides are covered in brilliant yellows and oranges. We drove the Alaskan highway to Whitehorse, stocked up with groceries and headed along the Klondike Highway to Dawson. The roads in the Yukon are only two lane however the road surfaces are in good shape and there are always long straightaways. There is also little traffic so overtaking is easy. The biggest problem is the photography. I have yet to drive a full hour without a photostop.

Roadside Lake

Sept 19th Kings Throne

The Destination

The Kings Throne is a trail to the centre of a group of mountains. It has a 2km walk in from the road and then 3 km up the mountain, I started climbing at sunrise (07:30) and got to the top at 9:15. The trail was steep and the scree underfoot was slippery. The trail up was tough, and the trail down was worse. I wiped out twice but my pants survived.  I'm tired but happy.

 In the afternoon Joan and I walked along Kathleen Lake. We walked for 2 hours and took several pictures.

Approaching the Throne

Mount Worthington

At Kathleen Lake

Sept. 18th Auriol Trail

The trail we hiked today was a 15km loop, but we had decided yesterday to go only 4 km to the outlook. The trail was gentle for 2km and then serious uphill for 2 km. Mornings are always cold here, but today was the coldest yet.

Morning Frost

The uphill really warmed us up. Everywhere we've hiked here we carry bear spray (pepper spray). 1 can costs $50 and does 2 bears. Joan and I each carry a can. Today on our way uphill we met 2 tourists from Nova Scotia going the other way. They had planned to do the whole loop but had met a bear at the 7 km mark and turned around and came back.

Another uphill done

The end of the hike

Joan and her bear spray

We were near our destination so we carried on and ate lunch at the lookout. Joan was a little nervous and ate lunch with bear spray in one hand and a sandwich in the other. After lunch when I was taking pictures she got nervous-er and took the safety catch off her can. I was nervous-est until she put the safety back since we were stumbling over tree roots all day. We did move much quicker going downhill on the return.

Sept. 17th Otter Falls

The Northern Lights

On Sunday night I was out past midnight taking pictures of the northern lights.   I froze my fingers because I couldn't wear my mitts while I was operating my camera.  When my camera battery died I headed for home rather than changing the battery.  It was cold.

Otter Falls was on the $5 bill in the 50's. It is in the Yukon and not far from Haines Junction. The road to Otter Falls is 32 km of gravel, mostly 2 lanes wide. We passed 1 car on the 60 kms in and out. The falls were a disappointment since the water flow mostly goes to a power generating facility. Next to the falls is Canyon Lake which was a lovely place to eat lunch. On the way home we explored a few sites off the main highway – looking for a northern lights location.

Otter Falls

Joan at Otter Falls

 I was dressed in three layers because it was only 11º C. When a couple ran down the dock and jumped in the water I was impressed.

Yukoners are tough.

Sept. 16th Hike along Sheep Creek Trail

Today we hiked a trail that climbed above the tree line. As we exited the forest we saw a herd of Dall sheep. I tried to hide while I set up my camera and I used my longest lens. The sheep ignored me and I took several pictures. Then Joan and I ate lunch. The sheep started grazing and walked right towards us. They got close enough that I switched lens. The Ram posed for a few stately pictures and then snorted and head butted the ground. I quickly left the scene and the Ram followed me for 200 meters to make sure I left his territory.

Dall Sheep

Dall Ram

Slim River Valley

Catholic Church

Back in Haines Junction we visited the Catholic Church. It is a repurposed Quanset hut.

Sept. 15th Hike to St. Elias Lake

Early Morning puddle

We did a hike into the park today. From -3 in the morning the temperature rose to 10 and sunny during the day. It was perfect hiking weather and the fall colours were on full display. We hiked 4 km into St. Elias lake. The path was mud, stone and tree roots. We saw only 2 people on the way in, but on the way out we crossed about 12 more most of whom looked like they were spending the night there. There was a family of 4 – mother, father, 6 month old and dog pushing a baby stroller over the rocks. Talk about starting young!

Through the valley

Fall Colours

Joan at St. Elias Lake

Sept. 14th. Drive to Haines Junction.

We drove from Whitehorse to Haines Junction today. After stocking up at the biggest store in town we had an easy drive of 150 km to our destination. The roads in the Yukon are quite good, but the temptation to stop and take pictures is everywhere.

The road to Haines Junction

Sunset in Haines Junction

The Northern Lights

I have yet to drive 1 hour without a photo stop. We have an Airbnb in Haines Junction and the place is small but cozy. We have a full kitchen. The population here is 620. I went out to take star pictures at night but the northern lights came out-even better!

Sept. 13th Whitehorse

Totem in the center of Whitehorse

 We woke up to rain in Whitehorse this morning. We visited a museum for a few hours and the rain stopped. We drove to a hot springs site after lunch and on the way back I stopped for gas. While he was filling the car I asked the gas jockey it there was a good lookout site for the mountains we were seeing.  He told me there was one on Fish Lake Road, just down the highway. It was easy to find and up we went. We have rented a Jeep Cherokee 4WD so the mud and potholes weren't a problem. However 6 km into the bush I was getting nervous. At the 10 km mark I was more nervous, but we were getting glimpses of the mountain range. Finally at the 13 km mark we hit the end and the view was worth it. The Jeep Cherokee is now covered in mud.

Fish Lake

Road to Fish Lake

Sept. 12th Drive Fort Nelson to Whitehorse

We drove through mountains all day

Joan declined to stand beside the buffalo.

We are in the Yukon! The mountains surrounded us all day. The temperature was cold at night but quite pleasant when the sun came out. The leaves are turning and fall has started in the Yukon,   We drove to Whitehorse and arrived around 5 pm. There are plenty of hotels, but 4 of the first 5 I tried were full. It seems there are still a lot of tourists here. They must all be chasing the northern lights. Unfortunately after a bright sunny day we have a rainy night coming.

Drive from Cold Lake to Whitehorse

Sept. 10, 11

We are driving from Cold Lake to Whitehorse in the Yukon. On Monday the 10^th we drove across the entire province of Alberta and overnighted in Dawson Creek B.C. Dawson Creek is the beginning of the Alaska Highway which was built by the American Army Corps of Engineers during the second world war. On Tuesday we started our day driving in the rain. The rain turned to snow and we drove in a snow blizzard most of the day.

Snow on Sept 11th in Northern BC

There are mountains out there.

Wood buffalo are much smaller than their Yellowstone cousins.

When the snow stopped the weather slowly returned to normal and we started seeing the mountains around us. Then the wildlife started to appear, first elk and then buffalo. Even though we are not yet in the Yukon, I had to stop for pictures,which meant we traveled too slowly to reach the Yukon border today. We are still planning to drive to Whitehorse tomorrow.