NORTH TO THE YUKON!

Saturday, March 16, 2024
Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada
TO WHITEHORSE AND THE BEGINNING OF OUR JOURNEY NORTH
Oh, Those Wonderful Canadian Names!
Canadian geographical sites or settlements may have their share of traditional English (Victoria, Bathurst Island, Richmond, Wembley....) and French names (Bordeaux, Cannes, Paris, Versailles....) from their former colonisers, but those named after local historical events, forts, icons, geographical features, animals etc - are a sheer delight of simple and accurate - if in some cases, bizarre descriptors.
Settlement names we found truly appealing included Moose Jaw, Tombstone, Old Crow, Fort McPherson, Buffalo, Yellowknife, Indian Cabins, Uranium City - and of course, our very favourite name Resolute, a tiny hamlet in Nunavut Province. More bizarre names include Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha! in Quebec*, Head Smashed in Buffalo Jump, Alberta; Flin Flon, Manitoba; Climax, Saskatchewan; and Blow Me Down and Dildo, both located in Newfoundland.
Upon reading our coming Canadian itinerary, our friend Geoff rang us, "Geez, guys! All these names of places you mention remind me of my childhood days of watching western movies." Yes, they did for us too. The paradox is that, as children, we all thought they were in the USA... And, of course, where the righteous cowboys always beat the bad-guy Indians. Thank goodness times have moved on. A bit...
Today, indigenous people are reclaiming lost lands and renaming sites and settlements with traditional First Nations names. Interestingly, some names were derivatives of the original word for their location. For example, Canada comes from the word "kanata", meaning population or village. Quebec comes from the Algonquin word "kebec", signifying the narrowing of the river in the area around the City of Québec. 
Furthermore, many places are known by their Indigenous as well as their English or French names - for example, Arctic Bay in Nunavut is also known by its Inuktitut name of "Ikpiarjuk".
That morning, we were heading for the city of Whitehorse, the capital of the Yukon and about 1,500 km north of Vancouver. A wonderful name, disappointingly, it is not named after a glamorous silver equine but after the many rapidly flowing bubbling streams; the waves of which someone thought were reminiscent of a white horse's mane.
* "This small town (Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha!) was founded in the mid-1800s as a Roman Catholic mission... The name is believed to be derived from the archaic French word 'ha-ha', which refers to an unexpected obstacle or ending of a path, such as a cul-de-sac. If this is the true origin, the obstruction would be Lake Témiscouata just beyond the town. 'Louis' is believed to refer to one of the town’s founders. Why the exclamation points were added is anybody’s guess....." (Atlas Obscura) 
Interestingly, it is also the only town in the world whose name includes two exclamation marks!!
To Whitehorse
Much as we had enjoyed Vancouver, it was time to move on to our enormously exciting travels north to the Yukon and finally to Tuktoyaktuk on edge of the Arctic Ocean.
Again, our travels to Vancouver Airport and our departure to Whitehorse with Air North went smoothly. It was such a relief not to have the hassle of self-checking in our luggage. Instead, a friendly and helpful Air North staff member handled all the pre-departure procedures at a civilised check-in desk. 
And bliss, the airport was surprisingly peaceful and quiet. There were no pushy or rude people, nor the frenetic, noisy rabble we had experienced throughout our European travels back in 2023.
Talking about luggage, to our dismay, our brand new Samsonite suitcases were not travelling on their wheels quite as smoothly as they were when we first bought them. It was, of course, the weight of all our gear. And I guess our massive new jackets and a 1.2-litre bottle of scotch embedded in each case didn't help much either... Now weighing more than 21 kg per suitcase, I wondered how on earth we would fare dragging them through heavy snow or manoeurvering them up steep stairs - all of which we were very familiar with during our past Arctic travels.
Well before our scheduled departure, an announcement informed us that our flight was full and that excessive cabin baggage would not be tolerated. That was music to our ears. How often had we found the overhead locker space fully taken by selfish people taking huge amounts of baggage into the cabin? 
Furthermore, because the flight was full and all of the passengers had checked in, we would be boarding immediately - at least forty-five minutes before schedule. That WAS civilised….
Our flight over Vancouver and its beautiful waterways, then north over the Canadian Coast Mountains, was very scenic. Snow-dusted ranges soon gave way to dramatic snow-covered peaks well above the tree line.
Our Air North aircraft was very comfortable with plenty of leg space. And to our surprise, we were even provided a lunch of turkey rolls and hot cookies. 
Arriving at Whitehorse
The weather began to change dramatically as we approached the Erik Nielsen International Airport at Whitehorse. Heavy snow and fog limited vision to just a few kilometres; the airport surrounds a familiar monochrome winter setting. Strangely, it was a joyous and uplifting experience to be back in an Arctic-like environment.
Whitehorse looked suitably freezing: the aircraft marshal making deep bear-like footprints in the thick soft snow as he guided our aircraft to its parking bay. In these settlements, there is no provision for docking aircraft, and we have learnt from bitter (literally) experience to travel in an aircraft wearing our snow boots and heavy down overcoats, with hats and gloves readily on hand. I have even learnt Russian-style how to place my coat behind me on my seat with its arms in place so I can readily slip into it without too much hassle.
I have to admit we are slow learners. During our Arctic Russian travels, on landing, we were always a mile behind anyone on the plane in getting dressed. Russian passengers, within seconds, would seemingly morph from being casually dressed in t-shirts and jeans to astronaut-lookalikes in their massive heavy overcoats, balaclavas and fur hats, while we fumbled and struggled to even find our gear. And always, it was a considerable trudge through heavy snow and often gale conditions to the airport's arrival area. We have improved but not much....
Once again, we staggered through blizzard-like conditions to the airport terminal - leaving, as usual, a trail of dropped mittens, scarves and handkerchiefs. Thankfully, at minus 3°C, it was relatively balmy!
Disturbingly, Alan's suitcase was the second last to come through on the luggage carousel. Neither of us said anything. But we knew exactly what the other was thinking. “Oh no. Not lost luggage again....” We were deliriously happy when it finally arrived. 
Our Sternwheeler Hotel, Whitehorse OR Drunken Sailor Disorder
To our relief, we were met by Taka and Yuri, two delightful Arctic Range Adventure staff, and taken to our Sternwheeler Hotel. The feeling of relief may sound trite, even paranoid, but I can't tell you just how many times during our last 20 years of travel that we have been left at remote airports on our own without a travel agency pre-booked driver EVER turning up.
Centrally located in downtown Whitehorse, our hotel was well-furnished and comfortable. We were also pleased that unlike some of our flight passengers who were also travelling with Arctic Range Adventure on other tours, we did not have a tour briefing until the following evening. 
Late in the afternoon, we were pleased to relax, enjoy a drink and meal in Tony's Bar and Restaurant, and chat with travellers and some of the charming bar staff. Interestingly, the hotel staff was very cosmopolitan: many were from India, China, the Philippines, and Malaysia.  
Infrequently during our travels and more often on long-distance journeys, we suffer from what we can only describe as "Drunken Sailor Disorder". Surprisingly for us, it has nothing to do with drinking!  It's a kind of vertigo that affects our balance and often feels like our room is spinning. It could be fatigue or even dehydration, although we were acutely aware of keeping up fluids this time.
Even though we had rested in Vancouver, we both suffered symptoms during this trip. To a slightly lesser degree, it was still with us in Whitehorse. And it was a good excuse for an early night...
INTRODUCING THE YUKON - A BRIEF SUMMARY
First Recollections: Sergeant Preston of the Yukon
My first recollections of the Yukon were as a child in the 1960s, glued to our first black and white television set watching the action-packed series of Sergeant Preston of the Yukon. A member of the Canadian Royal Mounted Police Force (The Mounties), the brave young Sergeant Preston, with his horse Rex and Alaskan Malamute King of the Yukon, patrolled the Yukon Territory in search of renegades and outlaws during the time of the Klondike Gold Rush of the 1890s. Like most children at the time who were fortunate to have access to a television, I adored the series and couldn't wait to come home from school to watch it - as well as a number of Westerns and cartoon series.
The Yukon Demographics
The Yukon is the smallest and westernmost of Canada's three territories (others being the Northwest Territories and Nunavut). Covering an area of  474,712 square kilometers, it is the third-least populated (0.12 per square km) province or territory in Canada, with a population of just 45,750 (it is said there are more moose in The Yukon than people!). Interestingly, the population has increased by 17.5% from the 2016 census - mostly due to significant levels of Asian immigration. (Wikipedia).  
Geography
The territory resembles that of a right triangle, bordering the US state of Alaska to the west and northwest for 1,210 km, the Northwest Territories to the east and British Columbia to the south. Its northern coast is on the Beaufort Sea of the Arctic Ocean. Its ragged eastern boundary mostly follows the divide between the Yukon Basin and the Mackenzie River Basin to the east in the Mackenzie Mountains. A significant portion of the Yukon lies above the Arctic Circle.
The Yukon is located in a mountainous cordilleran (an extensive chain of mountain ranges) region of western North Canada. The most settled areas are found in a large central plateau surrounded by mountains, including the Selwyn and Mackenzie Ranges of the Rockies to the east; the Logan, Pelly and St Elias ranges to the south; the Ogilvie and Richardson ranges to the west and north. Much of the territory remains unspoilt wilderness. 
A significant portion of the territory lies within the drainage basin of the Yukon River; the southern part of the territory being dotted with many large, long and narrow glacier-fed alpine lakes, most of which flow into the Yukon River system.
Canada's highest peak, Mount Logan (5,959 metres), lies in the Kluane National Park and Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the southwest of the Yukon territory.
Climate and Vegetation
Most of the Yukon has a subarctic climate characterised by long, cold winters and brief, warm summers. The coastal area along the Arctic Ocean has a tundra climate. 
Interestingly, the average winter temperature in the Yukon is mild by Canadian Arctic standards, although no other place in North America gets as cold as the Yukon during cold snaps. The coldest temperature recorded was minus 63° C in the now abandoned town of Snag (the coldest temperature ever recorded in the inhabited world was at Omyakon, Yakutia, Russia, when in 1924, it hit a staggering low of minus 71.2° С. It was a balmy minus 37° C when we visited in 2020). 
Precipitation in the Yukon is very low, with an average of just 250 mm per year in Whitehorse. An Arctic Desert, in fact. We were there in early spring and the land was mostly covered in snow. We reasoned that snow melt in summer would probably account for most of the available moisture for plant growth. 
Vegetation is sparse in many regions due to the dry, cool climate and poor soils. As we observed, it is tough going for much of the vegetation of the territory, and many of the trees are stunted, showing the weakening effects of shallow soils and harsh weather conditions. Notable widespread tree species within the Yukon include the Black Spruce, White Spruce and Birch. In tundra regions above the tree line, the vegetation is dominated by Cotton Grass, mosses and lichens.
History at a Glimpse
The documented history of the Yukon begins with the arrival of Paleo-Indians through the Beringia land bridge (between Russia and Northern America - now Alaska) approximately 20,000 years ago. 
In the 18th century, Russian explorers began to trade with the First Nations people along the Alaskan coast and later established trade networks extending into the Yukon. By the 19th century, traders from the Hudson's Bay Company**, having received substantial government land grants, were an active and powerful force in the Yukon region. At that time, it was administered as a part of the (then) North-Western Territory. In 1870, the United Kingdom transferred the territory to Canada, which became known as the Northwest Territories.
After gold was discovered in the Klondike region***, thousands of prospectors came into the Yukon in search of gold. In 1870, the Canadian government purchased present-day Yukon from the Hudson Bay Company. It was split from the Northwest Territories in 1898 to allow for local government control during the influx of the Gold Rush.   
Although the gold rush ended by the turn of the century, mining developments continued in the territory during the early 20th century. During the Second World War, the Alaska Highway was built through the territory to facilitate the transportation of supplies to neighbouring Alaska.
In 1953, the capital of the Yukon was moved from Dawson City to Whitehorse. From the late 20th century, a number of First Nations in Yukon and other territories entered into land claim negotiations with the Canadian government. 
** The Hudson’s Bay Company, chartered 2nd May 1670, is the oldest incorporated joint-stock merchandising company in the English-speaking world. It was a fur trading business for most of its history; a past that was entwined with the colonisation of British North America and the development of Canada. (Summarised from The Canadian Encyclopedia.)
*** The Klondike is an area surrounding the settlements of Dawson City and Carmacks. (Refer above map)
Modern Economy 
Today, the mining of lead, zinc, silver, gold, asbestos, and copper is the main industry driving the Yukon economy. 
Manufacturing, including furniture, clothing, and handicrafts, together with hydroelectricity, follow in the level of economic importance. Conversely, traditional industries of trapping and hunting have declined.
Tourism is a significant growth industry. The natural and largely undisturbed environment is the main attraction for prospective tourists. Other activities include viewing the Northern Lights, hiking, canoeing, kayaking and spotting wild animals, including polar bears. Dog dogsledding and snowshoe hiking are popular winter activities.
Sadly, hunting is a very popular tourist attraction, especially with people from the US. Organised hunting tours for prized trophy species are big money spinners in the Yukon, with hunters (we are told) paying as much as USD 100,000 per tour. 
DAY TWO IN WHITEHORSE  
A Kind of Relaxing Day
We were surprised at how late the sun rose in Whitehorse. In fact, it was still dark at 8:30 am when we made our way to a late breakfast. Similarly, the evenings set in early.  We were to find, however, like our travels to Svalbard, just how fast the sunrise and sunset times change quickly. We were told that for each day at that time of the year, the sun rose 15 minutes earlier and set fifteen minutes later - a total of half an hour's additional daylight each day. By the time we left for home - just five weeks later - it was light until 11:00 pm. It felt like the rate of change in the seasons had become almost exponential...
Karen, a former work colleague and good friend from Orange, Australia, had married a Canadian geologist and moved to Canada some twenty-five years ago. We knew that she and Farrell had lived somewhere near Whitehorse for some time, but we thought it would not be possible to contact her after so many years. Of course, we should have done so beforehand, but as most know, time has a habit of slipping away. 
And so, we were delighted when Karen answered our call. And more delighted to hear that she and Farrell had enjoyed a fulfilling and wonderfully exciting life together, living in both Canada and overseas. Interestingly, they not long moved from Whitehorse to their current location of Vernon in British Columbia.
Apart from all our catch-up chats, Karen and Farrell were a mine of information about Whitehorse and were full of ideas about how we could fill our day in the city and some of our coming destinations. There were heritage sites, galleries, unique bookstores, museums, cafes and pubs. Their list of suggestions was exhaustive. And we just HAD to have a drink in the bar of the quirky nearby 98 Hotel!
Nearing the end of our conversation, they excitedly added, "When you visit Dawson City, you just MUST go to the Downtown Hotel and experience the famous Sour Toe Cocktail. It's gross, but you have just got to do it!" they enthused. It sounded horrific. And to our dismay, we were staying at the Downtown the following two nights - Dawson City being our first stop on our tour. But that's a story for later...
Exploring Whitehorse - Cleat Considerations... 
Not surprisingly, our number one priority for our morning in Whitehorse was to find the nearest supermarket. Karen had told us that the Independent was the best shop within walking distance, so it became our morning mission. By then, we realised we had very little time as we were due for an afternoon briefing at our hotel with our tour group. 
We decided to wear cleats on our walk on Karen and Farrell's advice. It sounded like a sensible idea as it had rained the night before, and looking from our hotel window, the footpaths and streets were covered with pools of muddy water, many of which had appeared to be refrozen into lethal glassy ice. And although we both have a history of spectacular icy falls, I cannot claim to compete with Alan's phenomenally accident-prone history...
Wearing cleats, however, was an awful chore. From our experience in Greenland, we knew that we couldn't wear them indoors as the spikes easily ruin floors. In fact, it was banned in all shops in Greenland. To exacerbate the situation, our cleats were a nightmare to put on, taking a huge effort from both of us to secure just one of the stubborn creatures over our large snow boots. In Greenland, I worked out that by "pre-cleating" my boots before I left a hotel, I could shop in slippers while wheeling my boots in a shopping trolley. But then I had to put the boots on again to walk outside... It was exhausting; shopping in multiple stores was virtually out of the question.
The process was even more difficult for Alan, who needed to get a seat while taking his boots off and on. And, of course, there was rarely a seat at a shop's front door. When we asked our friends how they fared, they simply replied, "Wear the cleats inside the shops. Everyone does, here. People even shop in their pyjamas. It's pretty relaxed up north!".
A Bit About Whitehorse 
Whitehorse, the capital city of the Yukon, is home to some 30,000 people and is the largest city in northern Canada. Perched on the shores of the Yukon River in the Whitehorse Valley, it is located at kilometer 1426 (Historic Mile 918) of the famous Alaskan Highway (a key road transport route connecting the junction of several major Canadian highways at Dawson Creek, British Columbia to Delta Junction, Alaska via Whitehorse - providing an important transport route through Alaska to Canada and the US). 
Today, Whitehorse is one of the most important cities in northern Canada, the Yukon economic and political centre. It is also a tourism hub and an important centre of First Nations cultures in the Canadian north. Its primary industries are mining and tourism.
For its latitude, Whitehorse enjoys a relatively mild, if subarctic climate, largely due to its valley location and relative proximity to the Pacific Ocean.
Whitehorse was initially settled during the Klondike Gold Rush days of the late 1890s - a sparsely populated tent-and-cabin city booming to become a key terminal for freight transfer from rail to riverboat north to Dawson City, the former capital of the Yukon. The city also became a key camping ground for prospectors moving north. Times were wild, tough and dangerous for the migrants.
A second great population surge occurred in 1942 during World War II, with the agreement of the US and Canadian governments to build the Alaska Highway. During the nine months of construction, the population of Whitehorse swelled from 500 to 8,000.  
Oozing a real frontier atmosphere, it was not difficult to immerse oneself into imagining the frenetic activity, excitement and hardships of its rich and bustling gold rush past and its following war time construction days..
A Short Walk Around Whitehorse
On a cold and soggy morning, we headed off shopping. It seemed to be a long way between shops - or anything - in downtown Whitehorse. 
The city was certainly spaciously set out with broad streets in a grid-like fashion. Not surprisingly, we took a wrong turn and a walk to the local supermarket, which was supposed to take ten minutes, was more like 30... And as usual, the struggle of taking off boots, coats, mittens and gloves was exhausting.
But once again, the people were unbelievably friendly, going out of their way to ask where we were from and if they could help us. Supermarket shopping successful, we decided to head back to the hotel. This time within ten minutes... Needless to say, we didn't have much time to explore.
In the early afternoon, I took a wander down to the then-melting Yukon River. Passing the 98 Hotel, I was tempted to go in and have a drink alone. It would be, I thought, a good experience to witness the inside of the pub and hopefully take some photos for my blog. 
At the entrance, however, stood a group of unfriendly-looking men. Leaning menacingly against the pub wall and staring intently at me as I walked past, I felt more than uneasy. Karen and Farrell had warned us the place could get pretty rough - and somehow, going inside the hotel for a drink didn't seem quite such a good idea. I kept walking toward the Yukon River.
It was only a very short walk to the river, but by the time I arrived, the sun was shining, and the views of the famous river were uplifting. The ice was beginning to melt, and the clear aqua waters were stunning. Across the river were what appeared to be summer houses.
Reluctantly, I had to head back to the hotel for our briefing. I was disappointed. It would have been a lovely time of the day for more walking.  
Introduction to our Tour - A Somewhat Awkward Briefing Meeting
Before we left Australia, Karin of Arctic Range Adventure, advised that our tour was one of the most "internationally represented" groups the agency had organised. There were ten of us on our tour, including our guide and driver, Leo. 
Karin was right. Our group comprised couples from Germany and France, two Austrian women, a young man from Kazakhstan and a delightful Japanese "gentleman". Alan and I were, in fact, the only tour members whose first language was English. Even Leo was from Mexico. And fortunately, if selfishly for us, the tour would be in English.  
Leo briefed the group mostly about the tour route and organisational matters - departure times, timeliness, safety issues, what was covered by the tour and what we could expect in terms of travel and accommodation, etc. Although he asked us a few questions, such as who had been to the Yukon before, who had crossed the Arctic Circle, who had been on the Dempster Highway, etc., at no time were we able to introduce ourselves. It was an awkward meeting.
Leo finished the meeting abruptly, announcing that we must immediately go to the supermarket to shop for food supplies for the following day's lunches. There would be few shop outlets on our voyage, and we should bring food with us. "But how much food?" we groaned. We certainly had not expected this. And seemingly, neither had any of the other members of the group. By then, it was getting dark, and we all had to race back to our rooms to dress - boots, overcoats, hats, mittens and all - for the freezing outside conditions. 
Annoyingly, the last-minute rush appeared totally unnecessary. Many of us could have shopped beforehand - or at the very least, planned what we might need. And we had an early departure the next day. 
At the time, it felt like a disappointing start to our tour.
Note: It was, in fact, a lovely group, and we could not have asked for nicer people. Nor, for that matter, a more competent and helpful guide and driver. We laughed later about the first briefing - we all had felt the same scepticism. After all, the group members were mostly like us in that they had been on very few if any, previous tours. Furthermore, it was Leo's first tour to Tuktoyaktuk. 
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Comments

Grant Ashwell
2024-07-07

A wonderfully interesting read thanks Wendy

2025-02-13

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