Ice Truckers’ Stop: Oasis in the Wilderness

Tuesday, March 19, 2024
Eagle Plains, Yukon, Canada
HEADING NORTH TO EAGLE PLAINS
Leaving Dawson City OR a Story of Two Glued Fingers.....
We enjoyed our stay in the charming township of Dawson City and were sad to leave. A living museum, the settlement oozed with the character of its Wild West Gold Rush days. It was a pity that most of the stores, cafes and entrances to historic sites were closed, but it did not detract from the sheer pleasure of having historic Dawson virtually all to ourselves.
That morning, we were filled with anticipation as we prepared to follow the Klondike Highway some 40 km east before linking up with the famous Dempster Highway, which would take us another 310 km north to a remote truckers' stop and hotel at Eagle Plains. The following day, we would drive further north, crossing the Arctic Circle and then the Yukon-Northwest Territories border, before arriving at the Inuit township of Inuvik. Our final destination would be the far-flung indigenous settlement of Tuktoyaktuk on the Arctic Ocean, a total distance of 926 km.
We left for our journey north on a sprightly cold but bright sunny morning. Pleasingly, the architecture of the newer houses on the outskirts of Dawson City was in elegant harmony with the older dwellings in the centre of town: fine-looking snow-clad, two-storey peak-roofed houses brightly painted in brilliant reds, deep smoky blues, and two-toned greens. Interestingly, the city was surrounded by rich vegetation. Streets along the town's perimeter were lined with naked, winter-costumed deciduous birch and coniferous species - and the surrounding mountains were thickly forested. And yet, we were not all that far from the southern fringes of the treeless Arctic tundra desert. .
The convivial mood of the tour group participants was infectious. A lot of laughing and good camaraderie ignited a great start to our journey. We were all beginning to relax with each other, and the excitement of beginning our trip to the Arctic Ocean was palpable.
The morning, however, had not been without disasters. In an effort to mend a broken clip on my cosmetics bag, some Super Glue had oozed thickly between my index and middle fingers. I always get covered with glue, but I never had my fingers actually stuck together. I had heard some of the worst jokes about the adhesive properties of Super Glue being irreversible, but thought they were - well, just jokes... In a panic, I tried to force my fingers apart but to no avail. Hot water, I knew, would not dissolve the glue, but it was my only option. Finally, the glue softened to the extent I could just prise my fingers apart, but it was not without some painful raw skin damage. I'll be a bit more careful next time...
Heading North onto the Dempster Highway
Mud and dust covered the outside of our vehicle, and despite brave attempts by Leo and our Japanese group member Takashi to wash the windows, it was almost impossible to see out, let alone take photos. Furthermore, on a minus 15 °C morning, the inside of the windows had completely iced up; the only means of clearing it was to scrape the ice with an old business card. But it was a never-ending task, with the ice re-forming almost immediately after removal. Within half an hour, I had an igloo of shaved ice on my windowsill and then in my lap.        
By this time, I took note of the other passengers and moved from where Alan and I sat to two spare seats at the rear of the bus. It was a good move. Nursing our down overcoats, gloves, mittens, hats and bags on our laps - then having to re-dress when we disembarked the bus was a nightmare. It sounds like a minor inconvenience, but it was the most frustrating process, especially when we kept knocking each other over with our efforts. By this time, it was possible we would kill each other if one of us hadn't moved.... Thankfully, my move freed us from entanglement and allowed me to converse with Takashi and other tour members.
The Dempster Highway; a Road Less Travelled  
Also known as the Yukon Highway 5, the Dempster Highway provides year-round access from the Klondike Highway north to Inuvik in the Northwest Territories. In 2017, a connecting Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk Highway was completed, creating the first Canadian all-weather route to the Arctic Ocean.   
The Dempster Highway extends 736 km north to Inuvik, crossing the Peel and Mackenzie Rivers and forging through the rugged Ogilvie and Richardson Mountain ranges. Spanning remote regions of the Yukon, the crushed stone and gravel highway passes through the Tombstone Territorial Park and numerous Inuit-claimed (Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in) lands.
The Dempster is renowned for its beautiful scenery, fantastic geography and unique wildlife. According to German group friends Edith and Wolfgang, who some years ago completed the highway journey by car during the warmer autumn months, it is equally stunning in the fall as it is in the winter seasons. Just totally different without the snow....
From Dawson City to Eagle Plains, there are no facilities for food, water or fuel provisions. Travellers are warned to take with them all necessary supplies, and drivers are advised to carry at least two spare tyres. In Dawson City, Leo had emphasised the need for us to stock up on food and be entirely self-sufficient. Luckily, we could shop in the tiny supermarket, and we also had some cold leftover pizza, which we hoped might be more appetising than our bland cheese and dry biscuits. Oh, and the well-licked-finger-in-the-butter.
Reflections on the Women of the Klondike
Having given up on my window ice-scraping efforts, seeing much of the outside for the next part of our journey was almost impossible. I gazed at our opaque frost-coated frozen windows and wondered how those early gold prospectors survived. Of course, a lot didn't...  
After a brief chilly minus 17° C stop to take photos at the junction of the Klondike and Dempster Highway, I was reminded of how wretched the conditions must have been for the miners. Back in the days when Arctic-quality clothing just hadn't happened, and most prospectors lived in tents or shanty dwellings, the unfortunate souls had to rely on their limited supplies and sheer strength to survive, let alone make a living. 
I thought about the Dawson City Museum displays we had seen the day before and the resilience of the Klondike women, many of whom had no experience in sub-Arctic conditions, let alone mining for gold. 
In 1898, during the Gold Rush peak, there were only 500 women out of a population of some 16,000 in Dawson City. Some came as wives accompanying their husbands. Others were single. They worked as shopkeepers, cooks, launderers, dancers, entertainers, sex workers, nurses, doctors, and gold miners. Others, such as Faith Fenton of the Toronto Globe, were among several journalists who covered the Gold Rush. 
"At the bottom of the social ladder were the prostitutes. In the middle were the cancan dancers, and at the top were the more "respectable" homemakers and small business owners..... Life at the bottom was grim. The veteran prostitutes knew what to expect. They faced a high probability of dying young from venereal disease, tuberculosis, malnutrition, or violence at the hands of pimps or clients. Dance hall entertainers fared better, with some like 'Diamond Tooth Gertie' becoming famous...." (Quotation from Frances Backhouse prior to her book "Women of the Klondike" being published in 1989. Wikipedia).
Among the extraordinary women settlers of Dawson City were the Catholic Sisters of St Ann. Bravely, they ran a hospital and treated around 1,100 patients during a typhoid epidemic in 1898.
Other famous women included Nellie Cashman, a female miner who arrived in Alaska with experience from boom towns all over the West before the Klondike Gold Rush. Nellie made her name not solely as a miner but also as a site manager and supplier of hotel, store and restaurant facilities. 
"There were dozens of fascinating characters among the Gold Rush Women, as well as ordinary individuals. They need not be glorified, but they should be remembered" (Frances Backhouse, 1989) 
Through Tombstone Territorial Park - 
Our journey north followed the North Klondike River, passing through the Tombstone Territorial Park within the Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in Traditional Territory. Spanning a massive 2,200 square km, the park is home to a unique sub-Arctic wilderness of rugged peaks, fascinating permafrost landforms and abundant wildlife.
Road-accessible camping grounds are available, and an interpretive centre is open during the warmer months from mid-May to mid-September. Needless to say, it was closed when we passed through. But then again, who in their right mind would camp in temperatures of around the minus 20°'s, especially with a sizeable bear population? Interestingly, one of the campsites had the less than appealing name of "Grizzly".
It is all well to know that winter camping has its challenges. However, Arctic travel in summer also has some major issues. And that's without its active bear population... A confronting aspect of summer Arctic travel is the breathtaking amount of mosquitoes resulting from the ice melts. And I mean breathtaking. It is a phenomenon not often mentioned in the literature but important for prospective Arctic summer travellers to know about. During a summer trip to the far eastern Russian peninsula of Kamchatka, the mosquitoes were so thick that the air was grey, and we could not breathe without inhaling them. Apart from being bitten to death, probably the worst part was violently choking and vomiting the wretched beasties back up... (Refer to travel blog "Siberia: Russia's Eastern Eagle" http://v2.travelark.org/travel-blog/crowdywendy/8 )
The Ogilvie Ranges Toward Eagle Plains
From Tombstone to the Ogilvie Ranges, the countryside was stunning; wide snowy valleys along the North Klondike River with magnificent views of the distant Ogilvie Ranges.
As we drove further north, the vegetation began to thin. Mostly birch, spruce and aspen species, the vegetation was primarily confined to the more protected valleys, or found meticulously following the more obvious waterways. Most of the trees were frost-covered, providing a light spectacle of illuminated, sparkling bare branches against a cold, pale, formidable sky. 
Many paw and bird prints were deeply embedded in the roadside snow; some looked like marmot-sized animals, others more like the familiar rounded paws of foxes. And yes, there were heaps of the inevitable large plate-sized bear prints. Eagles and many other birds of prey soared across stormy skies, and occasionally we would see beautiful snowy white ptarmigan. Sadly, we did not spot larger animals such as caribou, bear, lynx or foxes. We did, however, see some beautiful white Arctic hares and the nervous scatterings of some very cute marmots.
Following the Ogilvie Ranges, we stopped at the Ogilvie Ridge viewing point. Although it was snowing and the weather was beginning to deteriorate, we were treated to stunning views of the high tundra plains toward Eagle Plains and the distant Richardson Mountains. As a feeble sun faded into a stormy slate blue sky, we could have been on another planet. 
Eagle Plains - Four Hundred Kilometers from Anywhere.
Late in the afternoon, we arrived at the quirky settlement of Eagle Plains. Home to a hotel, a truck stop and an eight-person population, it is a haven for truckers and travellers on the remote Dempster Highway. Located about halfway between Dawson City and Inuvik, Eagle Plains is at least 400 km from anywhere and the only stop for fuel, food and accommodation between the two towns.
We were expecting our accommodation to be basic. To our surprise, however, the hotel was charming and equipped with an older-style cafeteria/restaurant, a bar and very comfortable self-contained rooms. We were happy. Our room was certainly all we needed; cozy, clean, nicely furnished, and far more than we expected.
Interestingly, most guests were truck drivers, with their massive tankers and huge articulated transport vehicles forming long parallel queues at the front of the tiny hotel. The presence of the lively truck drivers and the establishment hosting a real working community provided a certain atmosphere of excitement. Sadly, and once again, the bar was closed, but our interesting interaction with the truckers and other guests made up for any disappointment with the lack of bar facilities. And we did manage to buy some beer. Apologetically, the waiter told us the bottles were not cold. That was no problem. After a few minutes of being packed in snow, they were absolutely icy cold. 
Our group had dinner together. A generous lot, they were very inclusive of our two individual group members Takashi and Nathan, and insisted that we join them as well. The food was average. But we were certainly not complaining. 
And anyway - just look at where we were - in the midst of nowhere on the edge of the Canadian Arctic Circle...
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Comments

Valeria
2024-08-18

Thank you for the story! Oh, the harsh climate there

Wendy
2024-08-23

Спасибо большое, дорогая Валерия! Было холодно но не так холодно, как в России. В Билибино, Чукотка, было минус 55 градусов!

2025-02-10

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