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On the Yukon The Great River Journey’s Yukon River expedition is a combination Yukon River cruise and lodge experience. My recent travel with them was a wonderful mix of history, wildlife-viewing, and outdoor activities. The trip started in Whitehorse, the largest city of Canada’s Yukon Territory. We had a fascinating tour of the SS Klondike, one of the last stern-wheeler river boats, then walked along the waterfront, met our captain, and boarded the specially designed craft that would be our transportation to explore the river almost every day. The First Nation name for the craft is Shakat; which means Summer Journey in the First Nation Tutchone language. The boat is retrofitted with first-class airplane seats for extra comfort. It has a shallow draft to get into hidden places and has wrap-around glass that allows for easy viewing in any direction. The company soon will have three of them. Our small group was introduced to our young enthusiastic guide, Marchelo, who right away began to tell us of the history of the river. Most of the exodus of people into the Yukon area, he told us, was due to the Klondike Gold Rush of 1898. For history buffs of this time period and for wildlife enthusiasts the river trip was an amazing experience. We left Whitehorse and traveled about two hours to our first overnight stop. Even along this short stretch of river we saw numerous birds including Bald Eagles, and I was lucky enough to spot a deer. Since we were exploring the unpopulated wilds of the Yukon, I had expected a somewhat rustic experience onshore. When we arrived at LaBarge Lodge, our home for the next two nights, I was happily shocked at the spacious, well equipped and comfortable accommodations. There was a main lodge plus individual cabins.
This is a good time to mention the bugs. Depending on when you go to the Yukon, you will have black flies and/or mosquitoes. I live in Florida and we have our share of mosquitoes … there are more in the Yukon, but they are not as mean as ours in Florida. I was happy to find that with regular application of mosquito repellent, being outside at any hour was quite enjoyable. I find that DEET-based commercial repellents don’t agree with me so I was also happy to discover Insect Reject made by HerbalWise (http://herbalwise.us.com) worked as well as other brands and used a non-irritating combination of herbs and essential oils. I did need to reapply more often, but was not bothered at all, by mosquitoes or side effects. We spent two wonderful days at LaBarge Lodge. Some of us got up early the first morning to join Marchelo for fishing. Fishing licenses are available right there at the lodge, and they have a great selection of spinning rods and fly rigs for everyone to use. We enjoyed short hikes, fishing, paddling canoes and kayaks in spare time between meals. After lunch one day all of us enjoyed an invigorating paddle up nearby Grizzly Creek.
Along the narrow creek we could see many animal tracks, birds and beautiful wildflowers rolling over every bank. Because we had a hardy bunch of Canadians with us on this trip we chose to portage over two sturdy beaver dams to explore all the way up the river to where it was only a few feet wide. That night we felt we earned our local micro-brew beers, wines and other drinks. The next day going from Lake LaBarge we traveled downstream, passing young explorers on 30-day canoe trips from Whitehorse to Dawson City. In one place we met two intrepid paddlers from Germany who regaled us with their travel tales for almost an hour. As we returned to our protective, comfortable craft they began to reload their small cramped canoe. One of the guests from our group who enjoyed the sharing of their time gave them a bottle of wine and an apple, the first fresh fruit they had seen in two weeks. As we traveled further downstream we were all thankful for the comfort in which we chose to explore. At lunch we stopped at Ft. Selkirk, a well-restored historic site. We met a First Nation shaman, heard stories of ghosts (did we see one in that one house?!). We saw wild grouse and a porcupine and picked wild berries along the trailside.
After lunch we traveled a bit longer to our meeting with the float plane and a
flight over the river. We could see the river curving below us and could see
wild mountain sheep on the mountain sides. It was exhilarating. After the short
flight we were taxied up to our next abode, the Homestead Lodge. From Homestead Lodge we traveled further downstream stopping at places of interest such as steamboat stops, fishing holes, historic cabins, and to view wildlife. There are old wrecked steamboats and other abandoned boats all along the river. We were lucky enough to be the first overnight guests at the Coffee Creek Camp. This is the most rustic of the stops, though still wonderfully comfortable, everything a bit more casual and relaxed. A few of us went for a hike through the woods, some chose to relax on the porch to read and relax. Our passage continued the next day for our longest day on the boat, heading for the frontier town of Dawson City. We were met at the dock by a horse-drawn covered wagon which took us on a short tour of the town and dropped us at our hotel. Dawson City has kept its Klondike gold-rush boom-town look and feel. Some stores in town even still accept gold dust for payment. Dawson City’s dirt streets and wooden sidewalks beckon the traveler to shop for Indian crafts, local historical books, gold from the local streams and other interesting potential gifts. For nightlife there were places like Diamond Tooth Gerties (http://www.dawsoncity.ca/) where you can find gambling, floor show and much more. Or you can become a member of the Sour Toe club (http://www.sourtoecocktailclub.com/) at the Downtown Hotel. The Great River Journey trip http://www.greatriverjourney.com also included trips to First-Nation-operated Dänojà Zho Cultural Centre, gold panning and dinner at the Commissioner’s house. If you decide to go to the Yukon, you can also schedule your trip around some of the events that happen in Whitehorse and Dawson City such as music and art festivals or Canada Day. While in Whitehorse be sure to explore Main Street which is a short walk from the main hotels. http://www.visitwhitehorse.com . On Main Street you will find great places for food for every taste and shopping. If you are feeling a little tired after traveling to the Yukon you can call Anni Elliston who has an acupuncture and herb center where there are massage therapists. If you want a massage in Dawson City call Sandy McClintock. Because the Yukon is truly the land of the Midnight Sun and you can read a book outside at midnight, you should also bring a blindfold for sleeping at night. So who better
to sum up the feel of the Yukon
than the famous poet Robert Service, who made his home in
Dawson City and wrote
in “The Spell of the Yukon”:
-- By Robert Linde
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