hiking

Sam McGee Hike from Conrad

If you’re looking for an adventure day hike with rewarding views at top, look no further than the Sam McGee trail near Conrad Campground.

A bear spray refresher

They may still be good, but who wants to learn they don’t work while facing a bear? Each container has only eight seconds of spray.

Starting off on the right foot.

Starting off on the right foot

Walking, hiking or backpacking is one of the most uncomplicated ways to connect with the natural world.

The big rock

When I began to walk my dog this morning, I noticed that she had a slight limp and was favouring her right front leg. I thought that it would be better to stay on the level trail and have a somewhat shorter walk than usual. We would only go as far as the big rock. …

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Hikes fall away

When the aspen and willow are sporting their rich reds and yellows, some of the most scenic landscapes can be found in our backyard and some of the trails are much more than a walk in the woods. Spirit Canyon is no exception. A friend and I went this smoky September. It’s an easy 1.5-hour …

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Can you get to Canyon from here?

Are you into history and/or walking? Maybe you prefer history and exploring beautiful places, but not walking? Either way, I’ve got you covered. If you’ve never been, Canyon City is a must. Nestled within Whitehorse city limits, this ghost town is not only a beautiful place to explore, but also a Yukon Heritage Site. The …

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A mountain of possibilities

What’s the best part of winter in the Yukon? Why, it’s sleeping in and still being up at the crack of dawn to go on an adventure, of course.

Bear Mountain – A redux

If you’ve read about our first attempt to climb (or even glimpse) Bear Mountain, you may be wondering how or why we ever returned. I wish I knew myself, with any sort of confidence. Was it the resentment of failure? Was it the undeterrable enthusiasm we had for this climb? Was it because of a …

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Poetry Corner: Kylie Campbell

Submitted by Kylie Campbell I’m not much of a poet, but here’s something I wrote while on the trail, with a picture at the Chilkoot Pass summit, looking down towards Dyea. Standing atop the Golden steps, The scales far below my feet, The Chilkoot Pass. I’ve arrived. I’ve survived. The breeze sweeps coolly through the …

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Bear Mountain: A loving tribute to a living nightmare – Part 2

Things started off great when we immediately got off trail (we wouldn’t know this till days later). We attempted to follow some GPS tracks I plucked from the internet. This involved scaling a wet, lushly vegetated and slippery mountainside. This became increasingly tiresome and ludicrous, with steep precipice falls a constant reminder of our mortality. …

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Adventure Awaits

Recently I visited Kluane National Park. After a few hours of driving and only a hike through the forest, I was in my element—a world of rock and grand vistas. My friend and I were on Sheep Mountain, a very popular trail, and I can see why it is popular. We came within 100 metres …

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International Falls

International Falls. You’ve probably seen the signs, but have you gone for the hike yet? If not, what are you waiting for? Just past the Fraser border crossing, it’s a pretty chill adventure you can easily do enroute to Skagway. Shortly after you pass Canadian customs (you will see a rest stop on the left, …

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Bear Mountain – A loving tribute to a living nightmare

In the late summer of 2016, my friend Dan and I attempted to climb Bear Mountain, a 2,400-metre tall peak situated in the North Cascades National Park, just south of British Columbia. The north buttress of this mountain offers 670 metres of superb alpine granite. Tucked away in northern Washington, the base of the climb …

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Walk, hike, stroll …

Walk … “You weren’t in any hurry to walk,” my mother said as she showed me a photo of myself at 15 months, happily sitting on a blanket in the yard. But after a late start, there was no stopping me. I walked to school almost every day of my long student career, walked to …

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Footwear and foot care

Our feet suffer less and work longer when they are cared for and housed in proper fitting, good quality footwear.

Art meets nature and history

Miles Canyon holds a special place in the story of Whitehorse. Each summer, the Yukon Conservation Society invites Yukon artists to participate in a two-day workshop to create pieces inspired by this special place.

Magic on the Trail

Visual artist Hilary Lorenz will take hand-crafted cards along her art adventure on the Chilkoot Trail in July.

Skagwegian Camping 101

Our American neighbours do things a little differently… I have not made the trip to mainland Alaska yet, but my experience of those oddballs and genuinely interesting characters that live in the tiny village of Skagway truly are one of a kind. Hiking and camping are certainly a great way to get out and explore …

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This is the way…

March is the perfect time of year to plan ahead for a “camino.” April and May in Spain offer green fields flecked with red poppies, storks nesting in bell towers, cuckoos calling in the woods and grape flowers smelling sweet on the vines. Camino means “way” or “road” in Spanish. The Camino de Santiago, or …

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Skagway shenanigans

Early morning at 7 a.m. on Saturday, December 23 I began my journey to Skagway. The brisk Whitehorse temperatures of -27ºC would be a distant memory once I got to Alaska. I arrived to a balmy -6ºC in Skagway and I started the trek up to Upper Dewey Lakes on the steep snowless tracks, regretting …

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There and back

The Nā Pali Coast’s Kalalau Trail is a stunning 18-kilometre there-and-back hike on the north coast of Kauai, Hawaii. Often topping Greatest-Hikes-in-the-World lists, along with Most-Dangerous-Hikes-in-the-World, it promises a rugged trek along incredibly steep rain-forest mountain-sides, long side trails to massive waterfalls, deep blue water and crashing waves, and an opportunity to sleep on a …

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The Week that Was…

Once summer arrived, along with consistent plus 25 temperatures, it was time to enjoy some swimming, hiking and generally the beautiful weather in Yukon. (In the Yukon, if you see a single day of plus 20, there is a likelihood it will come to fruition, but a few days showing the same, you’re guaranteed good …

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The Last, Loveliest Smile

I never took much notice of something as simple as the seasons until moving North. Pre-Yukon, I was rather unmoved by the monotonous blend of greens extending from the mossy forest floor to the heights of the coniferous giants on Vancouver Island. And as much as I love the “wet-coast”, seasons seem to meld into …

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Getting Further, Going Lighter

Even from the isolation of our north of 60 towns, one is able to equip themselves without reaching onto internet shelving any more than necessary. With so many amazing, new, big-ticket items, some of the things that have really changed the way I pack – and, subsequently, the way I hunt – are often under …

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Hiking Miles Canyon to Canyon City: A Landscape with a Past

One of the most visited attractions in Whitehorse, the Miles Canyon Suspension Bridge, is a great launching point for interesting half-day hikes. Located about 10 minutes from downtown by road, the historic 95-year-old suspension bridge (which has been recently repaired) is connected to a well-established network of trails east of the Yukon River, in Chadburn …

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Hiking the Same Ol’ Trail

I never understood how people love to go camping at the same spot year after year, or walk the same trail over and over, canoe the same river, or go to the same mall. I realize now that we all have different goals. I myself have a strong desire to explore. And finally, I am …

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An Epic Weekend of Hiking

The saying in Yukon is you only truly experience the Yukon when you get out in the wilderness, and those words are accurate beyond belief. From incredible hikes, to a free boat ride, to some refreshing beers and a Sunday afternoon Canadian barbecue… it was a busy, but great weekend! After a month in Whitehorse, …

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Ice Cave

On a spring hike to the ice cave near Haines Junction, we found that the ice cave looks more like a bridge. Neither did we cross that bridge nor did we go under it. After reading a CBC news story called “Once a local secret, visitors flock to Haines Junction ice caves,” by Karen McColl …

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Wicked Fit

Ryan MacGillivray has been sheep hunting for 10 years. Three years ago, he had the idea to start a boot camp for sheep hunters. He did this because he knew the participants in the camp would push him to train harder for the sheep hunting season. “Well, I wanted people to work out with,” he …

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Yukon Pilgrims Gather

Whitehorse resident Dianne Homan knows people make the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage for many reasons. So on March 15, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., she and the Yukon chapter of the Company of Canadian Pilgrims are hosting an informal presentation about “the Camino experience” at Hidden Valley School. Located in western Europe, the Camino …

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Taking on Sunshine Crack

I sleep in the next morning and Dan and I take it slow. Ironically named, Sunshine Crack faces north and does not catch sun until late in the day. It is cold in the Bugaboos, despite it being late July. Our approach is easy however and we are at the base by 11 a.m. There …

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Taking the Kain Route

We begin the next day by eating cereal with rehydrated milk powder, gathering our things and setting out. The hike and scramble to the base of the climb involves navigating past several glacier pools, ascending a snow ramp in crampons, and scrambling up a loose low-angle rock slab. Upon reaching the saddle between Bugaboo Spire …

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Bugaboos, Part 1

Due to the geographical layout of the valley we ascend, Anniversary Peak and Hound’s Tooth remain in view for most of the way while all other peaks are generally obscured by trees and hills. The hike takes us three hours, with few breaks, and spits us out onto an incredible plateau of rock, overlooking the …

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Haiti after Hurricane Matthew

The eye of Hurricane Matthew hit the Tiburon Peninsula, the southwest tip of Haiti, on October 4th. With winds that blew 230 kilometres an hour and up to 500 millimetres of rain in two days, it was the strongest storm to hit the country in 50 years, according to the NASA website. The storm stripped …

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To go where few people go: I wonder if that is why we saw four wolverines playing?

On August 13, my friend Nancy Ohm and I went for a hike in my backyard. I’ve been working on a walking trail towards the mountains for 20 years. I am making slow process, using only a small ax and clippers. Lately, I have seen signs of people, probably neighbours, establishing the trail. Great! Still, …

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Heavy Metal Mountain

As Tom unpacked he took inventory: sub-Arctic self-erecting tent, sleeping bag, water/bear proof ruck sack full of high protein granola and astronaut food, zinc for the nose, GPS, selfie stick. He hadn’t been camping in years, since his last fall in the Yukon 20 years ago. But here he was, back again. Roughing it for …

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On memory, and bears

This is a story from many years ago, about the day I was followed by four bears – a close-call bear encounter kind of story. I was on a solstice hike up Kelvin Mountain with Allison Morham and Jane Vincent. Jane and I see each other regularly, but I only run into Allison every few …

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Yukon’s Best Friend: DOG CULTURE, Barabra Phillips

DOG CULTURE: Submitted by Barabra Phillips Thembi, my Bernedoodle on a hike near Tutshi Lake What’s Up Yukon is pleased to partner with the Yukon Transportation Museum’s Dog Culture Display, “Yukon’s Best Friend: Doggedness in Love and Labour”. Your photos will be on display at the dog culture exhibit so be sure to stop in Sundays & Mondays 12-5. Selected submissions …

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Final Days and Thoughts

The final week of Icelandic adventuring saw us completing the Ring Road, which encircles the whole country and has tourist spots dotted along the way. We followed it east and gradually north through glacier-domed mountains, bucolic sheep folds, thundering waterfalls and glistening black alluvial beaches that stretched along the coastline for miles at a time. …

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Searching for Inner Truth on the Chilkoot Trail

Whitehorse resident Maureen McCulloch wrote her debut novel to bring a message into the world. She wrote the book under the pseudonym, Maureen Senecal. “I used Angels and Aliens to bring the message that mankind needs to work together for the survival of our planet,” McCulloch says. “The book also points to the critical need to …

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Remember Walking?

I still see a number of people out walking for exercise and just the enjoyment of it. It’s kind of a mindless activity at least on a smooth path, where you can unwind yourself or unwind an issue. Sadly for many, the only walking they do is to get to their vehicle or when leaning …

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Getting in Sheep Shape

We drove four hours from Whitehorse to one of my favourite fishing lakes, then an hour and a half across. As a sheep hunter that’s all the info we give on our hunting spots. If you know where that is, you know the Yukon better than I do. Looking up the side of the mountain …

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Things the Forest Hides

Talking to my friend Mary Whitley, a fellow explorer, we started discussing how many trails we had found this summer that we did not even know existed. She was finding them on her side of town around  Mount Lorne, and I was finding them on mine around the Mendenhall Subdivision. So, on one of those …

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Beyond Thought

walking trails. We live not close to nature, but in nature. What is great is that so many of us are out there daily on the walking trails enjoying it. But we are also busy folks. We go to our jobs, get the kids to school and back, volunteer, coach and generally spend time being …

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Lists, Colour Coding and Labels

People new to outdoor activity such as hunting, hiking and camping are likely a bit more organized on the second or third trip than they were on the first one. At first the newbie often just stuffs the pack and gear boxes in no particular order and, unless they are lucky, has to go through …

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Ready to Rock the North

The Midnight Sons Band is fresh off a tour and ready to rock. On Saturday, October 3, the band is presenting – and performing at – Rock the North, which is an all-ages dance at the Yukon Convention Centre featuring the rockabilly/psychobilly band Ryan McNally and his Red Hot Ramblers, and Victoria bluesman Jesse Roper. …

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Lost, Who Me??

I bet almost every  backpacker, hunter or any other outdoor person has been lost in the bush, at least for a short time. Most won’t admit it, but will agree that they were, “temporarily unsure of their location” or “I got turned around.”   It’s a blow to your ego to come clean and admit …

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Hiking: Other Essentials

In previous columns, I’ve talked about food, tents, packs, boots, foot care and outer garments. Now let’s look at other things that range from nearly essential to nice-to-have. Cleanliness needs can be met with biodegradable products, or with a part bar of soap from the bathroom and a small shampoo from the travel section of …

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A smoky pinnacle beckons in a hiker’s personal Shangri-La

Yes! This month, Jane Vincent is coming with me on an attempt to climb the pinnacle. It’s a pinnacle I now call Dragon Mountain. Recently, hiking there on my own, setting my own pace, very aware of my surroundings, I was in tune for miracles. The mountain was un-named; a mountain in a range of …

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kiteboarder

Carcross: Hiking, biking and … Kiteboarding

Carcross has always been known for hiking. Lately, with Montana Mountain right next door, it has become a favoured destination for biking, too. Now, word is filtering out to the world that Lake Bennett is offering up some world-class opportunities for kiting. You’ve seen it before: whenever a soft-drink company wants a commercial to show …

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On Backpacks

Since people come in different lengths, so do packs. Most quality packs have frame adjustments to lengthen and shorten the unit. Some have no adjustments, but that’s fine if it fits you at the length it is. Don’t buy it simply because the price is right.

Slim’s River West Trail

I am making my way up a mountain. I am alone, tired, and very thirsty. The nearest road or person is 30 km away. The sun has just disappeared behind a mountain; I know it will be dark shortly. I must make it back to my tent soon, or risk crossing a rushing creek in …

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A Hike or a Walk

Both hiking and walking use feet for propulsion. A walk is often more leisurely, unless it’s your mode of exercise, and it’s done without a load. A walk is usually undertaken close to home, it doesn’t usually cover too much distance, and it usually ends where it started. A hike, on the other hand, often …

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Hiking the West Coast Trail

Gruelling. Gruelling is the word used to describe the West Coast Trail in the official online guidebook. The trail is a 75-kilometre backpacking trek, situated on the southwestern edge of Vancouver Island. It boasts equal parts beautiful, dense green rainforest sections, ocean cliffside views, mud bogs, old growth trees, waterfalls, and scenic ocean beach sections. …

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Hiking “Winter Mountain”

When the girl-gang goes hiking, we like to do as little driving as possible. The girls live in town. I don’t. So, we try to find a hike in the middle. I’d never done this hike before. But it is quite magnificent, a little comparable to the Coal Lake area, but in my opinion, even …

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Hunting with and for Family

Around this time ever year I spend hours looking at maps and checking over equipment to ensure it can handle another hunting season. All the while, I hope I will be lucky enough to provide healthy, wild Yukon meat for my family. We are very privileged to have the resources we do. The Yukon is …

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My View on Optics

Whether you’re a hunter, bird-watcher, naturalist, or a combination of all three, optics play a big part in the activity. Sure, wildlife can be spotted with the naked eye, but a device to magnify your vision is crucial if you want to see the creature in detail. A hunter’s ability to distinguish the sex of …

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Mystery Solved

Last year, on a hike up Vanier Mountain nearby Kusawa Lake, my friend spotted a black and white mountain across the lake. The north side of the pyramid-shaped mountain was black and the south side white. It was mysterious to me. How could one side be black, and one side be white? I dug a …

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A Spring Hike

I have been on several day hikes this spring, and spring was very marginal this year. Winter just didn’t want to let go. On the day of my last hike there were flurries and cool temperatures forecast everywhere in the territory. We aimed to climb Stony Creek, but as the Johnsons, a gold mining family …

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Wine Indoors or Out

Two weekends ago, a friend and I drove up the road from Rabbits Foot Canyon, to Fish Lake, to take her dog for a walk. While the roads were mostly dry, there was still a good foot or two of snow scattered intermittently along the path that we walked. The sky was blue and the …

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Breaking Trail

I was excited to get going on a great un-day walkabout. We hadn’t been on a good adventure for a while due to my week-long flu. During that time, the only walking we got in was to the neighborhood movie store and back. Oscar was a bit confused as to why I was in bed …

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Budget meals for backpacking

I haven’t had any freeze-dried back-packing meals for a long time. They may have changed, but I always found them to be very expensive with very small servings. In order to fill my stomach and keeps the costs down, I’ve always travelled with the food described in this article. The first step is getting an …

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Squash Mountain

I Iive about a 15-minute drive from Stony Creek. Stony is well known for the best drinking water ever and, of course, for the raspberries that people from all over come to pick. There are always enough, no matter how many pickers – bears, gophers, chipmunks and humans. The raspberry season in the big gravel …

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Honing Their Outdoor Skills

“You get to learn how to notice the plants around you, how to shoot a rifle, how not to ground your boat in the river, how to pack properly for a multi-day hike, and you get to have fun and relax while you’re doing it,” says Nansi Cunningham. Cunningham is speaking about the annual Yukon …

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Orpheus Mountain

We have been enjoying an endless, beautiful fall this year. A few Fridays ago, still having lots of things on my To Do list, I knew I had to into the mountains again. As I am not much of a planner, I had not arranged to go with anyone. Now, I actually do like hiking …

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Yukon’s Own Middle Earth

Somewhere high in the mountains there is a small, deep lake in between three mountain peaks. It’s a magical place. It was a golden summer day in autumn. More golden because the poplar leaves turned very yellow this year, and more summery because this September we had an incredible amount of sunshine and 3 whooping …

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Climbing and Being Climbed

There are little leaps and big leaps, little walks and big walks. I like the idea of “keep on walking”, day after day, farther away. There are people who do that, and I don’t know if it ever will be me. I haven’t even gone on overnight hikes for a few years. Not that I …

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