Poops Gone Wild
We all know that wilderness in the Yukon is plentiful, and many Yukoners enjoy disappearing off the grid for a weekend or more…
The Great Outdoors
Whether it’s winter or summer, spring or autumn, there are always events and activities to enjoy here in the Yukon. Visitors and locals alike can find adventure and excitement on the water like kayaking, canoeing, swimming and even water bikes! On the land they can discover (and re-discover) a myriad of trails through the boreal forests of the north or up into the many majestic mounts found in the Yukon. From major events like the Yukon Quest and Yukon River Quest to organized nature walks and festive bird counts or just finding that special campsite, there is no end to the possibilities in the Yukon’s Great Outdoors.
Species And Their Feces
Size, shape, texture, colour, smell—scat (or poo, poop, doo-doo … whatever you prefer)—comes in as many variations…
How To Bike Tour
People have been travelling long distances on bicycles since the invention of the two-wheeled vehicle. A British man named John Foster…
Safe Riders
Snowmobiling is a fun and safe activity for the whole family, and riders like you can help us keep it that way.
How’s your etiquette?
Yes, as much as you don’t want to, you really should mind your table manners. However, there’s more to life than just the dinner table…
The Beauty Of Yukon’s Winter
Early winter in the Yukon is a special time of year, and yet it can also be a very bleak time of year. The shorter days feel dreary…
Reindeer Nation
Canada is home to many species such as the beaver, the common loon, the Canada lynx, moose, wolverines—and the list goes on.
Basic Winter Safety
Where we live, winter uses up a lot of our time each year. The duration varies a bit, but it’s still a lengthy period…
Furry Wildlife and Little-Known Facts
Beavers are found in most provinces and territories. They used to be eight-feet long and weigh about 200 pounds.
A Northern Wilderness Escape
Imagine your own cabin, far in the wilderness, steps away from a beautiful lake and spectacular mountain vistas.
So, You Need A Snowmobile
Two- or four-stroke? Long- or short-track? Utility or crossover? Snowmobile shopping can be overwhelming for a beginner…
Off To The Races: Mount Sima FIS Event
Having a ski race, as part of Mount Sima’s pre-season training, were already happening two years ago, according to general manager.
A Hunter’s First Ram
For many hunters that live outside of the Yukon, having the opportunity to hunt and harvest a mature Dall sheep is merely a pipe dream.
Snowmobiling Is A Year-Round Activity
It may sound crazy, but long-time snowmobile enthusiasts will agree with us when we say snowmobiling really can be a year-round activity.
The Yukon by Mountain Bike
Over 700 kilometres of trails, and growing every year. For most residents, it’s a short drive or bike to the mountain biking trails.
The Colour Of Light
There are many different ways we experience energy—from singing out loud, while driving to work, to using hydro-electricity for our power.
Tombstone Tips for Fall and Winter
If we could offer any word of advice on travelling to Tombstone, any time of year, it would be “Be ready for anything.”
Ode To The End Of Autumn
Fresh snow covers the mountaintops, and time seems to be flying by. Blink and you might miss the end of fall.
The Hunter’s First Rifle
The .30 calibre, is 112 years old and still high on the list as one of the most-versatile hunting cartridges in the world.
Hunters Should Definitely ‘HEED’ This Course
The Yukon’s Hunter Education and Ethics Development (HEED) course is a great, free tool for new hunters to begin their first steps.
Biking With Dogs
What makes dogs great biking companions? They never complain, they always want to go with you and make you get outside.
Biking With Your Spouse
Mountain biking, like relationships require work. From the first date to the wedding day, you’re constantly learning how to be with someone.
The Unexpected Joys of Fishing
I never thought that I would like fishing. In fact, as with many things our minds convince us of, I went through the better part of my life certain that I was very happy having nothing to do with piscine pursuits. I didn’t particularly like eating fish and I felt no need to try to catch one. And then I fell in love with a man who loves fishing.
The Yukon 1000: One Canoe, Two Women, One-Thousand Miles
Known as the longest paddling race in the world, as well as the most-remote and self-reliant, the Yukon 1000 is an extreme undertaking that requires strength, endurance, bush smarts and thorough planning.
Coming Back To The Yukon (Part 2)
“I cannot cross the river,” I told my friends as they were about to move on. (The truth was I didn’t want to cross the river.) We were a group of seven people hiking … two of us were staying behind on the beautiful sandy beach at Kusawa Lake, as the others went farther. I felt like sitting back and relaxing. My other friend was feeling the same. We are queens, we said. We don’t like to cross rivers.
Behind Every Great Flea Is A Lesser Flea
An area of land that includes habitat like water, or sources of food and places where animals seek shelter will support specific animals or birds. Because that parcel of land would support a grouse, does not mean the same parcel would support a different population of birds.
Mountain biking, a solo sport (but way more fun with friends!)
Learning to mountain bike solo can be daunting. Having a chance to ride with others and learn the ropes can build skills and confidence.
Cat Camping
Camping with a cat can be both rewarding. Howie the cat got his first taste of camping in the Yukon and made some memories along the way.
Mindfulness on Two Wheels
Exploring the Yukon while exercising mindfulness on two wheels can help you take in all the splendour the territory has to offer.
Coming Back: A German In The Yukon
The call of the Yukon or the call of the wild that so many have heard and have followed, like my friends … they came here and stayed.
Let’s Build A Better Future For Waterfowl
Wetlands are vital for waterfowl reproduction. Unfortunately, encroachment by industry and humans is harmful.
Connection and Healing: The Distances We Go
Learning to appreciate how much time and travel is needed when living in the Yukon can actually provide a calm perspective on life.
Postcards: Yukon Microadventures
The summer days here in the Yukon are wonderfully long, and the midnight sun is perfect for going on adventures & microadventures.
Summer: The wait is (almost) over!
What to do in the Yukon? Since summer begins on June 21, I have compiled a list of 21 super-fun things you can do in the Yukon,
The Simplest, the Smallest and the Most Profound
I was heading to the land for a night, to stay in a small cabin near Atlin. It would be me and the three dogs.
Could You Survive In The Backlands?
If you drove to the forested backlands, could you actually survive a month, a week or even a single day? Yukon Survival.
Wandering Into the Known and Unknown
I decided to take myself for a drive to somewhere I had never been before. I ended up in the Donjek River Valley & Kluane National Park.
Government Camping Fees Set to Rise This Year
World Class. That’s an adjective that sums up the beauty, majesty and ruggedness that is the Yukon landscape. So it’s no wonder that people from all over the world make a visit to the territory a bucket-list priority to fulfill dreams of endless hiking, biking, fishing and hunting, to name a few. Also not surprising …
Three voices on the love of snowmobiling
Notes from ‘Sled Head Lane’ Three voices on the love of snowmobiling “You need to have an intimate relationship with your snow machine.”
The value of hunting & fishing to tourism in the Yukon
Since the early Gold Rush days, hunting and fishing have played a major and valuable role in tourism in the Yukon.
Five years of kicking up a storm
As the Kicksled Revolution rings in its fifth birthday, owner and founder Anne Middler reflects on the past & what she hopes will come.
Photography: Fish Lake Rd. Marshlands
The morning sun back lit the ice fog rising from the open water in the marsh lands on Fish Lake Road during our recent -40 cold snap.
New kid in the park: Hello, bonjour! Welcome to Kluane National Park and Reserve
I’d moved 2,000 kilometres north, alone, for a 4-year term in a little place called Haines Junction. At Kluane National Park and Reserve
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.
Grey Matters: Age-friendly outdoors
“Mr. Spock,” my 1998 camper van (pure luxury) is put to bed. My old arthritic bones will no longer take sleeping on the cold, hard ground.
Spotlight on St. Elias Lake: A family-friendly backcountry experience
St. Elias Lake is a manageable day hike or overnight that can help gauge managing the backcountry, or just a beautiful destination.
Yukon coyotes: The dos and don’ts
Coyotes are survivors and are very adaptable. Unlike other predators, they thrive living in our urban environment.
The Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in BioBlitz
Search and identify species in Dawson City and its surrounding in the traditional territory of Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in
Getting to the Other Side: Tips for safe creek crossings
There it is, a roiling torrent of water in place of the babbling brook you crossed in the morning. Here are some things to keep in mind.
Old Boler, older bones
The Boler trailer was built in Manitoba around 1973. It’s not as old as my old bones, for sure, but there are a number of similarities.
Rev your engines!
Ride for Dad’s annual motorcycle rally helps raise money for prostate cancer research and awareness and it’s back for another summer.
Reconnecting with natural places
People who contemplate the beauty of nature do it in many different ways, some by exploring places that are new to them, others via the familiar rhythms of where they can go from their doorstep.
How to travel the Dempster
Travelling the Dempster Highway is an iconic Northern experience. If it is not on your bucket list, consider revising your list.
A hidden gem – Thechàl Dhâl’ Visitor Centre in Kluane National Park
The beautifully renovated Thechàl Dhâl’ Visitor Centre in Kluane National Park and Reserve opens for the 2021 season.
The Road Less Travelled: The Dempster Part 2
When a Canada 150 project resulted in a road linking Inuvik and Tuktoyaktuk, the shores of the Arctic Ocean were newly accessible. So too, then, were my plans to drive the length of the Dempster Highway.
Racing the clock
The only rule that water seems to obey is that of gravity. Parks Canada collects water samples of The Dezadeash twice per season.
Canoeing this summer?
Whitehorse’s canoe and kayak rental companies are shifting their focus to the local market for a summer without tourists.
The Road Less Travelled: The Dempster Part 1
As the Alaska Highway became more accessible and faded from myth and legend, The Dempster Highway, for me and many others, became the new Holy Grail. It enticed us with the promise of adventure, of unseen vistas.
Starting off on the right foot
Walking, hiking or backpacking is one of the most uncomplicated ways to connect with the natural world.
My experience on the Beaver River
CPAWS Yukon has, for the second year in a row, organized a paddling trip on the Beaver River for the youth of the First Nation of Na-Cho Nyak Dun.
Learning to be a good person through fishing
In 2017 Paul Rath attended the North Words Symposium in Skagway. He joined an early morning session in the library hosted by Deb Vanasse, an experience that led to the birth of his first book, Fishing with My Fathers, earlier this year. “Deb started off the session by challenging us to write out a list …
Know before you go
James Minifie maintains one of the Yukon region’s remote weather stations. The data provided by these units is used to help produce the avalanche forecast. PHOTO: Jennifer Coulter If record-breaking snowfalls and COVID-19 cabin fever have you charging for the hills, come to a full-spray stop and make sure you know how to keep yourself, …
Hot tips for cold camping
Let’s start from the ground up. There’s a reason thick sleeping pads are a hot item, so to speak. The more insulation you have from the ground, the more you’ll increase your warmth.
Green talk with the Yukon Conservation Society
Evolving out of the old tradition of a Boxing Day bird hunt, where people competed to see who could shoot the most birds while walking off their Christmas feasts, birds have officially been counted, and the numbers compiled, by the American Audubon Society, since 1900.
Taking water for granted
In the Yukon, we are spoiled with our abundance of water. Sadly, here and throughout most of North America, we use it (read “waste it”) as if the supply is infinite.
Learning from the land
The Porcupine Caribou Herd is one of the largest barren-ground caribou herds in North America. It numbered approximately 220,000 when it was last counted in 2017, a record-breaking high. Despite this, the herd faces challenges.
Meet the seep monkeyflower
If spring brings Monkeyflowers, what do monkeyflowers bring? Springs! Seep monkeyflowers indicate the locations of underground freshwater springs.
The twice-caught fish
This is a story about an Ontario Northern pike that was caught twice on the same day by two different anglers.
Conservation Photography
I have a confession. I work for CPAWS Yukon and I’ve never been into the Peel Watershed. (The small exception is the time I canoed the Blackstone River when I was a kid). Still, I’ve never hiked the jagged ridgelines of the Mackenzie Mountains, or admired the crimson-speckled stones on the shore of the Snake …
Are beaver ponds wetlands?
Since writing a column on wetlands, a question has come up for me—is a beaver pond considered a wetland?
The Percy DeWolfe committee is ready for its last race, but the event will carry on
In its present form, the Percy DeWolfe Memorial Mail Race is a 210 mile (338 km) run from Dawson to Eagle, Alaska, and back. If you can do that, then you can try your hand at the Yukon Quest or the Iditarod.
Revitalizing the routes that connected the people of North Yukon
North Yukon is honeycombed with routes. It’s an intricate network of trails and waterways that the Gwich’in people have used to move through the area for thousands of years.
Spring snow-ventures
The Thursday evening of the 2018 Easter long weekend was predicted to be perfect bluebird weather with warm temperatures. The snow had not been the best during the season, so it was time to come up with an adventure.
Time on the land – take a child with you
In my fairly lengthy experience dealing with kids in and about outdoor activities, I have found that they are like sponges when it comes to absorbing information. It is rare to find a child who isn’t interested in nature and the environment. Sadly too many youngsters (and adults) have become addicted to the small screen …
Read the land
As long as I remember, I’ve travelled throughout the Mackenzie Delta and Beaufort Coast with my dad. We travelled all over during different seasons hunting or trapping different animals.
Buying a knife
Part 1 of 2 One of the more common errors made by someone young or otherwise inexperienced in selecting a knife is to buy something big (heavy) with a thick, long blade. A common example is any knife similar to the famous Bowie knife or one of those large “survival” knives with the hollow handle, …
Feather adventures
It was 7 a.m. on a Sunday in late January. We put all the ski touring equipment in the car while trying to simultaneously keep the three dogs from escaping the vehicle. I introduced myself to Bryan, who I had just met in person for the first time after connecting on Facebook, and off we went …
The perfect canoe paddle
There are many canoe paddles on the market today, made in many styles, of many materials. The key to buying one to fit you personally is appreciating the adventures you will be undertaking in your canoe. If I was to go kayaking, I certainly would only use the ultra light synthetic paddles, even though I …
The life of a conservation officer
Murray is seen here as a young conservation officer in Ontario In the autumn of one’s life, one often sits back in the easy chair and rehashes all the good and the bad, the indifferent and some moments I don’t care to ever disclose. For the past few years, I have gone one step further …
Buying a knife
Part 1 of 2 Different knives are for different purposes, so peeling potatoes is not as easy with a Leatherman as it is with a paring knife. If your budget allows it, I think a person who hunts and fishes needs three knives. The angler can do a better job filleting fish with a knife …
Much ado about nothing
Zero may be nothing in the world of math, but in weather the significance of this integer is amazing. October is a good time to start talking about zero, as we recently saw the results of a few days of below freezing weather in Whitehorse and the southern Yukon. I will be making much ado …
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 …
Walking stick – what you see, but don’t see
There is an old saying, “I can’t see for looking.” That could be very true when it comes to actually seeing a “walking stick.” The walking stick is a most interesting insect to study. Being from Ontario, where there are plenty of these insects, I had plenty of chances. It’s apparently not so common here …
Snow can keep you warm
With a little know-how and little or no tools, a snow shelter can save your life. It will amaze you how warm you are inside a snow structure.
The history of the canoe
Back in the early 1970s I wrote a monthly outdoors column for an Ontario outdoors magazine. One evening, after a day spent hunting moose, we pulled the canoe up on the sandy shore of an island and started a small campfire a short distance from our tent. I was with my hunting buddy, Dan Thomey, the founding publisher …
How was Your Summer?
How was your summer? That seems to be the question Yukoners ask each other at this time of year. Along with recounting various adventures, most of us give our summery (pun intended) of the weather. We often talk about the summer being hot or cold, dry or wet, but we are actually talking about a …
Get healthy, get outside
Adventure therapy is designed to enhance the support work done in the health, mental health, education, justice and related human service fields. The 7th Canadian Adventure Therapy Symposium (CATS7) is an opportunity for over 100 delegates, including educators, traditional knowledge-keepers, therapists, professionals and students to gather. Together, they share best practices related to connecting people …
Friends discover Yukon
Part 2 of 2: Showing the delights of why we choose to live in the middle of nowhere Day 2 We awoke to a ferry horn blaring its arrival into the port. We went to Glacial Smoothies & Espresso for a delicious breakfast burrito to fuel us for the drive back to Whitehorse. On our …
Wildlife viewing program offers free nature walks and talks
What do mushrooms, squirrels, Kokanee salmon, a salt lake and elk have in common? They’re all things you can see in the upcoming Wild Discoveries events hosted by Environment Yukon over the next month. From a focus on fungi to how elk attract mates, the free evening hikes and talks are being held in and around …
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Friends discover Yukon
When you tell your friends and family that you’ve finally found the place you want to settle, they get a little excited. I mean, after living in London, Moscow, Dublin, Edinburgh, they figure it must be a truly vibrant city with access to the world. Or after living in the Austrian, French and Georgian alps, …
Get out on the land
The Yukon Fish and Game Association’s Youth Outdoor Education Camp took place June 22 to 28 In an increasingly digital and wired world, the annual Yukon Fish and Game Association (YFGA) camp for Yukon youth is an opportunity to unplug from phones and games, experience the land and reconnect with the natural world. “It really …
Camping: Timesaving tips
Foul weather can wreck more than your mood when you’re out camping and hunting moose. Simple tips and tricks.
A Northwest Passage to the sea
(Ed. Note: The following article was first written for the Northwest Passage Project excursion to take place last summer from August 23 to September 13 aboard the R/V Akademik Ioffe. Shortly after departure, the expedition was grounded on the western Gulf of Boothia in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago and cancelled. WUY did not print the …
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 …
Driven to explore
A seven-hour drive north of Whitehorse, or one hour and 30 minutes north from Dawson City, the Tombstone Interpretive Centre sits as the gateway to one of the Yukon’s most iconic territorial parks. The views along the hiking trails serve as the backdrop for countless social media posts from visitors and Yukoners alike. But the …
Just keep paddling
Carmen Gustafson is gearing up for her fourth Yukon River Quest. For those who are fond of stats, that means that by this year’s Canada Day long weekend she will have raced 2,860 km between Whitehorse and Dawson City. To the casual observer this probably sounds crazy, especially when you consider that those paddlers who …
Who invited all these bugs?
Larry has some tips for getting rid of those pesky mosquitoes I’ve often wondered what it would be like to go camping, fishing, hiking or just relaxing by the fire without the abundance of biting insects that seem to enjoy the same places as we do. How about the frustration created by those two or …
In pursuit of the perfect shot
The Porcupine Caribou Herd is thought to have the longest mammal migration on the planet. The image I wanted to capture is hard to describe, but while doing research on the caribou, I saw videos of them in winter, migrating in long lines of thousands. It reminded me of images of the Klondike Gold Rush a hundred years ago, where there was a line of 400 men following a trail straight up the mountain.
Fire – RIGHT NOW!
Many situations need a fire, right now! An emergency or something you come upon. May not even be an emergency or survival situation, yet.
Watching the River Thaw
Members of the Yukon Order of Pioneers (YOOP) have placed the Ice Pool Tripod on the ice of the Yukon River and the tickets for the IODE Ice Guessing Contest, generally just called the Ice Pool, will be on sale at various places between Whitehorse and Dawson City until April 15. The tripod is anchored …
Get a quick and easy fire going
I put wood in the stove, set the Hurlburt fire starter under it and struck a match. Within seconds there was a six-inch flame. After a minute, the wood ignited.
Snowmobile survival gear
A little planning and preparation can save your day in many situations. The winter bison hunts and Dempster Highway caribou hunts are true examples of the extremes in planning and preparation when it comes to snowmobile travel. Some operators, who realize that bad things can happen, carry survival equipment. Others take off without so much …
Snowmobile ice travel
Larry Leigh has some tips to stay safe when venturing out onto ice on your snowmobile
Are you prepared for a forest fire?
First and foremost … I have the greatest respect for all firefighters when they fight a fire—be it a house fire or a forest fire. As a conservation officer in Ontario, we were trained in fighting forest fires. It is one of the most-dangerous jobs you could possibly have, as any minute the fire could …
Tips for cold hands and feet
In cold weather, a head without a hat on it can lose up to 50 per cent of your body heat and some of that wasted heat could have been going to your hands and feet to keep them warm. Your fingers and toes are the parts furthest away from the heat source that is …
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.
Managing avalanche terrain
Eirik Sharp, owner and operator of The Sharp End: Mountain Adventures, with his extensive avalanche background, is bringing change to how the Yukon manages avalanche terrain.
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 …
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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The Northern Seduction
Sebastian Fricke and Rose Seguin share their journey, their “inner compasses” with us as they travel and write on their way through Alaska and the Yukon Having completed our undergraduate degrees, Rose and I were very eager to break free of the bureaucracy and daily grind of city life. We followed our inner compasses north, …
To ‘Looks Like a Caribou’ and back – Part 6 of 6
Driving the Dempster Highway to Tuktoyaktuk, N.W.T. (located on Kugmallit Bay of the Beaufort Sea of the Arctic Ocean), is no big deal..
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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Footwear and foot care
Our feet suffer less and work longer when they are cared for and housed in proper fitting, good quality footwear.
Axes
Axes are very useful tools here in the north where campfires, bonfires and wood stoves are a big part of life. Everybody has at least one tucked away somewhere.
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 …
Moving Mountains
Student Sharon Bubsy examines one of the seismometer stations in remote areas of the Yukon and Northwest Territories. PHOTO: courtesy of the Yukon College Researchers investigate how Earth movement on the coast can affect inland mountains The white-capped Mackenzie Mountains, which spill over the border between Yukon and the Northwest Territories, are surprisingly active… …
Low impact on the land
The sites you choose look good to you or you wouldn’t set up there. Make your best effort to leave them as you found them. PHOTO: Pixabay It really wasn’t too many years ago that campsites could be obvious almost forever due to the accepted practices of the day. Tents were different with straight …
5 Hikes to Get a Taste of Southern Yukon
Here are the top hikes to give you an introduction to the diversity of southern Yukon.
Let’s use that whole bear
Sadly, black bears have an undeserved reputation of not being very good to eat. A number of Yukon hunters, including me, will dispute that thought as black bear is just as delicious any other animal hunted for meat in the Yukon.
Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays the Percy deWolfe race
The Percy deWolfe race is a 210 mile (338 km) run from Dawson to Eagle, Alaska, and back, and is a qualifying race for those hoping to run the Yukon Quest or the Iditarod.
Yukon spring sledding
As those cold, dark winter days start to fade like a bad memory, Yukoners emerge and many will dust off their snow machines, or sleds, in preparation for popular spring sledding.
Top 10 Tips: Backcountry Ski Touring
With the prime backcountry skiing time of spring fast approaching, it’s important to know some safe tips and where to get information before heading out there.
Ropes and the rope bag
Ropes are the long standing traditional way to fasten or tie things down. These days, those ratchet devices with straps and hooks have replaced knots and loops. For some of us older people, ropes are still the logical tie-down tool.
Trek Over the Top Turns 25 this Year
The 25th annual Trek Over the Top snowmobile race will arrive in Dawson City on March 8 and return to its starting point in Tok, Alaska, on March 11. The event has been organized on the Dawson end by the Klondike Visitors Association (KVA) for the last seven years, and this is the second year …
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 …
Hibernation
Ed. Note: This is part seven of a seven part series. Part six can be found in the June 14, 2017 issue of What’s Up Yukon. I’m living a dream and I look forward to the next step… At the end of 2016, I made many diverse acquaintances, each promising me future days, every one …
The wall tent camp
Sleeping on good quality cots with a wood stove it was so comfortable that I stayed eight nights and prob-ably slept better than at home.
Hunting with Gary Sam
I remember well while hunting with Gary Sam he suddenly jumped off his horse and ran into the bush. “I got it,. We ate well that night!
Get your kit and skoot up that hill
Haines’ third annual Kat to Koot winter alpine adventure race begins at the Southeast Alaska State Fairgrounds and ends around six mile Lutak Road by way of Mt. Ripinski summit of 1097 metres. Lindsay Johnson and members of the Haines Alpine Touring Society (HATS) started the race in 2017 as a way to build human-powered …
Vulnerable Ecosystems, Resilient Life Forms
The Yukon’s iconic mountains have captured the attention of visitors from around the world and can easily impart a sense of permanence. For many of us they are alluring because they represent a timeless part of the natural world that makes us feel small, and maybe just a tiny bit insignificant. But this impression of …
Our Northern Summer Invasion: Having a good, old, time with Whitehorse’s RV’ers
It’s Saturday night in Whitehorse and Rose Vegter is wearing a satiny, layered, Klondike dress and feathered headpiece, drinking a beer next to her RV. In the winter she takes on little projects — this winter she designed a period-costume — but for the last seven summers she’s run the Hi Country RV Park. “I …
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Oyster Sauce and Tin Foil
A roll of aluminum foil can be a time and energy saver when cooking over an open fire – or even at home with the barbeque. The first step to minimizing problems is to buy wider and better quality foil. To cook on an open fire, make your fire in the shape of a key-hole …
The Adrenaline-Rush Potential of Mountains
At the end of a refreshing ski or a meandering hike through alpine meadows, Haines Junctioners like to kick back and enjoy life in this beautiful little town. Spoiled for choice when it comes to world class adventure options in our backyard, we have much to offer the outdoor enthusiast. However, Junction Arts and Music …
Out and Away: The First Camping Trip
What did you learn on your first camping trip this year? The first camp of the season is unique. It’s one of the only trips of the year (at least for me) with any kind of objective. Generally, camping for me is about escaping any kind of goal or responsibility. When I am at home …
Festive Fare from Friends
Editor’s Note: Residents of Dawson City are known to enjoy a good get-together with friends, especially in the long months of winter. So we asked a few Dawson “foodies” and party hosts to share some distinctive snack or beverage ideas they enjoy offering their guests during the festive season. Two-Ingredient Coconut Macaroons by Karen Thomas …
Ice-out Lake Trout
The three most targeted fish species in the Yukon are lake trout, Arctic grayling and pike, and are sought after in that order.
Moose Hunt Essentials
A moose will often fall exactly where you had hoped they wouldn’t. Here a prepared hunter shines and the newbie learns a few lessons.
The View From a Horse is Spectacular
Having completed her review of a few basic riding skills, Mandy checked back and forth, matching rider with horse. “You can go with Nakinaw.” She indicated a white mare to one member of our small group, a 40-something fellow who hadn’t ridden since he was 30-something. “And I think Cecil for you.” He was a …
Up, Up and Away From It All
There’s the “bird’s-eye view”, the “eagle-eye view” and then there’s the “flightseeing view”. Sometimes Whitehorse becomes … well, Whitehorse. The lineup at the grocery store was even longer than usual, the traffic on Two Mile Hill makes you wonder if every driver is in fact licensed to operate a motorized vehicle and one or two …