Adventuring On Atlin Road
A friend said to me, “It’s boring there. There is nothing exceptional about Tarfu. It’s worth skipping.”
I’ll admit, I have long passed over Tarfu Lake. It didn’t seem like a primary destination for Yukoners. Often, I’d heard of it as “overflow camping” for the more popular and coveted Snafu Lakes.
The 50 Lakes project has me pushing past any reason to skip it. On Tuesday evening, after a long day of work in Whitehorse, I made my way South, down the Atlin Road, to the end of a 4 km gravel road, past the chain of Kettle Lakes, to the Tarfu Lake Campground and launch spot for my evening paddle.
My friend’s voice resonated still. “There is nothing exceptional about Tarfu. Nothing that can’t be found on any other Yukon lake.” It turned out that he was exactly right.
There, along the far shore of Tarfu, I watched two beavers striping leaves off a branch and they, in-turn, were watching me paddle by on my stand-up paddle board (SUP). Also with its eyes on the passing board, was a bald eagle who was perched in a sturdy tree scanning the surrounding area. A pair of Loons sang their evening calls to each other and anyone else listening. A butterfly landed on the tip of my board, catching a ride for a few minutes before fluttering away into the sunshine. It was so quiet, the most prominent sound was the light breeze. The green canopy from the aspens’ new growth danced in the wind and caught the sun’s rays. The backdrop of the night was the snow-peaked Mount Minto (or K’iyan to the Taku River Tlingit First Nation) and Dark Mountain that lie just south of the border in B.C. The warmth of the Midnight sun warmed me through the late evening hours.
Tarfu’s Tagish and Tlingit names, Nústséhé Méne’ and Naagas’éi Áayi, mean “Fox Lake.”
It’s most commonly known for the military acronym that it is named for. Tarfu means Things Are Really Fouled Up (TARFU). For my first paddle, Tarfu was nothing but calm, cool and collected.
While the 50 Lakes project at times seems ambitious, it also feels like a gift. I get the “boring” summer of repeating this scene dozens more times. Launch and then meander amongst the outdoor greatness then repeat.
The morning following my evening Tarfu paddle, I made my way to Snafu Lake, where I have been many times before, to meet my friend Jill for a day of SUP and discovery. Snafu Lakes are just a few kms north of Tarfu and share the southern backdrop of the aforementioned mountains.
My friend Jill, while an experienced paddler, had only been on a SUP once before. Yet she troopered with me for a full day into the evening hours. I was set to explore many of the lakes within the chain of lakes; interconnected by short creeks that require us to line our boards, and in some cases, to portage. And of course, I had forgotten my map to find each of the links of the chain.
No problem: “Situation Normal, All Fouled Up,” is Snafu’s acronym and mantra as we know. Power on! We explored each bay, finding the creeks that the map would have shown me. It was all part of the discovery process.
Snafu Lake is always an adventure, even the campground. Where a beaver or porcupine or moose might wander through your campsite while you’re cooking dinner.
After our late dinner, it was a young moose that ran past our campsite at high speed. Minutes later, we understood the reason for its quick pace when we saw two young grizzlies rumble into the campground and headed straight for Jill! A few shouts from both of us, and the grizzlies took off into the woods. Situation normal.
Next on the list is Atlin Lake. Atlin Lake is the 3rd largest natural lake in B.C. It’s a beast. Some might say that Atlin Lake is not in the Yukon. I’ll disagree for two reasons. The first is that the very Northern tip of Atlin Lake lies within the Yukon territory. It’s hard to see on a map, but it’s there. The other reason is that Atlin has always had honourary status as part of the Yukon. This whole region connects us beyond the dotted lines marking a border on a map.
Adding a trip South this summer to explore the offerings of Atlin Road will undoubtedly bring all sorts of exceptional sights and adventures.
