“It’s the great, big, broad land ‘way up yonder,
It’s the forests where silence has lease;
It’s the beauty that thrills me with wonder,
It’s the stillness that fills me with peace.”
Taken from the Spell of the Yukon, Robert Service.
I am never really sure whether I found the Yukon and adventure, or whether it found me.
Prior to the Yukon River I had been lucky enough to sea kayak from Vancouver Island to Glacier Bay, Alaska and experienced an ‘awakening’ in me to explore these remote and spiritual places.
I fell in love with this part of the world and its pioneering people, incredible heritage, beautiful wildlife and stunning wilderness. I have since returned 3 times with more adventures in the pipeline of increasing difficulty.
The Yukon River is one of the most incredible places to paddle on the planet; its history linked to the gold rush of 1898 and untamed wilderness.
Many of the ‘would be’ gold prospectors were everyday folk who took on an extraordinary challenge to make their fortunes. Most favoured the arduous Chilkoot Trail over the mountains from Alaska, into the Yukon at Bennett Lake and on to Whitehorse.
The journey was tough. For a start, to be allowed into Canada they needed 1 tonne of supplies. On making it to the lakes feeding the Yukon river, prospectors were forced to build a raft and risk treacherous rapids at Miles Canyon, Whitehorse and others further downstream.
Many didn’t make it. Others found the gold had already been staked by the time they reached Dawson City.
Nowadays, the majority of visitors seeking to adventure canoe from Whitehorse to Dawson City follow the same 460 mile route as the prospectors, on the moving conveyor belt of water that is the Yukon River.
I was lucky enough to paddle slightly further on my first trip from Whitehorse to Circle in Alaska. 700 miles of wilderness which was a life changing experience.
Along the route we saw wolves, bears, moose and other wildlife; which provided a real sense of magic on the adventure.
One thing that will always stick in my mind of the Yukon is the living history that exists there with old settlements, gold dredges and stories seemingly around every bend on the river.
For example the Sternwheeler paddle-steamers at Hootalinqua, an old ship yard on an island in the river where the SS Evelyn Norcom has been sitting since 1912, one of 32 paddlesteamers on the river.
It really gives you that Indiana Jones feeling exploring these bygone relics. I often wonder who else had touched a particular handrail and what their story was.
The journey to Dawson involves navigating the infamous Lake Labarge, 30 miles wide that can whip up into a frenzied white cap monster in storm conditions.
Then there are two sets of rapids, 5 Finger Rapids and Rink Rapids. The rapids are big wave trains, paddling over each wave crescent and down into the trough, up and down like a big wet seasaw. As paddlers we of course spent time playing in different parts of the rapids but I do know fellow adventurers who took a swim (capsized!) by mistake here so be warned.
We rested at the wonderful preserved town at Fort Selkirk which had been saved from the harsh winters by a first nation man, Alex Van Bibber.
Alex Van Bibber made a 500 mile snow shoe expedition in 1943 through the Mackensie Mountain Range. I was lucky enough to meet Alex aged 98 still hunting and tracking and the inspiration for my next adventure The Ski to the Edge
There is so much to see in Dawson City itself including Jack London’s cabin and also Robert Service, the poet to the Yukon who wrote about cremation of Sam McGee, and other random verse.
We paddled on from Dawson which is described as paddling off the end of the world towards the Alaskan border at Eagle where the flow increases up to 9mph (that’s fast for a river!). We arrived at Eagle to find the town under repair, the previous year the ice break up had taken most of the waterfront.
Beyond Eagle are other interesting places including the Charlie Rivers Nature Reserve where a rare peregrine is found. Also the Rock of Ages, two pillars in the river billions of years old. We paddled over and stood on one of the oldest parts of our great planet.
We finished at Circle, Alaska which was deserted, not the heroes’ welcome we were expecting.
It really gives you that Indiana Jones feeling exploring these bygone relics.
The Yukon Territories it seemed were not done with me, I returned the following year to join up my 1000 mile sea kayak and Yukon River adventures. A 250 mile gap that would see my brother and me sea kayak from Juneau to Skagway and then hike into Canada via the Chilkoot Trail following the prospectors route. We then used Packarafts to paddle 105 miles down to Whitehorse. One of my toughest adventures to date but that is another story.
Racing on the Yukon River
Seems I cant stay away. I was invited to race in the Yukon River Quest, paddling from Whitehorse to Dawson City, 460 miles in a tough endurance race. Of course I said yes, so have been training hard and recently completed the 125 mile Devizes to Westminster race. (Many thanks to Yukon Tourism and Canadian Affair for supporting our entry)
Richard is co-founder of www.inspiredlife.org, inspiring young people to their full potential. Read more of Richard’s adventures at www.richadventure.com.
