Back Down The Dempster
Trip Start
Jun 28, 2003
1
12
15
Trip End
Aug 04, 2003
Whitehorse,
Yukon,
Canada
Thursday, July 24, 2003
Once I pulled out of Inuvik I got on that last stretch of pavement for 730km and hit the gas. That's when I got thrown into a panic. Once my speed hit 70kph the car started to shudder, shimmy, and shake. Uh oh. Perhaps the Mongoose wasn't going to make it. I turned back into town. I took a good look at my tires. There was still some mud behind the mags. Perhaps that was it. I went back to the car wash and jammed another 3 loonies in it and removed all the mud I could see. Then I was back off.
This time I got up to 85kph before the car started its shaking
Atop Keno Hill
. I took it as a good sign. I could live with 85kph until Dawson. Maybe it was just in need of a realignment or tire balance. That was the rationalization that kept me going.The first bit of the drive was the same as the way in. The road was in good condition but this time it was ten times dustier. You cannot drive with your windows down or your sunroof open. Air conditioning is pretty much required on a warm sunny day like it was that day. Althought this part of the trip is the boring Delta drive I forgot to mention there is one sight worth seeing. At the confluence of the Mackenzie and Arctic Red Rivers you must take a ferry across. On the far banks of the Arctic Red there is a small Gwich'en town called Tsiigehtchic. The Roman Catholic church there is built high up on a bluff. It's a pretty view. I took the extra time to ferry over to the town to take a look at it.
Then it was more of the same until Fort MacPherson. Just gravel and short lodgepole pine trees. It's like driving in a tunnel. I gassed up in Fort MacPherson at a buck a litre. It will be the priciest gas on the trip but I wasn't going to pay 99.9 per litre at Eagle Plains. I'm pretty sure the government runs it and I'd rather give my money to the locals.
Fort Selkirk
Once you work your way up out of the Delta and into the foothills of the Richardson Mountains the scenery gets spectacular... and it stays that way for the remaining 500km. It's stupendous. The Dempster is carved into the little crevices and creeks that run down these mountains and then at the NWT border you can turn around and see the road that you just drove for the last half an hour. Better yet is when you round the corner into the Yukon you can see where you are headed for the next half an hour. The road is just laying out there, twisting across the rolling countryside. It gorgeous. You'll see once I get my print pictures scanned in here.
After crossing the Richardsons the road climbs onto a ridge that it follows for about 100km. It dips down a couple times to cross rivers (most remarkably at Eagle River) but for the most part you remain waaaaay up high. I came back across the Arctic Circle in a much better state than I did the first time. But here is the best part. While in Inuvik Brendan the Newf told me to put clear nail polish on my windshield crack. So far it was working. The crack hadn't even budged. It was the second miracle of The Dempster.
I stopped briefly in Eagle Plains to grab a pop and a snack but I kept going
Fort Selkirk Cabin
. If I was going to sleep in my car it wasn't going to be here. Still I'm oddly attracted to the place. I heard that once this past winter a blizzard had picked up over night and the road was closed. It remained closed for another 7 days thus stranding everyone there for a week. I can't imagine being trapped here of a week and yet I'd like to try it. Kind of a mental challenge I guess. I bet it would make a good article for a magazine (hint hint any Harper's editors who may be lurking out there, I'm willing to accept modest advances on the story). It would be a great location for a new version of "The Thing" too.I followed the ridge another 110km to a lookout over the Ogilvie Mountains. This time I could see the 180km down the river valley. The Ogilvies were lit up by the setting sun. They turned from yellow to orange to purple. At 12:35am the sun finally dropped behind the Richardsons. I fell asleep on the edge of the ridge with the sky all an indigo glow.
I briefly awoke at 4am and notice the sky was still the same colour. Then I laughed at myself for bringing along two flashlights and a gas lantern on this trip to the land where it never gets dark. What an idiot.
I suppose I haven't mentioned yet that in the Yukon unless there is a specific No Overnight Camping sign that you're free to set up a tent or camper anywhere
Goldensides Mountain
. I saw people tenting in gravel pits and RV parked in pullouts all over the territory. Thus it is possible to camp completely for free while you're here.I happily awoke the next morning knowing this was my last day on the Dempster. While the road was better thanks to the dry weather, it still wasn't great. The muddy parts just dried up in the condition they were in (filled with tire ruts) and the pothole section were slightly better because with out the puddles you could tell how deep the holes were. Even with the glorious view to which I awoke, sleeping in the car is no treat either. I suppose I could have broken out the tent but it was windy up there and after watching this Japanese dude on a motorbike chase his tent a hundred metres down the road I decided that the car was the place to be. Besides my tent was dry! Why risk the chance of rain?
Immediately after my sleeping spot the Dempster drops down (the 9km hill I mentioned on the way up) to the river valley and into the Ogilvie Mountains. The Ogilvies have a lot of strange rock castellations or hoodoos that give them some character. The best example is Sapper Hill where I stopped to have a Mr.Noodles breakfast.
Soon enough I was back into Tombstone Territorial Park
Mount Monolith
. The sun was out and it was a glorious day. The hiking would be great. I first stopped at the lookout at North Fork Pass. From here you look all the way down Tombstone pass. At the end of this pretty valley is Tombstone Mountain. Unfortunately a rain storm was occurring at the far end of the valley so you can only see this striking mountain in silhouette. For those of you who might have seen the movie "Clan of The Cave Bear" the opening shot of the movie is of this exact landscape.Opposite this viewpoint is Goldensides Mountain. A short trail leads to the base of the mountain and from there it is a very steep but certainly manageable hike to the top. I suggest zig-zagging up the bowl section of the mountain for the least steep ascent. From the top I had a better view of the Tombstone Pass and even got a look at Mount Monolith which is beside Tombstone but obscured by surrounding mountains when on the roadside. I also got a great view of the Dempster winding through the park, a nice look at a huge massif known as Trapper Mountain, and a look at a very colourful mountain known as Blackcap. Unfortunately, I forgot the digital camera in the car when I did this hike so you'll have to wait for the pictures.
After a quick descent of Goldensides I rushed off to Grizzly Creek where a trail leads to a magnificent viewpoint for Mount Monolith
Sapper Hill
. The trail starts in a very lush forest and eventually climbs out to a rocky plateau where you can see the mountain quite well. By the time I had reached this viewpoint the rainstorm that had been peppering Tombstone had shifted right into this valley and was headed my way. I got a couple of shots in before the deluge but it was an unfortunate short stay at the viewpoint. From the viewpoint is possible to ascend a ridge and take an easy walk along it for even better views but on this day it wasn't meant to be. I got soaked. And it wasn't just from the rainstorm but from all the wet vegetation crowding the trail on the way back. Good thing I had all those plastic bags to wrap around my camera stuff to keep them extra-dry (Thank you again Nadia!).By the time I returned to the car I was back to being muddy, wet, cold and miserable. Dawson City here I come!
The rest of the drive down that final 50km of the Dempster was only memorable in that the final five kilometres are paved and I was reminded that my car still had a big problem cracking 85kph. Now it was time to worry about it.
All the garages in Dawson were closed by the time I got there so the bad news would have to wait another night
The Arctic Circle Again
. With the mood I was in there was no way I was camping it again. I hadn't had a shower in 5 days and the Hostel doesn't really have running water (or hot water) so that was out. I got a room at a place called The Bunkhouse. For $50 you get an economy room (bunk, sheets, towels, desk & chair) and you share a shower and bathroo area. Not cheap but when the rest of the hotels & motels in the town start their rooms at $90 it's the most reasonable place in town.I took another walk around town and when I dropped in at a corner store to buy a pop the girl behind the counter congratulated me on being the first guy to walk in that had had a shower recently. The funny thing was that I hadn't taken my shower yet. That was planned for the next morning. I guess there are a lot of dirty people in Dawson.
Tuesday, July 22nd - Latitude: 62 degrees North
Minto, Yukon
I was prepared for the worst on this morning. I had my shower and it was very special. I can't believe how good it felt. It was my way of keeping my mood up before finding out the damage to my car. I took it in to the garage and they told me to come back at lunch when they would have a chance to look at it
The Dempster
. I walked back into town and did some errands (groceries, souvenirs, film, stamps, etc) and then made the long walk back. I strolled up to the service counter. Was it just an alignment? Was there something wrong with the suspension? Give it to me straight...The total cost: $29.96
All the guy did was steam clean the wheel wells. There was still so much mud on the undercarriage, in the wheel wells, and behind the rims that it was throwing off the balance of the car. Everything ran smooth once the mud was removed. Excellent! I even had this confirmed by the guys at Envirolube here in Whitehorse. My car still looks pretty new from their perspective. Finally I can look at SUV drivers with smug content. My little Mazda Protege5 survived the Dempster with flying colours. Why do you need this big gas-sucking 4x4 death machine? The Mongoose flies!
I hadn't felt this great in days. I sped off southward down the Klondike Highway belting out the Creedence Clearwater Revival. At Stewart Crossing I took a little side trip down the Silver Trail to Keno. Keno is a former mining town. When the silver prices dropped it became too expensive to mine there so the mining companies pulled out
Tombstone Mountain
. The town of Elsa completely shut down but about 20 residents of Keno are trying to keep the town alive. There is a mining museum there that is quite good. The whole town is like an antique shop. You can walk around and see the most remarkable things rusting in the grass. There was an old Ford that must has been from the 20s or 30s and several sets of old gasoline pumps surrounded by fireweed.From the town you can drive up Keno Hill. At the end of the road is a beautiful view and the Keno signpost. This signpost is a little more restrained than Watson Lake's. There are just a few international cities represented and people mainly end up here for the view. On this day low-hanging clouds ruined most of it. There are also a few trails at the top of the hill that will lead you to the hill's summit as well as to some mining ruins and through some alpine pastures where you'll find marmots giving you the eye.
"Hey, nice marmot." -- The Dude
After exploring the hilltop some I was back on my way south. I eventually stopped at the campsite in Minto on the Yukon River. You won't find Minto on a map. It's another former town where now there just sits a campground. Irrationally fearing an overnight rainstorm I once again slept in the car. My car may have survived the trip down the Dempster but I'm not sure my brain has.
Wednesday, July 23rd - Latitude: 60 degrees North
Whitehorse, Yukon
Today's big event was a tour down the Yukon river via boat to the former Fort Selkirk. This was less a fort than a trading post. When the settlement was originally erected there was a number of soldiers posted here in order to protect it from the Chikat Tlingit who had enjoyed a trading monopoly in the area for several centuries. The Tlingit managed to burn the post down once but once it was rebuilt they gave up.
After all the strenuous driving of the past week an easy cruise down the river felt quite relaxing. We saw many young bald eagles and two herds of Dall sheep grazing up on the highlands on either side of the river. The river guide was a guy named Rick who had spent 25 years in the Yukon as a miner and a trapper. He would mine all summer in Dawson and then get flown out to his traplines in the bush and spend the winter in a small cabin. Now he's working the river tour and making lamp bases out of diamond willow wood. He has a wealth of information about life in the north and possesses an incredible eye for spotting wildlife along the riverbank.
Fort Selkirk sits near the confluence of the Yukon and Pelly Rivers. It was an important way station for the river route between Whitehorse and Dawson City. As well it a meeting place for trappers and a village for the Tutchone indians in the area. Once the Klondike Highway was completed in the 1950s it marked the beginning of the end of the settlement. Now there is a small farm just up the river and there are some local Tutchone who maintain the Fort with everything being overseen by the Yukon government. Most of the buildings have been refurbished but some are still in there original state. Everything is open for you to walk into and most of the cabins still contain the old furniture and fixtures. There are even some old overgrown outhouses to be found.
Once the tour was done I was back on the highway with only a short stop to view the Five Finger Rapids on the Yukon River. I pulled into Whitehorse feeling great. I had only spent a couple of days here two weeks ago but everything feels so familiar that it made me very relaxed. I even cracked open the tent for a stay at The Robert Service Campground. Now I've pounded out a couple of travelogues here at The Wired Cabin and life seems good. Not that I'm entirely happy about that because now I realize that the end of my vacation is drawing near. But today is the day I really start heading home and it feels right. Besides I'll reluctantly admit there are certain things I miss in Toronto... I won't descend into sappiness though. I'm a rough, tough mountain man -- a sourdough by now perhaps -- and we grizzled men of the bush don't admit to mushy feelings.
Thanks to The Wired Cabin I've finally managed to throw a bunch more pictures up. Please go back a few travelogue entries to see the pictures that correspond to the stories you've already read about.
Goodbye Yukon. I miss it already.
