Spring has arrived,finally!
Trip Start
May 24, 2008
1
10
12
Trip End
Jun 2009
Whitehorse,
Yukon,
Canada
Monday, May 4, 2009
Not really sure where the rest of winter has gone but finally we have spring weather!!!!
+15 at 6:00pm. The snow has been shrinking really fast. We despaired for a while but now the heat is on, we see why folks have skis, bikes and boats on their trucks and cars all at the same time.
We went out to Marsh Lake last weekend to a brunch at their community centre and then rode our bikes back on the Alaska Hwy to Swan Haven approx 22km to see the Tundra and Trumpeter Swans. The day before we had ski skated on a local lake for a couple of hours. We still can walk early in the AM on the skidoo and ski trails until the snow warms up then we start to break through. We have gone for a few hikes along our usual ski routes taking snowshoes in case of rotting snowpack.
March/April are somewhat of a blur but we did manage to ski the Buckwheat Ski Classic race down at Log Cabin
Yukon's Dominion Representatives
. It's a really cool race that was written up as one of the top 10 things to do in Alaska in the winter. The race is run by the Skagway ski club in B.C., with mostly folks from Yukon skiing in it. People do come from all over Alaska to ski as well as down south.We made a weekend of it and went down to Skagway for Friday night went to the breakfast on Sat morning at the Presbyterian Church, went back into Canada to race then back into the US for the banquet. We came home on Sunday and went for a quick ski at log Cabin to see what we had raced the day before.
We also went down towards Skagway summit a few times to ski tour with friends. The terrain is wide open alpine valley so on a clear day it is truly spectacular skiing as you can see for kms. We haven't gone down there for turns as the folks we know are not into BC skiing. We hope to make it a few times before the skiing is done. We have been going into Mt McIntyre to skate ski there once a week as well as our usual tours around here.
Our curling is done of course but with some good news. Cheryl ended up on a team that will by representing Yukon at the Dominion Curling Championships in Toronto this November. This is a brand new series that has been created for club level curlers. It gives them an opportunity to curl against other curlers of the same calibre from across Canada
McConnall Lake
. Cheryl had to playoff against another team from our club then in a bonspiel against other rinks from around Yukon. They came out on top and will get a free trip to Toronto.My team is still waiting for our third and deciding game which will happen in Oct/Nov. Perhaps if the curling gods align I'll be living in AB and curling for YT. Go figure!
We had to scramble a bit the last few weeks as our house sitting gig appeared to fall apart at the last moment. The fellow we were supposed to house sit for wasn't going to be heading out of town until the end of May or not at all so we frantically looked for new digs until at least June. The alternative would be to live in our camper which, if you've seen it, would be a trial in cold weather. We did arrange to stay in a log cabin out the Annie lake road approx 50km from town for the first two weeks of May. It belongs to friends who are heading out. We did have a fall back at a neighbour's back yard, close to us, if all else failed but it would have been the camping deal.
To add to this:
We have Donna (Cheryl's Mom) and Barb (sister) arriving in mid May for a visit so we arranged for a B&B for them.
Kevin (Cheryl's son) and fiancé Myra are arriving at the end of May as well.
Luckily today we talked to our guy and we will be moving into his house after all.
May 4
We now are living near Takhini Hot Springs 20 minutes north of town, up the Klondike highway towards Dawson City
McConnall lake ski skating
. This is the complete opposite end of the city. We went to a BBQ near our old place and it took 30 minutes by highway to get there. Not a long time in a city but somehow it feels we're in our truck too long.Our house is really nice. It looks like a cabin from the front but in reality it is a three level front to back split situated on 6 acres. They also have a huge shop out back along with a big John Deere tractor for yard work. Layton and Zack would love this place.
It was a bit of a pain to pack up after nine months in one place. It's amazing how much crap you can accumulate. We are in the midst of spring now with the snow disappearing at an amazing rate. It is hard to know what activity to get ready for each day. We have boots for skiing, cycling, hiking, and paddling at the front door.
The temps in the last week have been in the low 20s and high teens with no clouds. We were only skiing two weeks ago now the canoe is on the roof and the bikes have been tuned.
We went for a hike near Carcross which is south of town. We walked up a 3000' ridge and of course down Legs were like jello by the end. Cedar was over heated and stopped at every snow bank to lie down. Today she is no worse for wear yet our legs are killing us.
The crocuses were out in full force and most of the snow had burned off the ridge. The hike gave us great views. We were able to see all the way south down Lake Bennett to Bennett, the last stop on the Chilkoot trail.
Comments
Hi Hugh & Cheryl
It'll be great to see you sometime this year, although Canmore might seem a little dull compared to the Klondike. We did something really crazy last week and so Friday I pick up the newest addition to the Paton household - a 13 week old golden labradoodle, who thinks he's a cat. Sarah is getting married this year in Banff and Graeme is proposing this weekend or next with ideas of a spring wedding in 2010. Both kids are out of the house, so we really need another dependent. I've been out golfing a bit, but it's still not as warm in Calgary as it has been in the Yukon. It's also very dry down here, but it might rain on Wednesday. Take care and don't find so much gold that you get all snobby.