|
There we were, in the winter doldrums....-40 C., middle of a blizzard so
we couldn't even hit the lake for those deep lake trout...the phone rings.
It's Norma. Okay, Norma, wassup? Run the Teslin River from Johnson's
Crossing, Yukon to where it hits the Yukon River and then up to Carmacks? Well, of course!
And that was just the beginning. We ended up with eight of us, four
canoes, and our trusty springer spaniel, and paddled those historic rivers. We had high water, a bit of rain, fast take-outs, huge boils and
eddies, and, once we entered the Yukon, a trip through the past.
The river carried us past some of the remnants of the great Klondike
Gold Rush, from the skeletons of beached stern-wheelers, to derelict
gold dredges and ancient miner's cabins, and the occasional grave.
We dined on fresh grayling that we pulled out of the eddies and riffles,
spotted moose, bear, fishers, and other wildlife. It was a majestic eight
day run surrounded by the beauty of the Yukon. Our river map was
a great guide for high water camp spots and historic sites as well
as directions and landmarks. In eight days on the river we met only three other groups; two were from Germany and a cheerful trio from
the Czech Republic. We were thrilled to see that those who had camped
before us had followed the rules of "leave no trace" passage, which
added to the pleasure of being in the wilderness. My partner, Peter,
and I, being retired, added another three weeks of camping and fishing
to the trip, even taking the Dempster Highway up to the Arctic Circle.
We canoed other lakes, fished, camped and hiked, and put a total of
8000 kilometres on the RAV4 before returning home through northern
British Columbia to our home town of Cold Lake, Alberta. We arrived
back here at the end of July....
But that's not the end of the story...the lawns are mowed, laundry is
done, kids are notified...and the gear was spread out in our "work room"
when, this past Sunday, Peter walked in with a great idea! Since the
stuff just needs to be repacked, why not just repack it in the portage
packs, get some meals cooked and dehydrated, and go to Quetico for
the rest of the summer? Okay...we call Ontario Parks...yes, there are
vacancies for a Nym Lake/Batchewaung Lake put-in on August 18.
See you all there!!
|
Quote
Sounds like it is a summer to remember! 
