Tok To Whitehorse

Posted by Alex on 3 September 2009

Entering Canada was for us a real milestone, we could finally tick one of the states off and change country, even though we are returning to the US in less than month. Along with arriving in Canada came a feeling of true remoteness. The State of Yukon has a population of 30,000 people, 23,000 of which live in Whitehorse.

We did however manage to stumble across a few of the remaining 7,000 inhabitants in Beaver Creek, just 2km from the border checkpoint. It seemed that, the end of the season nearing, the owners of the campsite were allowing tent campers to stay for free and indulge in hot showers, internet access and free coffee at will. Why would we ever leave this place? After the second hot shower in so many days, we set out on the lone road towards Whitehorse, some 450km away, with only a couple of diners and gas stations along the way. The riding was easy and the mountains were slowly closing in and growing from either side. The wind was cold but it was in our favour so, as long as we kept riding, we were comfortable. At about 3pm, we came across a wonder of nature, a beaver dam. This was to become a frequent landmark, but this first sight was fascinating. It is amazing to look at what nature has so perfectly built, with such efficiency and using only the most basic of materials. One beaver family had successfully created a 2 foot difference in water level between the higher and lower pond, thus providing them with a perfect microhabitat, adapted to their needs. Beavers are great swimmers but not too fast on land; this lake therefore allows them to stay safe from bears and other large predators, whilst also attracting waterfowl and other water based animals. Once again, another example of how man has copied nature in its design, only with less efficiency.

The wind then changed pretty suddenly to become a cold head wind, gusting at 20mph considerably slowing our progress. The campsite we had decided to stay at was 20 miles away so we pushed on to get there before dark.
Waking the next morning, we were disappointed to find that the wind had not weakened at all and that it was going to be a battle to make any headway… and a battle it was. The wind picked up to a constant 20mph gusting at 35mph. Until this point, I did not quite realise how much the wind affected our progress. One has a tendency to ignore tailwinds and put the high speed down to a sudden increase in fitness, gratifying oneself for all the hours of training and hard pedaling. Unfortunately, a head wind is just as effective at crushing ones spirit, forcing one to pedal continuously, even downhill. It is like an invisible never ending hill without even the prospect of a nice downhill cruise at the end.

After a whole day of hard cycling, the odometer read a pathetic 56km. We gave up for the day and setup camp in a small clearing near another large beaver made lake.
I listened reluctantly all night as the wind howled, from the same direction, willing it to drop by the time we got up. It did not. Getting back onto the bikes, we set our goals on reaching Burwash Landing and maybe Destruction Bay where the prospect of a burger and a coffee gave us a small energy boost. While cycling up a small hill Fin, who was a hundred yards ahead of me stopped suddenly and stared into the forest. Finally reaching his position, panting and wheezing, I looked in the same general direction, not knowing what to expect. Then out from between the trees, a sandy colored very big cat strolled along the side of the small creek by the road. It wove in and out of view, through the trees before disappearing into the forest. It was our first Lynx sighting. Having cleverly packed my binoculars in the bottom of my pack, we had to rely on the single shot I got with my camera to zoom in and get a clearer view of the long distinctive black “sideburns” and tufts on the ears.
Crawling into Burwash Landing on the edge of Kluane Lake, we headed straight for the closest diner and ordered the largest burger and fries… an instant energy booster, both physically and mentally. It was nice to be out of the wind.

With a belly full of grease and fat, we pushed on to Destruction Bay and onto Koos Lake. A few miles before arriving at the campsite we had initially planned on staying at, we rounded a corner to find a large light brown form on the side of the road half a mile ahead. Getting closed, we realized that this was a 2-3 year old Grizzly, obviously interested in something on the road side. We stopped a safe distance away and I instinctively reached for my camera, not taking the time to change the lens for a close up. I got a single shot and he was off into the bushes, deigning to pay us any interest whatsoever. We were not offended in the slightest. Gladly putting a few miles between us and our first bear we stopped at Koos Lake and setup camp just before the rain started. The wind has dropped somewhat allowing us to cook under a fine drizzle. We had decided to get up early to try and fit a few miles in before the wind would predictably pick up again so we were on the road by 7h30 with numb toes and numb fingers but amazing views as the sun slowly crept over the horizon revealing snow covered peaks for miles and miles on end. The wind never did pick up and we were in Haines Junction by 10h30 where we indulged in yet another coffee. Another afternoon of riding and we had covered a satisfying 110km for the day, leaving us only 90km from Whitehorse. A final day of relatively flat and easy riding landed us in the middle of the biggest town we had seen in weeks.

19 comments. Tags: Kluane, Grizzly, Lynx, alex. Location: Whitehorse,YT, Canada