Emma standing on the wreck of the S.S. Klondike I
- Post by Emma Dobson
Looking out over the Wheaton River
Olivier and I spent most of our summer working as Outdoor Facilitators for Rivers to Ridges, providing outdoor camp programs to kids in Whitehorse. We devoted many of our weekends to adventures around the southern Yukon, heading out whitewater kayaking, hiking, and camping. One of our favourite spots to explore has been down Annie Lake Road, about an hour drive south of Whitehorse. It is home to the picturesque Wheaton River, a continuous class 2 river that winds through an open mountain valley. The mountains on either side of the river provide limitless hiking possibilities.
After some shorter weekend adventures, we decided to head out on a canoe trip on the Teslin River from Johnson’s Crossing to Carmacks. Since the route has no portaging, we loaded up our canoe with as many luxuries as we could. Our lavish items included a folding table and two chairs, a dry bag of books, a propane tank and two-burner stove, a cooler full of cheese and beer, and bags of chips tucked into the remaining cracks.
The 370km trip begins on the Teslin River and flows into the Yukon River, passing through the traditional territories of the Teslin Tlingit, Kwanlin Dün, Ta'an Kwäch'än, and Little Salmon/Carmacks First Nations. The rivers flow at varying speeds (we recorded 12km/hour floating speed on the Yukon!), and a few sections have small rapids. We didn’t see a single soul until we reached the confluence with the Yukon River, at which point we came across a few small groups.
Days were spent paddling, floating with snacks, watching for wildlife, and checking out relics of mining history in and along the river. Some highlights included the ship yard island in Hootalinqua, and standing on the hull of the SS Klondike in the middle of the river. We put in some long days, paddling almost 100km on our second last day. The first three evenings were spent battling mosquitos and diving for the tent as soon as dinner was done. We managed to find some more exposed campsites in the second half of our trip, allowing for some relaxing time by the fire.
Although we did not see as much wildlife as we had hoped, there were some unique sightings, including a group of eagles feasting on a dead moose in the river, a swimming lynx, and a moose with two calves. Another exciting event was seeing a large tree fall naturally, something neither of us had experienced before. In the end, it was a great trip that we hope to do again someday!
We’d like to thank our incredible friends Dan, Evan (and Moose) for making this trip possible. Another shout out to our sponsor, Sea to Sky Expeditions for hooking us up with the canoe and other necessary gear!
