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On Friday the 19th of October we left the rain in Vancouver behind us and landed in the snowy land of Whitehorse in the Yukon. Our time in Vancouver had come to an end, and with us on the next chapter of our journey were Dustin's cousin Danyul and his girlfriend Mandy. As we flew away from Vancouver we could see the scale of the city below us which was rather small against the mountains and parks. I could still see Stanley Park and the bridge connecting the city to the northern suburbs. The bay became bigger and bigger and then there was nothing but clouds and Vancouver was now nothing but memories as we drifted further and further away. Flying over the countryside I could see nothing but white capped mountain ranges, scattered beneath the clouds.
As we landed and collected our luggage, I quickly learned that packing olive oil and maple syrup in the food bag was not a good idea at all. A sticky mess was all over the bag and I opened it up to find that both bottles had exploded during the flight and all the food was sitting in a sticky pool of maple syrup and oil. Nothing much was edible now and the bears would have no luck making their way through this goo either as I placed the remnants in the bear proof bins outside.
Walking outside we instantly felt the freezing cold air brush against us and little speckles of snow were flickering around us. We were no longer chasing the warmer weather around the globe, and our back packs were that little bit fatter with the winter wardrobe stuffed inside. My beanie that I bought from Peru had shrunk in the wash but still covered my ears and even though my gloves were woollen, I could still feel the cold air seeping through the tiny little holes. For the next four days, we would be living in an environment where the temperature would not reach higher than 0 degrees Celsius. Apparently that is not so bad out this way, and some locals will tell you that it is not until it gets lower than -45 degrees, that it is too cold to go outside. Chilly temperatures and wind that feels like it blows right through you were the least of our worries though, as our intentions were focused on the possibility of seeing the phenomenal aurora borealis.
Our wish did not come true on our first night due to thick layers of clouds hovering over the town. That night the only green glow we saw came from the lights built into the spa at our retreat in the woods. We had struck luck finding accommodation out here, and after many hours spent searching through websites that looked like hadn't changed much since the early nineties, we found the Sun Dog Retreat online a week or so before our arrival. About 25 minutes out of town we had the perfect setting away from the city lights to view the auroras. Having a cabin with electricity and running water was a comfort in itself in this rustic environment, and we were lucky enough to have access to a spa and sauna all nestled in the tranquil landscape of the forest. The temperatures at night dropped to around -12 degrees and the spa gave us much comfort to soak up warmth and atmosphere around us. The air was so cold that our hair started to form a layer of ice and luckily our cabin was only a short walk away. Looking up into the night sky, hundreds of snowflakes spiralled downwards creating a dreamlike visual. We still had a memorable night and hopefully within time the clouds would disappear.
The following day our friend Mark flew into town and the party of five were all set for a peaceful weekend. With two nights left in the Yukon, our fingers were crossed for clear skies teamed up with active aurora forecasts. To fill in time during the daylight hours, we had many choices to play with. With several walking trails out our front door, we spent the afternoon exploring the area. With the snow crunching under our feet and our thick layer of clothing on, we set off to find the Yukon River. Many of the trees around us were stripped bare of their leaves and only some of them were evergreen creating thicker vegetation deeper in the forest. Following the long white road we eventually reached the river with a spectacular view of the mountains, trees, river, sky and snowy white sand under our feet. We stopped for a while capturing many photos of the landscape around us, and walked a little further along the river banks were we came across some bear footprints. No bears were in sight though and the chill soon began to feel more intense the longer I stood still and we started to make our way back home. Just as we were about to leave, a beaver popped up from around the corner and was swimming towards us until it made its way into a little nook along the river bank. Walking home the crisp cold air began to feeler colder and colder and my face slowly became numb, and my fingertips were freezing. It soon felt like I had been given a small general anaesthetic as I lost feeling in my legs, toes, face and fingers. Within time we were back in the comfort of our cabin, frying up pork ribs and drinking red wine.
As the sun started to set the clouds still hovered above and it wasn't looking too hopeful to experience the auroras that evening. We were still optimistic and in the later hours of the evening we set off on another adventure to take a dip in the nearby hot springs. It was here that we warmed up our bodies in the 43 degree hot mineral waters, while steam evaporated around us and ice covered all the surfaces around the waters edge. As the night became later and later, it was soon time to get some much needed sleep yet we still hadn't seen any of the magical green lights. So we devised a plan and we would be taking it in turns to get up throughout the night and step outside to see if the sky had given us what we were looking for, along with the meteor shower that was spreading across the atmosphere.
Day three and we woke up feeling refreshed, yet still no signs of the auroras. We had all made the effort to wake up throughout the night to see if the skies were lightening up above us, but our timing was not right yet. With another day to explore, we made a visit to the Yukon Wildlife Preserve where we saw a range of species of Canadian wildlife spread across 700 acres. The arctic foxes would have to be one of my favourites as they darted about in their habitat, and were covered in snowy white fur. Dustin spotted several Canadian lynx camouflaged in the trees, but they didn't take much interest in us. Throughout the afternoon we also saw some caribou, rocky mountain elk, mountain goats, Alaskan yukon moose, deer, muskoxen, wood bison, thin horn sheep and lynx.
So as I finish this chapter of the story, the sun has just set on our third and final night here in the Yukon. The clouds have lifted and the aurora forecast is telling us the activity is a 6/10, meaning that weather permitting, aurora displays will be visible. They say that watching the auroras can be a bit like whale watching and that patience, timing and the weather are all important factors. Hopefully the next chapter will be all about witnessing this phenomenon....
It is now the last morning of our Yukon adventure and last night the aurora borialis did shine through in the night sky, but was a little resistant to show us a mind blowing show. We couldn't see much walking around outside our cabin given that the land was fairly flat, and many trees were blocking the horizon. This wouldn't normally matter if there was stronger aurora activity, but with the fluctuating forecast we needed to move our location. Just before midnight we all snuggled up in the car and made our way towards the Yukon River. We travelled down the long white road again with the car bobbing along the icy tracks, the eerie trees lining our path, and the only lights in sight were coming from the cars headlights. Within a few minutes we arrived at the same section of the river we visited the previous day, yet this time it was twice as cold and the sky was clear with no clouds in sight. Thousands and thousands of stars lit up the night sky with the Milky Way shimmering through the centre. The air was fresh, the snow was thick and the lights from the centre of town were glowing over the edge of the mountain to our right. As our eyes adjusted to the darkness, to our left we began to see a soft green glow above the mountains, teasing us with a slight glimpse of the auroras.
The longer we gazed into the darkness, the brighter the aurora became. With three cameras capturing the moment on long exposure, we could then see how bright the aurora was and looked more impressive than what we could see with the naked eye. Often when you come to a significant place that you have seen hundreds of photographs and postcard like landscapes of before, nothing can compare to actually being there yourself and experiencing the true beauty. This time I felt it was the other way around and the photographs were proving to represent more of an intense aurora. But this wasn't just about the green shimmering lights. It was also about coming out this far in the freezing cold to be standing in the most northern part of the country we had travelled to, and to appreciate the nature of the land around us for what it was at the time.
We soon decided to drive around a little more and see if we could reach higher land for a better viewing spot. With a quick stop back at the cabin we put on as many layers as we could comfortably move in. I had on three pairs of socks, two pants, four tops, two beanies, an extra coat, two pairs of gloves and I could still feel the chill in the air. Driving down the highway we eventually came to a turn off that lead us to another section of the river with broader views of the landscape. There they were again softly shining through along the horizon, coming and going in variations of soft light. Still so subtle yet a little stronger than what we saw before. As I stared into space I had to keep wiggling my toes in my shoes to keep the blood flowing, hoping that it would help keep them warm. I decided to lie down on a wooden ledge to keep my feet of the ice, which allowed me to stare straight into the sky and gaze at thousands of stars. Soon nothing I did could keep me warm and I was back in the car with the heater on. My toes had gone numb and I craved warmth more than anything.
Around 3am we headed back to our cabin and our aurora experience had come to an end. We were glad we had been able to see them, yet it still felt like we had something more to experience. Mother Nature had given as a taste, a tease of the intensity of these lights and we had to search that little bit harder to get our one and only glimpse during our Yukon adventure. Sometimes you can have a vision, a goal or a dream to experience that one special thing, and sometimes you might not quite get to reach the full potential, yet along the way you find other things, places and moments that were unexpected and that is where the journey can be just as significant as the destination. A few of us had spotted some meteorites across the weekend, along with a few shooting stars and some pretty sunsets. We were grateful to have experienced the northern countryside, and the time spent during the daylight hours was just as memorable as some of the magic in the night time. As I finish this chapter we are flying at 37,000 feet above the white capped mountain peaks feeling bleary eyed after our three hours of sleep. We have said our farewells to Danyul, Mandy and Mark and look forward to seeing them again in the future. Dustin is catching up on a little more rest and I am feeling like a traveller again, as we say farewell to the Yukon and I prepare myself for the next lot of stories to come. Next stop Calgary, Alberta! Let our next adventure of ten days in the Canadian Rockies begin!
- comments
Pamela Neill I so love your blogs B. How will you and Dustin ever settle down to a humdrum life at home after all this?!
Belinda I have been thinking the same thing. I really don't know... I feel like I could keep traveling for a long time but it will be nice to stay in the one place for a while too.