Part Two (1 Viewer)

[GordJ]

So after our trip to Dawson City in '16 I was feeling like we missed an opportunity when we didn't go to the Arctic Circle. It seemed like a real waste to be so close and not go the extra mile to be able to say we had been in the Arctic.
So in the middle of June '17 we left for the Arctic. This time we went up the Alaska Highway to Whitehorse and, except for a Walt Disney moment where the dog and I were out for a walk and came across a pair of small birds who flew around us like the swallows dressing Snow White (Cinderella??) while their babies hid on the ground, the trip was uneventful. We had some minor electrical problems with the trailer that restricted us to plug in sites but we got to Dawson City to re-supply and headed up the infamous Dempster Highway.

This is 700+ kilometres of crushed shale road that can be as dusty as anyplace I have been but it was pothole and rut free and can be travelled at 80-100 KM/H if your vehicle can handle it. One caveat, it seems that the faster you go, the more dust ingress you will experience. I would bring along some old bed sheets for drop cloths all over the inside of the trailer if I did it again.
The first stop was at the Tombstone Park Interpretive centre which is about 70 km's in and the campground there is very nice, especially at $12 Canadian a night with free firewood.

The park is as scenic as you will get and the walk up to the nearby snowfield is worth it.

Through the park and the rest of the day we travelled through about 5 different eco zones from Alpine tundra to taiga to uplands to bench lands to boreal forests.

Although we didn't spot any big game we saw Arctic hares, ptarmigan, ducks, ground squirrels, pikas, Arctic foxes and marmots. The hoary marmot hibernates all winter which means that it sleeps for 8 months.
This is a 'rock glacier' and it moves just like a regular glacier except it is covered in rock.

One of the more interesting sights was Engineers Creek which runs as dirty as any urban, polluted stream but is completely natural and the Dall sheep drink the water with no ill effects. Just a lot of minerals in the ground.

There was a bit of a forest fire starting up and it was smoky for a little bit but we were pressing on because we would rather be past it trying to get back than below it and unable to reach our goal.

 

[GordJ]

The next stop is the Motel/gas station at Eagle Plains and it is 370 km's from the last gas stop. Because we have about 300 km's range with the trailer we had two 5 gallon jerry cans on the back and used one of them to get to Eagle Plains. This is also were the hunt for the Mad Trapper began back in the '30's.
After a meal and refuel we headed to the Arctic Circle crossing about 40 km's away.

After that we hit the Territorial campsite at Rock River for the evening, about 40 km's farther. Tried fishing but no luck and when the wind died down the bugs were on us.

Just so you know, the bugs are worse than you can imagine. I grew up in northern BC and thought I knew about bugs but I got a lesson. The mosquitoes are really bad, the black flies are worse (they bite through light shirts) and the no-see-ums will choke you. Never mind deet or any of the urban solutions. A bug hat, thick long-sleeved shirts and lots of deet is the only answer. I saw a show last week that claimed that the apex predator in the Arctic is the mosquito, they claimed that young caribou can lose 1/2 a litre of blood in a day.
The next morning we headed out and crossed into the North West Territories about 20 km's down the road.

We crossed the Peel river on a cable ferry where the cable is anchored and the ferry 'grabs' the cable and pulls itself across.

The next stop is Fort McPherson which is a small community that is largely native.
We visited the Fort McPherson Tent and Canvas Factory which is native owned and operated and employs about 15 people and I picked up a nice soft gun case while I was there. Pretty impressive operation, especially out here.
This is also the burial place of the Lost Patrol, a RCMP patrol that got lost and ended starving to death in the winter. The remains were found by Sgt. Dempster for whom the highway is named.

Leaving Fort Macpherson we dropped down into the Mackenzie delta and its black spruce forest.
We found this to be a bit of a letdown because we were expecting more tundra as we went north but the delta is quite a bit more temperate than the preceding miles. There is a ferry crossing at Tshgehtchic (go ahead, you pronounce it) and then a straight, boring drive to Inuvik. There are a couple of Territorial campsites on the way and an 'industrial' one in town.

The town was described by a local as a 'working' town and it won't be mistaken for a tourist trap. 3,500 people and we were given a list of cafes, 6 of them and the cafeteria in the hospital was on the list.
The summer road to Tuktoyaktuk will be completed this fall but the locals in Inuvik says that there is nothing in Tuk, which is unlike Inuvik? Tuk is on the Beaufort sea so it may be in the future.
Some of the vehicles are pretty cool, tourists must do okay.

T

 

[GordJ]

he trip home was uneventful, we spent the solstice at Eagle Plains,

were convoyed through the forest fire

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and drove the rest of the Dempster the next day.

Going home we went down the Stewart-Cassiar and found that it is a lot more scenic going south than going north. This was confirmed in the rv site in Kitwangan by an experienced former trucker. The lodge at Tatooga Lake has some awesome mounts and great food. Don't miss it.

We got home after 4,920 miles on the clock and the LX tows as good or better than the LC. No issues but get the windshield replaced after the trip and not before. Just saying.
I'll post some flora pictures later. Gord

 

[GordJ]

Some pictures of the flora. I have always heard that it is impressive but that doesn't do it justice.
These were sort of like dandelions.

The lichens didn't turn out well

But the fireweed was everywhere

 

[TeCKis300]

Just awesome.

How many days did this trip take you? And how many days would you recommend to set aside if you were to do it again?

 

[GordJ]

Tec, we were 17 days on the first trip but being from BC there was a lot that we wanted/had to see. I didn't mention a lot of our sightseeing that is specific to us but I wouldn't do less than 17 days to go to Dawson City.
This year we were gone for about the same length of time but felt that we came home too soon.
Next year we intend to do the same general trip with a Top of the World highway leg and a tour of Alaska. We will probably be going in late August or early September so the wildlife will be more active and I plan on a lot more fishing this time.
I would guess that the Dempster portion would be 7-10 days depending on the amount of touring you would do and the time of year. The inconnu and Arctic char run in the fall (didn't know that) and the bugs will be better after a frost. In addition, the road to Tuktoyatuk will be open then and who doesn't want to see the Arctic Ocean?
Just remember to try to arrive in the bigger centres before the week end so you have more choices of things available. Every Interpretive centre and museum and roadside stop was interesting. We stopped at a sign that said it was a viewpoint for the Columbia rapids. No big deal except it explained that the paddlewheeler the Columbia was going to Dawson with a load of blasting powder for the mines when one passenger noticed another had a new pistol, hey let me see, oops, boat blew up,6 dead.
There is a lot to see and do in BC before you get to the Yukon so how long it would take is pretty hard to answer.

 

[NLScooby]

What a great trip and nice photographs. Thank you for sharing! I'd love to venture up there some day.
I do need to mentally prepare myself for allowing my vehicle to get that dirty though!

 

[chipsterguy]

Looks like you live in Surey BC? I'll honk as i drive by on my commute from Bellingham WA to Vancouver

 

[chilibit]

It may be possible to over-pressurize the cabin using a snorkel to feed the cabin through a filter. That would reduce dust intrusion dramatically. At low speeds you would need a blower to make it work.

 

[GordJ]

The dust was manageable in the truck but the trailer was awful. Passing other vehicles often involved slowing to nearly a stop which was unnerving when being passed because you have to pray that the vehicle passing you wasn't being followed because they wouldn't be able to see the big white back end of the trailer until they were in my kitchen.
A snorkel would help a bit but the dust from other vehicles would be over top of the trailer at times. The next time I will be travelling a lot slower, knowing what I know now.