I was so happy to tick this and a couple of other boxes off my Bucket List! 1. Travel to the Yukon, 2. Take a Travel Workshop with Neil Zeller (if you haven’t checked out his photography and workshops yet you really should), 3. Photographing the Aurora (You will see that in a later post).
Our group drove up the Dempster Highway from Dawson to the Arctic Circle. As far as highways go… the Dempster isn’t really a great representation of one. It is rugged – so rough and jarring that those with back and hip problems ended up taking considerable amounts of pain medication! BUT, we almost didn’t get to go, due to a LNG accident, and that would have been worse.
The Dempster Highway was completed in 1979. It covers about 670 km from its starting point just east of Dawson, ending in Inuvik. It was originally a dog sled track and is named after Corporal William Dempster who, in 1911 set out to rescue the Lost Patrol only to discover their bodies a short distance from where they were trying to return to. You can read about Francis Fitzgerald’s ill-fated journey here on Wikipedia.
Driving the Dempster Highway was the culmination of the story of the Yukon, in all its glorious colors, for me. Wide-open space, a backdrop of gorgeous mountains, long flowing rivers, visible for miles and miles. The trip up the highway came together to be a fabulous 2-day journey with credit to our Explore Yukon guide (Sandra, a great storyteller), tour organizer (Neil) and of course the rest of the people I was so privileged to travel with. It was one of the highlights of this amazing adventure.
As I was walking out to set up for the sunset photos I saw Neil and Dave sitting on the ground and decided to do the same since it is pretty spongy and difficult to walk around on. Well, I don’t know how to explain it but the tundra is so soft and was as easy to sit on as a big comfy couch.
Add the Yukon to your Bucket List, you won’t be disappointed. But don’t drive the Dempster in your own car unless its a junker – rent or take a tour. Save yourself and your car!