Wilderness Adventures.CA / Sea to Sky Expeditions http://wildernessadventures.ca/TeslinYukonRiver.html 1-866-383-9453 [email protected]

TESLIN / RIVER CANOE TRIP: – (620 km)

WHITEHORSE SEAtoSKY will pick up for all expeditions that originate in . Should any problems or miscommunication arise, check for or leave messages on the bulletin board at the Whitehorse Tourist Information Center. Please see the accompanying literature for accommodation options.

GETTING TO WHITEHORSE Air [www.aircanada.ca] has daily flights to Whitehorse. Air North [www.flyairnorth.com] has scheduled flights from Calgary, , and Vancouver. Please check with your travel agent for details.

PLACES TO STAY The following represent a cross section of available accommodation in Whitehorse. Former clients have stayed at these and have indicated a satisfaction with them. The asterisk [* ] means a budget and clean accommodation. The Yukon Inn has agreed to discount their rate for our clients. Indicate that you will be doing a trip with us and you should receive a preferred rate.

EdgewaterHotel 1-877-484-3334 www.edgewaterhotel.yk.ca Best Western Gold Rush Inn 1-867-668-9432 www.goldrushinn.com High Country Inn 1-867-667-4471 www.highcountryinn.yk.ca Westmark Hotel 1-800-544-0970 www.westmarkhotels.com Yukon Inn 1-867-667-2527 www.yukoninn.yk.ca Aerie B&B 1-800-863-7779 www.yukon-accommodation.com Birch Street B&B 1-867-633-5625 [email protected] Midnight Sun B&B 1-866-284-4448 www.midnightsunbb.com Sourdough B&B 1-867-667-2087 [email protected] [*] Beez Kneez Hostel 1-867-456-2333 www.bzkneez.com [*] Family Hotel 1-867-668-5558 [email protected] [*] Stratford Motel 1-867-667-4243

PREPARATION Prior canoeing experience is not necessary. Our guides will provide basic instruction in the strokes you will need, along with safety awareness. It is in your interest however to take a flatwater canoe course from a local canoe club/association, or rent videos and library books detailing basic canoe instruction.

Food We will look after all meals while on the river.

1 WEATHER Weather conditions in northern environments range widely between extremes. The only fact you can bet on with the weather is that it can change instantly. This means that although we may enjoy fine weather, we must also be prepared for changes. On any given day you may experience sunny, hot, dry weather that is interrupted by periods of rain or, on rare occasions - o even snow. In general, the weather is moderate with average temperatures of 16 C (62F) in July, o and 14 C (56F) in August. When packing, please be prepared for heat waves and cold spells.

MOSQUITOES Mosquito populations vary according to temperature, rainfall, and wind. Be prepared with mosquito repellent and a head net if mosquitoes annoy you.

YUKON RIVER In 1896 the discovery of gold near Dawson City altered the history of the forever. It became the main route for 30,000 goldrushers as they floated in an armada of over 6,000 boats to their dreams of adventure and wealth in the Klondike gold fields.

Over the next fifty years towns and villages sprang up along its shore and paddlewheelers carried people and supplies up and down its waters. When modern highways were introduced into the region the river became redundant. Homes and entire villages moved to locations closer to the roads and the Yukon River was allowed to return to its natural state. ITINERARY

TESLIN / YUKON RIVER CANOE TRIP: Johnsons Crossing – Dawson City

Campsites will be decided along the route based on group abilities, weather and otherunforeseen circumstances.

You will be paddling a wilderness river. The river is a Grade 1 river and therefore suitable for novices. Your experienced guides will teach you the skills you need to navigate the river safely. There should be plenty of wildlife, opportunities for fishing, and time to relax and explore the remnants and relics of the river's historic past.

Day 0 (This is 1 day before your trip starting date) Arrival in Whitehorse. We will meet in the evening around 7 pm to discuss the adventure ahead, go over some basic paddling strokes, distribute dry bags, and answer any last minute questions. Air arrangements should be made to be present for the evening meeting. We will leave a message at your accommodation detailing where we will meet if you are out sightseeing.

It is not practical to give a day by day itinerary for the river. We will paddle approximately 50 km/31 mi per day. Our plan is establish camp on the many islands and sandbars which characterize the river. This will lessen the remote possibility of bear encounters as well as reduce our contact with those pesky mosquitoes. The following, highlight some of the more interesting features of the river:

Days 1- 6: We will pick you up from your accommodation around 7:00 a.m. and head to our put- in at Johnsons Crossing. We are looking to cover about 40 km per day. Although this sounds like a significant distance, the current of the river makes this a reasonable goal. The river, in its initial stage, is wide and the current slow. At 100 Mile Creek the character of the river changes. The wide open river valley disappears, the river narrows, and the willow covered marshes give way to a shoreline of spruce trees and clay banks.

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The additional volume from the Boswell, Swift and Indian Rivers results in more gravel bars and islands appearing. The river valley widens and large clay banks with distinctive eroded features called hoodoos become more frequent. It is in this stretch of river that we will experience “Roaring Bull Rapids”. Other than a “rush”, the rapids are not technical or dangerous.

We will arrive at Hootalinqua, where the the Teslin River joins the Yukon River. Hootalinqua was an important depot, with NWMP post. Although the permanent population was never more than about a dozen, a telegraph station and trading store was located here. A number of buildings still stand.

Days 7- 9: As the river widens out at Hootalinqua, it takes on a completely different character – calmer. At Shipyard Island we will stop to see the 130-foot Evelyn. She was built by the Bratnober Company in Seattle in 1908 - working for the Upper Tanana Trading Company and then the huge North American Trading & Transportation Company (NAT & T), she supplied the trading posts along the tributaries of the lower Yukon River until 1913.

At the confluence of the Yukon and Big Salmon rivers is Big Salmon Village. It is the site of an ancient fishing village. During the goldrush a NWMP post, telegraph station, riverboat stop, and trading post was located here. Our paddle will continue to the confluence of Little Salmon and Yukon rivers. Little Salmon village is believed to be the oldest permanent Indian settlement on the upper Yukon.

Day 10: Layover day in Carmacks.

Days 11-18: We will be driven to our put in point at Minto and continue the voyage. It is not practical to give a day by day itinerary for this stretch of river. We will paddle approximately 50 km/31 mi per day. Our plan is establish camp on the many islands and sandbars which characterize this stretch of river. This will lessen the remote possibility of bear encounters as well as reduce our contact with those pesky mosquitoes.

The sight of (125 km from Carmacks) on a high bank remains one of the trip's highlights. The Hudson's Bay Company established it in 1848. Only accessible by water, Fort Selkirk includes a campsite with well water, tent sites, kitchen shelter with cook stove, bear-proof garbage containers, and a warming cabin. Our trip down the Yukon River normally includes an overnight stay at Fort Selkirk. Today the Canadian Heritage Branch has restored the settlement with the Taylor & Drury store, Mounted Police building, Protestant and Catholic Churches, and schoolhouse among the more than 30 buildings that are open to the public.

Once past Fort Selkirk, the surrounding country is at least as impressive as ever. Certainly there is no shortage of historic sites along the banks.

The White River (120 km from Dawson) sees a dramatic difference in the colour (and the sound) of the Yukon River. The colour is the result of a combination of glacial silt, and ash from a volcanic eruption

As we get closer to Dawson, a number of old woodcamps and homesteads have been taken over by new owners and new cabins have been built to replace the old ones. The relatively fertile islands were particularly popular spots for combined wood-cutting/farming operations. Little or nothing remains at most of these sites. Some have been lost to river erosion, or were moved to new locations when the original site was no longer viable. The anticipation heightens with each bend in the river as we near Dawson City.

Days 18-21: We will be staying at the Bunkouse in Dawson City. We will also drive to visit the original goldfileds and the lookout [Dome]. We will leave Dawson after breakfast on the last day and return to Whitehorse, arriving late afternoon.

3 Reference & Further Reading

Yukon River Guide: Len Webster (founder of Sea to Sky Expeditions and veteran Yukon River guide). This is an excellent water resistant flip guide with great info on campsites, amenities, wildlife and history along the Yukon River: Ordering info at: http://bcyukonadventures.com/yukonriversguidebook.php

Yukon River by Mike Rourke, Rivers North Publications, Houston, BC 1995

Klondike, The Last Great Gold Rush, 1896-1898, by Pierre Berton, McClelland and Stewart, Tornonto, 1978

Paddling in the Yukon, by Ken Madsen , Primrose Publishing, Whitehorse, 1996

Sternwheels on the Yukon by Arthur Knutson, Knutson, Kirkland, WA, 1979

Yukon River Steamboats: A Pictorial History by Stan Cohen, Pictorial Histories, Missoula,MT, 1984

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