Days 7 & 8 of Lupe’s 2018 Dingo Vacation to the Yukon, Northwest Territories & Alaska!
8-10-18 – After a black night and morning fog, Lupe had spent nearly the entire day relaxing in the G6 while SPHP drove N. The Carolina Dog was now in NW British Columbia on Cassiar Highway No. 37. The scenery was gorgeous – remote mountains, pristine lakes, and wild rivers. Lupe had briefly escaped the G6 at several quick stops along the way, notably Meziadin Provincial Park and a rest area E of Eddontenajon Lake.
Upon reaching the Stikine River (5:18 PM), it was finally time for a longer break at this favorite spot.
Lupe searched for squirrels among the trees, while SPHP read information posted up by the side road off Hwy 37. Of interest was a statement saying that the Grand Canyon of the Stikine downstream from here was described by John Muir in 1879 as “a Yosemite 100 miles long”. Might be something worth researching for a future trip?
An 1/8 mile stroll W on a dirt road up in the forest N of the river led to a locked gate where a sign posted by the Stikine Canyon Ranch advertised trail rides. The sign failed to mention the area’s main attraction. Lupe had been delighted to find several squirrels along the road.
The squirrels were the day’s highlight. More than an hour long delay waiting for a turn for fuel at Dease Lake meant Lupe didn’t get as far N as she might have. Day ended at the charmingly named Rabid Grizzly rest area 45 km N of Dease Lake, still 205 km from the Alaska Highway.
8-11-18, 5:50 AM, 36°F – A chilly morning encouraged an early start. A few hours later, the Yukon border presented an opportunity for Lupe to get out and sniff around a bit. (8:44 AM, 50°F)
Cassiar Highway No. 37 ended at a “T” intersection a mere 2 km into the Yukon. SPHP turned L onto the Alaska Highway, and Lupe cruised W for hours. Her only major break came at Teslin Lake.
More miles flew by. At Jake’s Corner, SPHP turned L (SW) off the Alaska Highway onto Hwy 8 to Tagish and Carcross. Actually bound for Atlin, within a few km another L turn was taken onto Hwy 7.
Atlin is 94 km from the Alaska Highway. Lupe had never been to Atlin before, so the drive S was interesting. Mount Minto (6,913 ft.) came into view near the N end of Atlin Lake. SPHP pulled off on a side road up on a bluff. Lupe hopped out for a look around.
Atlin Lake and Mount Minto were beautiful, but still a few miles away. Lupe trotted W on the side road to see where it went. She passed an old man sitting in a chair near a van. The old man was facing Atlin Lake, but whether he was asleep or awake wasn’t clear. He made no gesture, and never stirred as Lupe went on by.
The dirt road turned NW away from the lake and Mount Minto. Lupe took a shortcut back to the G6, exploring an open forest and enjoying a good sniff. Her next stop didn’t come until Hwy 7 reached Surprise Lake Road in Atlin. By then she was back in British Columbia.
It was now mid-afternoon. A list of local activities was posted at the junction with Surprise Lake Road. SPHP was pleased to see several on the list that Lupe might enjoy. Down by Atlin Lake there was a historic white boat, the Tarahne, to look at. The Tarahne had been built during World War I as an excursion boat for tourists interested in pleasure cruises on Atlin Lake.
Two short trails were also of interest, the Beach Trail along Atlin Lake, and the Crocus Trail which led to a view of Pine Creek Falls.
Lupe began her local tour by going into the hamlet of Atlin for a look at the Tarahne and Atlin Lake. The Tarahne was Atlin’s premier landmark along the water’s edge. It looked so well preserved it was possible to imagine the Tarahne setting off on another excursion again today.
Atlin Lake was clear and beautiful. Across the lake were two mountains of particular interest. Atlin Mountain (6,722 ft.) loomed large on the opposite shore. Farther S, Birch Mountain (6,765 ft.) on Teresa Island was in view. Birch Mountain is the second most prominent peak on a lake island in the world.
Lupe took a short stroll along Atlin Lake. People were around, but Atlin didn’t feel at all crowded. The American Dingo enjoyed a quick tour of Atlin’s main streets. She came to some unusual Atlin architecture, her favorite being the Pyramid House.
Well, you weren’t going to beat a Pyramid House! Two short trails were both a little way out of town. Perhaps it was time to go check them out? The first one was the Crocus Trail, E of Atlin along Surprise Lake Road. SPHP drove through a light industrial area, and eventually saw a sign for the Crocus Trail on the R.
Just beyond the sign was a small pullout rimmed with concrete barriers. SPHP parked here. (4:32 PM, 63°F) Lupe bounded out of the G6, happy to be free again. Peering over the barriers, it was already possible to see Pine Creek rushing through a surprisingly deep, narrow gorge. Looked promising! Lupe headed over to the sign at the start of the Crocus Trail.
The Crocus Trail began by heading downhill. After only 50 feet, Lupe came to an open grassy spot on the L. A lone bench was situated in a sunny location near the trees.
The open spot was a small area. A little beyond the bench was a cliff without any fence or railing. From near the edge, Lupe could see Pine Creek plunging down a series of small waterfalls in the upper portion of the deep gorge. This was certainly an exciting start to the Crocus Trail!
From the bench, the Crocus Trail went W through the woods. Lupe was on level terrain. She soon reached open ground along the upper rim of Pine Creek Canyon. The canyon had already widened out considerably.
Mighty Pine Creek Falls was nowhere in sight, though the roar of water could be heard. SPHP kept expecting the trail to go down to Pine Creek, but it didn’t. Instead, approaching a higher section of bluffs, a signed switchback wound a little way NW into the forest away from the canyon’s edge.
As Lupe gained the modest elevation required to get up to the higher bluff, the trail returned to the rim of the canyon. Here was a junction where what appeared to be a side trail headed NW into the forest again. Wooden signs said this was the Pom Pom trail to a cemetery.
Lupe continued W along the rim of Pine Creek canyon. As the trail went on and on, the canyon was broadening out a great deal. The Crocus Trail to Pine Creek Falls was only supposed to be 1.2 km long, and Lupe had already gone at least that far. The truth finally dawned on SPHP.
The trail curved NW. Lupe came to a bigger opening along the bluffs where she could see SW all the way to Atlin Lake, Birch Mountain, and Atlin Mountain.
This is about it, Looper. It’s a lovely view, isn’t it?
Yes, it is, SPHP! But where is Pine Creek Falls? Shouldn’t we be there by now?
We saw it already.
We did? When? Did I blink?
Back at the start. That first waterfall must have been it. Apparently we did the Crocus Trail backwards. Guess I should have paid more attention to the directions. We must have started at the end. The way we’ve gone about it, this lovely view is our somewhat anti-climactic finish.
So we’re actually at the start of the Crocus Trail now?
No. Not quite. I’m not even completely sure we are still on the Crocus Trail anymore. We can go a bit farther, if you like. We might come to the trailhead. Probably not much to see there, though, even if we do.
Lupe was in favor of going farther. A grassy road led off into the forest. Almost immediately, Loop came to a sad place. Not far from the bluff with the lovely view was a pet cemetery.
The cemetery was a small one. Looking around, SPHP noticed only 5 simple graves. One had a metal marker in the shape of a stop sign. Cut through the metal was the outline of a dog with a curly tail. The sign said only “King, Life-Long Friend”.
As the Most High Exalted Dingo of the Arctic Sisterhood stood next to the sign full of life, smiling happily, and squinting in the bright sunshine, the world filled with mist. SPHP’s cheeks felt the raindrops begin.
Come on, Looper, let’s go! This is far enough.
Lupe returned along the Crocus Trail the way she had come, all the way back to the bench by the Pine Creek Falls overlook. Looking back at the trail from here, SPHP suddenly realized there was a side trail branching off the Crocus Trail that went down into the canyon. Surely it led to Pine Creek?
Lupe was more than willing to explore this side trail, too. An easy stroll through the woods down into the canyon led to an open floodplain full of rounded rocks. Nearby, Pine Creek came rippling around a bend on its journey W to Atlin Lake.
A man was camping out of a van parked near the creek. A huge brown dog rested motionless next to the van. The man seemed startled at the sight of anyone else, but came over to talk to SPHP.
He was hard to understand. The man spoke with an accent so thick, it wasn’t even clear if he was speaking English or some other language. The conversation wasn’t particularly enlightening for either party. SPHP managed to gather that the man knew nothing about any trail down here that might lead to Pine Creek Falls. In fact, he was unaware of the falls’ existence.
The massive brown beast over by the van made SPHP nervous. Using the first break in the unproductive conversation as an excuse to leave, SPHP took a look at information posted nearby. Somewhere around here was “the powerhouse”, an Atlin area attraction.
The posted information included the same description of the Crocus Trail seen before, including directions on how to find the trailhead.
Not terribly interested in a powerhouse, there didn’t seem to be much more to do down by Pine Creek, so it was back up the side trail to the bench by the Crocus Trail for a final look at Pine Creek Falls.
Lupe’s adventures on and off the Crocus Trail were now over. (6:01 PM) Returning to Atlin Lake, dinner was enjoyed at a picnic table right next to the Tarahne. Afterwards, came a short evening drive 3.7 km S on Warm Bay Road to the huge Monarch Mountain trailhead.
The Beach Trail, the second short trail in the Atlin area, began at the S end of the parking lot. A forested embankment led down to Atlin Lake.
A long sunset stroll along the huge lake sounded wonderful! However, when Lupe got down to lake level, the Beach Trail disappeared into big stands of tall bushes. Maybe Atlin Lake was at an unusually high level from some reason? In any case, the trail disappearing into the bushes was submerged beneath dark standing water.
Utilizing a combination of less flooded portions of the trail, and off-trail bushwhacks, Lupe did manage to get to the shore of Atlin Lake. No sign of a trail existed along the beach, and only a relatively short stretch of beach a few hundred feet long was out in the open. What could be seen of the rest of the shoreline was choked with the tall bushes.
This wasn’t the eagerly anticipated long walk, but Lupe still had fun. She was still full of energy, all corked up from spending most of 2 whole days in the G6. The Carolina Dog raced up and down the beach, weaving in and out among nearby bushes, streaking past SPHP as fast as she could. Having shown off how fast and agile she was, she concluded with a were-puppy attack on SPHP.
So as the evening sun sank, whether on any Beach Trail, or more likely, not, Lupe had her fun by the shore of fabulous Atlin Lake. It was great to see her in the joy of life. And whether the American Dingo noticed, or not, Monarch Mountain (4,723 ft.), tomorrow’s big adventure, stood brightly illuminated by the slanting rays overlooking her happy antics.
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