Days 8 & 9 of Lupe’s 2019 Dingo Vacation to the Yukon & Alaska!
8-12-19, Takhini Hot Pools NW of Whitehorse – Oh, the deliciously warm, wet luxury of it all! For a whole hour SPHP soaked in the heat of the Takhini Hot Pools. So nice to be warm and clean again! Abandoned in the G6, Loopster was missing out. The American Dingo wouldn’t have liked it anyway. She was no fan of hot or deep water.
Another hour would have been nice, but Lupe couldn’t be left for too long. Feeling great, SPHP returned to an enthusiastic greeting at the G6. A trip back into Whitehorse for supplies, and the Carolina Dog was on her way again.
A beautiful cruise N on the N Klondike Hwy was in store this afternoon. No complaints from any feisty, bored Dingoes! Yesterday’s big Mount Lorne adventure ensured that. If anything, Looper was looking even more relaxed than SPHP.
By mid-afternoon, Lupe was N of Carmacks. Five Finger Rapids on the Yukon River was coming up. A year ago, Lupe had met Fred and Teresa Reitsma there. They had just sold the Sausage Factory in Smithers, British Columbia to a long time employee, and had been on their first big adventure in their newly acquired 5th wheel camper.
Fred and Teresa weren’t around today, but Lupe still had a great time squirrel watching along the 2 km trail down to the rapids. At the end of the trail, Lupe paused for a look at the mighty Yukon River.
In the gold rush days, Five Finger Rapids had been a navigation hazard for steamboats bound for Whitehorse. Underwater rock formations between a cluster of midstream islands created the rapids. The turbulent flow had long ago been tamed by dynamiting these obstructions to open up navigable channels.
Although the rapids no longer existed, it was still fun to see the famous Yukon River at this historic point.
Five Finger Rapids was a nice break, but the road trip resumed. At Stewart Crossing, SPHP left the N Klondike Hwy turning R (E) onto the Silver Trail (Hwy No. 11). The Silver Trail started out following the Stewart River valley upstream, but the big river was almost never in sight.
Lupe had traveled this part of the Silver Trail in 2018. The highway eventually left the Stewart River near the town of Mayo. Last year, SPHP had not bothered to take the short side road into Mayo, but perhaps it was worth checking out?
Mayo didn’t amount to much. The sleepy community showed little sign of life. The highlight was a grassy park with a gazebo overlooking the Stewart River. A plaque told a little about the history of the area. Once SPHP was done looking at it, Lupe went down a 30 foot embankment to get a drink out of the Stewart River. The river was wide, but as nearly dead calm as the rest of Mayo.
Ho-hum. Neither Mayo, nor the Stewart River were too inspiring, but at least Loop had gotten a chance to see them. Returning to the Silver Trail, the next stop was at a rest area just before reaching the Minto Bridge on the Mayo River.
By now it was evening. The whole day was almost shot. A pleasant stroll down to the Mayo River for a look at the Minto Bridge revealed a couple of interesting things. Mount Haldane (6,032 ft.) was visible beyond the bridge! Lupe had climbed Mount Haldane last year, an adventure that had turned out really well.
The second item of interest was the discovery of a Minto Bridge trail. According to a plaque, this trail made a 1 km loop, half of it following the Mayo River, the rest in the boreal forest. Nothing too spectacular, but Lupe still had time enough to do that yet this evening! By now the Carolina Dog was rested up and ready for action. Why not?
The trail looked new and seldom used. Lupe started out on the part of the loop that followed the Mayo River. Although the river was close by, the forest was dense enough so Lupe only got glimpses of it. The good news was that a squirrel or two were living in the boreal forest.
The only clear view of the Mayo River came at the far end of the loop. By then the river was beginning to widen out as part of the Wareham Lake reservoir. Ducks and swans were visible far from shore.
The Minto Bridge trail was a hit! Like the rest of the trail, the part of the loop that went through the boreal forest on the way back to the rest area was nice and easy. Lupe enjoyed the whole romp, and SPHP thought a plaque about frozen wood frogs was quite interesting.
Only a little farther to go today. Crossing the Minto Bridge, a big flock of Canadian geese provided an excuse for another quick stop.
The evening ended at the Mount Haldane trailhead. One more romp for Lupe before calling it a day! For 15 minutes, the American Dingo got to explore a triangle created by nearby roads. So fun to be back with big plans for adventure tomorrow!
8-13-19, morning at the Mount Haldane trailhead 2 miles N of the Silver Trail – Mount Haldane (6,032 ft.) was in sight despite a dreary sky. Even so, this didn’t seem like a day for big plans. Hours of steady light rain. Might as well catch up the trip journal. Lupe tore happily through the forest during several jaunts around the road triangle, but that was all the action the morning brought.
By noon the rain was over. Trip journal caught up. No sense just sitting here. Maybe there was still time to do something today over by Keno? Returning to the Silver Trail, Lupe stopped by E Halfway Lake near the Silver Trail Inn. A plaque told about the edge of Beringia, the boundary between ancient glaciers and Beringia, a vast region that had remained unglaciated even during the ice ages.
Keno City, an old mining town, is located at the end of the 111 km long Silver Trail. Lupe made a few sightseeing stops along the way, but was soon approaching Sourdough Hill (4,739 ft.), a huge ridge overlooking the town.
Keno City wasn’t very big, but it was far from being a ghost town. The Keno City Mining Museum looked quite nice and was open. So were a restaurant, a hotel, a motel, and a campground by Lightning Creek. A shack served as a tourist information center where brochures on area highlights were available.
The “Signpost” was an attraction of interest to a peakbagging Dingo. An 11 km dirt road went up to the Signpost on Keno Hill. Inquiring at the museum, SPHP was told that the road was rough in spots, but that the G6 had no doubt been through worse. That sounded like an adventure! A regional topo map was on display at the visitor center. SPHP took a photo of the Keno Hill section, and Lupe was on her way!
8-13-19, 3:00 PM, the Signpost turnaround loop near Keno Summit – The drive up Signpost road had been interesting to say the least. The road started out fairly steep, but in decent shape. After gaining a tremendous amount of elevation, it wasn’t as steep, but became rougher as it began switchbacking higher. As the G6 crept along, Lupe stared out at increasingly impressive views of local desolation and distant silvery mountains.
Gradually swinging around the W end of higher ground to the NE, Signpost road crossed a huge plateau of tundra, ultimately curving NE to end at a turnaround loop on flat terrain. A rocky ridge superimposed on the flatter ground was off to the SW. Near the start of the loop there was a kiosk with a poster about the history of the Signpost. Beyond a stone monument, the Signpost itself stood off to the N near the edge of the mountain.
Lupe left the G6 for a look around. Barely 50ºF with a chilly 15 mph SW breeze. The amorphous gray sky seemed practically within grasp. Loop sniffed about while SPHP took a quick look at the poster.
“The original Signpost was erected by United Keno Hill Mines in 1956 when the company hosted a group of visiting scientists during the International Geophysical Year. The signs point to the cities represented by the delegates. It was replaced in 1989 with the current steel signpost.”
And with that, moments after arriving, fog swept over Keno Hill. Lupe and SPHP retreated into the G6.
Summer sausage and crackers! The American Dingo munched happily away, ignoring the fog streaming by outside. Late in the afternoon, but the plan for the day was finally set. If the weather improved, Looper would try to get to Monument Hill a mile to the E, the true summit of the whole Keno Hill (6,065 ft.) ridge.
This loop the G6 was parked at was the official end of Signpost Road, but the road actually extended farther E. All the way to Monument Hill? Who knew? Lupe was already at 5,500 feet, so that might be easily be the case. Without being able to see anything at all, though, even along the way, it seemed pointless to try.
Full of summer sausage and crackers, a contented Carolina Dog took to snoozing.
8-13-19, 6:30 PM, the Signpost turnaround loop near Keno Summit – No change, until just recently. Out of the fog now, but the cloud deck sailing overhead out of the W was only 100 to 150 feet higher. A dark gray edge in that direction never seemed to get here. On the SW horizon, a silvery ghost haunted the narrow band of visibility below the clouds – Mount Haldane!
A bored, well-fed, well-rested American Dingo yawned and stretched.
So, are we ever going to do anything here, SPHP?
Sure! We can go check out the stone monument and the Signpost, if you like. At least we have some limited views now. I doubt Monument Hill is going to escape the fog this evening, but we still might want to see how far we can get. That road to the E looks intriguing. Maybe it goes all the way to the summit? Might be now or never, depending on what tomorrow brings.
Outside the G6, the wind had died down considerably. Didn’t seem as cold. The Monument Hill vote quickly swung in favor of “now” instead of “never”, but not until a visit had been paid to the famous Signpost. The stone monument was closer, so Lupe inspected it first. Turned out this was the site of the first mineral claim filed in this region following the discovery of silver ore.
Overlooking a deep valley and several lakes, the Signpost was in need of some maintenance. A sign for the “Silver Basin trail” was laying loose on its concrete foundation.
Then it was off for Monument Hill (6,065 ft.) while at least some sort of window of opportunity still existed. Lupe started up the damp road that continued E from the end of Signpost road.
Heading E toward the region known as Minto Hill, Looper hadn’t gone very far before the road divided. A decaying cabin was perched next to the road to the L (N) not far from the intersection. Lupe went to see it.
The crumbling cabin wasn’t much to look at. The road that went past it headed N starting downhill just beyond it, clearly not the way to go. Returning to the intersection, Lupe followed the road to the R, which continued E up a slope. Soon she was beginning to get up into the fog.
Before long, the Carolina Dog reached a second intersection where the road divided again. This time the road to the R (SE) went past a big rock formation as it began descending into a valley. Lupe climbed up onto the rocks, but the fog was getting thicker. Nothing to see here.
Returning to the second intersection, Lupe followed the road that went L (N). This road led higher, climbing at an increasing pace as it began to curve E again. Skirting the N edge of Keno Hill, the road became nothing but rock. Optimism grew. Maybe this road actually did go all the way to the summit? Couldn’t be much farther now!
Wanna bet? Turning SE as Lupe topped out, the road became less rocky crossing a flat region a good 100 yards wide before dropping down a rounded edge. E of the broad ridge Lupe had just crossed, a plain of dark rock interspersed with tundra sloped gradually higher.
The road doesn’t go all the way to the top, SPHP.
No, it doesn’t. That’s clear now, about the only thing that’s clear.
So do we keep going? Shouldn’t be much farther, should it?
That’s what I thought, but this fog might be exaggerating our perception of how far we’ve come. Don’t really like the notion of wandering off away from the road. Fog is treacherous. So easy to get disoriented! Doesn’t help that this terrain is so featureless. While I’d like to see you get your peakbagging success, Looper, we aren’t going to see anything, even if you do make it to the summit.
We could go a little way, couldn’t we? Maybe we’ll see something?
Maybe. Alright, but only a little way. We’re turning back if we don’t come to some sort of trail or landmark.
Sniffing 100 yards E, higher ground could be seen another 100 to 200 yards farther. That didn’t seem too far, so the Carolina Dog kept going. After gaining 30 to 40 feet of elevation, the slope became more gradual again, but the terrain was still definitely a little higher to the E. A 2 foot long pipe with an orange ribbon wrapped around it was just ahead. A fairly big cairn was faintly visible 50 to 60 feet beyond the pipe.
What the pipe signified wasn’t clear, but at least it was some sort of a landmark. Staying S of the big cairn, the American Dingo headed farther into the gloom.
Before long, what looked like another cairn appeared ahead. A moment later the fog swallowed it again. It had definitely been higher, so Lupe pressed on. The cairn reappeared as she got closer, but turned out to be only a single black and white rock, larger and whiter than most.
Another glimpse of higher terrain ahead. The fog seemed to be getting thicker. These “landmarks” Lupe had found didn’t really amount to much. Despite SPHP’s increasing wariness, Loop continued E. A quick climb up another small rise and two more big cairns appeared.
The summit? Maybe. These cairns were only 30 or 40 feet apart. The tallest was toward a N edge. The other cairn sat SE of the N one. The American Dingo headed for the tall cairn. Even once she got there, it was hard to say, if this was the top of Monument Hill, or not. Nothing higher in sight, but quite a bit of ground to the S and E all looked roughly the same elevation. Inconclusive.
Perhaps Keno Hill (6,065 ft.) had one of those enormous summits where no one point is really noticeably higher than the rest? A little scouting looking for E and S edges might be required to confirm it.
Not necessary! While gazing SE toward the other big cairn from the N one, the fog momentarily weakened. Visibility improved. Well beyond the second cairn a rocky ridge appeared, definitely higher than where Lupe was now. A tall pole stood erect at the high point, jutting up from yet another cairn.
Thar she blows, SPHP! That’s got to be the true summit, doesn’t it?
The fog closed in again. The ridge vanished. No doubt about it, though, Loopster was right!
200 yards away? No more than that. A light rain began as Lupe closed in on Monument Hill, true summit of the whole Keno Hill ridge. Not all that steep from this direction, but the approach was extremely rocky.
Made it! This was the summit alright. The Carolina Dog had seen on the way here that the terrain did drop away farther E. From the top of the ridge, the ground was seen sloping sharply away to the S, too.
SPHP congratulated Loop on reaching the top of Keno Hill! No views, of course. In fact, conditions seemed to be worsening. No sign of a registry, or a survey benchmark shown on the topo map. With a zillion rocks in the area, no telling where it might be.
In light rain and fog, Lupe sat next to the wooden pole at the high point. A moment of glory, but not one to be savored. No sense lingering under these conditions. 5 minutes, perhaps a bit more, and that was it.
Foggy Keno Hill had been an adventure! Lupe had wandered a long way from the road, much farther than SPHP had originally intended. Still in fog, all the cairns she had passed along the way did help guide her back. Loopster never did see that one large black and white rock again, but did pass by the pipe with the orange ribbon.
Once back to the road, the rest was easy.
8-13-19, 8:40 PM, the Signpost – Back from Monument Hill, the Signpost beckoned. Loopster returned. The road she had taken partway to the summit was in view to the E, the upper reaches of the mountain still cloaked in fog. At the very top of the Signpost was a sign SPHP hadn’t noticed before, one that showed how far N Lupe had already made it on this Dingo Vacation.
Loopster retired to the G6. 20 minutes later, a dense fog swept over the mountain. Rain lashed the tundra. The W wind blew in gusts. Light was fading.
11 km beyond the end of the Silver Trail! 185 miles from the Arctic Circle! With night coming on at 5,500 feet at the end of Signpost road, Keno Hill felt incredibly desolate and remote.
Links:
Next Adventure Prior Adventure
Five Finger Rapids on the Yukon River, Yukon Territory, Canada (8-13-18)
Mount Haldane, Yukon Territory, Canada (8-14-18)
Want more Lupe adventures? Choose from Lupe’s 2019 Dingo Vacation to the Yukon & Alaska Adventure Index, Dingo Vacations Adventure Index or Master Adventure Index. Or subscribe free to new Lupe adventures.
