Day 10 of Lupe’s Summer of 2016 Dingo Vacation to the Canadian Rockies, Yukon & Alaska
The sky was overcast, but it wasn’t raining. What time was it? Good grief! Almost 9:30 AM already! SPHP came to. Lupe was looking way perkier than SPHP. Her successful climb up King’s Throne yesterday only seemed to have enlivened her. SPHP on the other hand … well, it didn’t matter, today needed to be a rest day, anyway.
Lupe and SPHP got water and pitched garbage at the campground. SPHP straightened up the G6. There were a few squirrels around, so Lupe was happy. When all was back in order again, Lupe and SPHP drove down to see Kathleen Lake. A crew was taking down big tents that had been set up for some youth group over the weekend. The tents had been flapping noisily in the wind much of the night.
King’s Throne Peak (6,529 ft.) was across the bay. SPHP had been hoping for a clear, bright shot of Lupe at shining blue Kathleen Lake with mighty King’s Throne illuminated by morning sun in the background, but it wasn’t going to happen. The top of the mountain was scraping clouds. There wasn’t a ray of sunshine anywhere. Kathleen Lake looked green, instead of the brilliant blue it had appeared only yesterday.
There wasn’t a real plan for the day. Lupe and SPHP drove to Haines Junction. SPHP managed to get a shower at a motel. Much better! The skies were clearing. Maybe it was time to head N and see what Lupe’s options were? On the way N, Lupe went by Mount Decoeli (7,650 ft.).
SPHP had hopes that Lupe would be able to climb Decoeli, but not today. It was too much for today, right after King’s Throne. Maybe it wasn’t a bad idea to check out the trailhead, though? SPHP found the trailhead on a hill more than 10 miles N of Haines Junction. The trailhead was really just a big paved pullout on the W side of the Alaska Highway. There was no sign, no information, nothing except free parking.
It seemed like a good idea to stop by the Tachal Dhal visitor center for information. SPHP knew the visitor center was located near the S end of Kluane Lake, a huge lake E of the Saint Elias range. Lupe and SPHP continued N on the Alaska Highway. Soon the lake could be seen ahead, flanked by mountains to the W.
Kluane Lake was huge and gorgeous! Before even going to the visitor center, Lupe and SPHP stopped at a large pullout along the shore at the S end of the lake.
Kluane Lake made a huge impression. To the N, the cold, blue waters stretched to the horizon like a Yukon sea. E of the lake, desolate unknown peaks marched N toward the Arctic until they vanished from view. NW across the lake was scenic Sheep Mountain (6,400 ft.), a peak SPHP hoped Lupe might be able to climb. To the W was the wide, flat Slims River valley. Strange clouds of dust blew from the valley toward Kluane Lake.
Blowing dust was unexpected and puzzling. Was the Alaska Highway gravel over there? SPHP figured the dust must be coming from traffic on the Alaska Highway or road construction. Later, it became evident the dust was being blown up by winds sweeping over dried out mud flats along the Slims River.
After Lupe had a chance to wade in Kluane Lake and have a refreshing drink of Yukon water, Lupe and SPHP went on to the Tachal Dahl visitor center. The visitor center was located in a small building in the Slims River Valley W of both Kluane Lake and the Alaska Highway. SPHP went in to inquire about trails in the area.
There was bad news for Lupe about the trail to Sheep Mountain. It was temporarily closed due to recent grizzly bear activity. SPHP chatted with a ranger about a much longer trail up the Slims River Valley to the Kaskawulsh Glacier. The best glacier viewpoint was from Observation Mountain (6,824 ft.), but getting there would involve a 3 day/2 night backpacking trip and major stream fords.
As a nice day hike, the ranger suggested the Bullion Plateau trail. The Bullion Plateau sounded interesting, but it was already afternoon and the trail was too long to consider today. How about something short and easy? Right away, the ranger suggested Shepherd’s Knoll, a hill not too far away up the Slims River valley. A very short trail goes to the top of Shepherd’s Knoll where there are views both up the valley and back toward Kluane Lake. It sounded perfect!
A little N on the Alaska Highway from the turn to the Tachal Dhal visitor center, another gravel road leaves the highway. This road goes 2.6 km up the Slims River valley to the Tachal Dahl trailhead. Lupe left for Shepherd’s Knoll from here. Lupe and SPHP started out on the main trail, which ultimately goes to the Kaskawulsh Glacier. The trail began as an old roadbed going through a forest.
It didn’t take Lupe long, maybe 15 minutes, to reach an intersection with the Sheep Creek trail. A few hundred feet farther along, on the valley side of the main trail, Lupe found the side trail to Shepherd’s Knoll.
The Shepherd’s Knoll trail wasn’t long at all. It climbed partway up a small hill and vanished. Lupe continued on higher up the hill, checking out the views from different vantage points along her way.
For as little effort as it took for Lupe to get here, the views from Shepherd’s Knoll were impressive.
Even though getting to Shepherd’s Knoll hadn’t taken Lupe very far up the Slims River valley, it was certainly a worthwhile easy trek. Lupe would have liked to do much more exploring in the Slims River area, but this was a rest day, and it was starting to get late. Lupe and SPHP returned to the Tachal Dahl trailhead.
No one had been at the trailhead before, but now there were nearly a dozen people here. They had just returned from an overnight backpacking trip to the Kaskawulsh Glacier. A campground near the glacier was about as far as most of them had made it. Only one person had succeeded in reaching the top of Observation Mountain. The trip was more strenuous than they’d anticipated.
Lupe and SPHP went back to Kluane Lake, but this time a bit farther N along the W side of the lake. A forested hill projected partway into the lake from mud flats deposited by the Slims River. Silt is gradually filling in this end of the lake.
Evening was coming. The views from the pullout along the S shore of Kluane Lake earlier in the day had been so beautiful that Lupe and SPHP returned to enjoy the evening there.
Lupe spent a few happy hours exploring the shore of Kluane Lake, while SPHP watched the ancient dust blow, and the waves roll in.
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