Days 4-6 of Lupe’s 2019 Dingo Vacation to the Yukon & Alaska!
8-8-19, dawn, Yellowhead Hwy No. 16 W of Jasper – Uh-oh. Warning! Dingo triggering event ahead! Not another soul on the road yet, but SPHP had to brake. One of those portable temporary stoplights for road construction had just turned red. Lupe stared in disbelief, her eyes growing big as saucers as she began to realize what she was coming to. Her hackles rose. SPHP completely shut the windows on her side of the G6. Here it comes!
The G6 exploded with noise, as Looper sprang into action. A full-fledged 5 alarm, frothing at the mouth, barking frenzy was underway! The American Dingo bounded up and down, back and forth, whacking her head against the windshield, nose smearing against the side window, decibel level as high and shrill as she could possibly maintain it.
Egads! Turn green for pity sake! The stoplight remained a stubborn cherry red. 15 feet outside Lupe’s window a magnificent bull elk looked up momentarily. What was all that racket? Whatever it was all about, the elk decided it didn’t concern him, and went back to casually munching whatever it was he was munching.
A mile later, sides still heaving, Lupe gasped.
What is the matter with you, SPHP? It takes a thermonuclear device to get your attention! An enormous giant deer was frozen in place right there outside the G6! Easy pickings! We could have been feasting on fresh, warm, bloody venison right now! Don’t tell me you didn’t see it!
Oh, I saw it alright, beyond a brown and white blur! How could I not see it with you about to bust a gut for 10 solid minutes? I thought that light would never turn green. We are in a Canadian National Park, Loop. I’m reasonably certain park officials would frown upon us devouring a freshly killed elk right next to the highway. Besides, what makes you think it would be that easy? That giant deer must have outweighed you 50 to 1!
You would have helped me, wouldn’t you, SPHP?
Of course. I could use a few years free room and board courtesy of the Canadian government. Shudder to think what might become of you, though, Loop.
Tangle Ridge had been a grand success yesterday, but over 3,800 feet of elevation gain had taken a toll. The giant deer frenzy must have sucked up whatever energy the Carolina Dog had recovered overnight. Yukon bound, the day turned into a relaxing road trip. Serenity returned as Loopster took to snoozing on her pink blankie.
That didn’t mean there couldn’t be a few stops at favorite places. Still needed to stretch now and then to keep the blood circulating.
The whole day got spent cruising NW on Yellowhead Hwy No. 16, all of it in British Columbia after crossing the border from Alberta early on. Shortly before reaching Fort Fraser, a tall plume of black smoke came into view on Lupe’s side of the highway. Traffic was backed up ahead.
Turned out to be a badly burnt out vehicle. Spontaneous combustion? Didn’t seem to be the result of a collision. By the time Lupe went by, the fire department had already put out the fire.
Sure hope the ole’ G6 doesn’t get any ideas, SPHP!
Yeah, that’ll be us someday, Looper. We’re bailing, though, at the first sign of trouble. If you ever sniff smoke, let me know right away.
Like that would help! I’m not expecting any rapid response miracles out of you, SPHP, after that giant deer episode.
Well, warn me anyway. I’m likely to be more excitable, if the G6 threatens to burst into flames.
By late afternoon, Lupe was at Steelhead Park in Houston. Small, but exquisitely maintained. Sniffing the fragrant blossoms of all the colorful flowers was pure delight! Looper paid homage to the Dingo god, too.
8-8-19, 5:45 PM, Smithers, British Columbia – The long drive was over for now. Lupe reached Smithers near the Babine Mountains with sufficient daylight remaining to explore the town. She visited the Bulkley River, then took a stroll down Main Street looking for the Sausage Factory. A year ago she had met the former owners, Fred and Teresa Reitsma, at Five Finger Rapids on the Yukon River. They’d been on their way to Dawson City.
Fred and Teresa had invited Lupe to drop by the Sausage Factory, if she ever got to Smithers again. Now she was here, but too late! The Sausage Factory was closed for the day. Too bad. It looked like a ritzy place! The product line was of considerable interest to a famished American Dingo, too. Maybe Loop could return tomorrow?
Hudson Bay Mountain (8,494 ft.) was on the agenda tomorrow, a super prominent (5,000 ft.+) peak W of Smithers. Lupe wouldn’t be able to get to the true summit, which was a technical climb. The S summit wasn’t much lower, though, and was supposed to be accessible by a route that continued higher from Crater Lake.
By sunset, Lupe was at the Crater Lake trailhead, high on Hudson Bay Mountain’s S flank. A gorgeous evening! Things were looking good!
8-9-19, 6:58 AM, Hudson Bay Mountain, near the Crater Lake trailhead – The Carolina Dog sniffed aimlessly around the G6. Fog and mist. Hardly an inspiring start to the day. It was what it was. Reality rules. No point in this. Oh, well.
Down in Smithers a short while later, it was just an overcast day. Only the upper half of Hudson Bay Mountain was shrouded in clouds, but that was the half Lupe had hoped to visit. Some sort of front must have moved in overnight, nothing too dramatic, but enough to be a spoiler. Kind of a shame. Hudson Bay Mountain wasn’t the only candidate on Lupe’s list in this region.
However, didn’t seem to be much sense in waiting around. The Yukon was still a long way. Somewhere skies were blue! Without even waiting for the Sausage Factory to open, Lupe was on her way again.
20 minutes W of Smithers, SPHP drove into rain. 20 minutes W of Seeley Lake, the long drive on Yellowhead Hwy No. 16 finally came to an end. Lupe was on her way N on Cassiar Hwy No. 37! The Alaska Highway in Yukon Territory was now only 724 km (450 miles) away. The rain stopped 40 km later. At 60 km, a patch of blue sky was seen ahead.
The weather improved as the G6 sped N. The scenery was gorgeous! Big lakes, mountains, and rivers, but Lupe seldom got a break from being cooped up. This was really wild territory, with hardly a trail anywhere as far as SPHP knew. Daunting. The only significant stop Lupe made was at the Stikine River, a favorite spot known to harbor squirrels in the forest near the riverbank.
8-9-19, 7:15 PM, Beaver Dam rest stop along Cassiar Hwy No. 37 – Only 75 km left to the Alaska Highway, but enough was enough. After a bite to eat, having spent practically the entire day on the road, Lupe finally got to do some exploring. N of the rest stop a dirt road curved slowly NW into the forest. Maybe it would lead to the beaver dam? None was in sight at the rest stop.
A gentle 0.33 mile uphill stroll led to a bit of a drop into a little valley. No beaver dam. So far, SPHP had found only mosquitoes. Lupe was doing better. A couple of squirrels had come to her attention, and now to her enormous satisfaction, she came across a succession of mud puddles covering the entire road. The American Dingo plopped herself right down in each one, clearly enjoying lapping up murky mineral water, and that oh, so wild and natural feeling one gets from being absolutely filthy.
Upon getting back to the Cassiar Hwy, SPHP picked as much trash out of the ditches as could be carried back to the rest stop for proper disposal.
We’re doing something wrong, Loop, when a load of trash, and a dingy Dingo are the highlight of the day!
8-10-19, 35ºF at the forest fire pond along Cassiar Hwy No. 37 – Chilly out, but at least the sky was blue! By the forest fire pond Lupe squinted into the brilliant glare of the morning sun. Going to be a great day! Another one on the road again, though. Lupe had already made a few tracks. This pond was what, a mere 30 km from the Yukon?
8:08 AM, 39ºF, Yukon border, Cassiar Hwy No. 37 – Two days of pent-up energy could be contained no longer. The were-puppy attacked as soon as SPHP stepped out of the G6. Leaping, growling, nipping, tugging, tearing – all the usual were-puppy tactics.
You know, were-puppy, you are at least part of the reason I’m always in tatters!
Oh, you love it, SPHP! It’s all in good fun!
For some of us. I notice you don’t ever come away turning yellow and green and purple and blue.
Sorry ’bout that. Now and then I get carried away.
Apology accepted, provided you let go of my pants without ripping them any further. How about a romp in the woods along the Yukon border? Might be a squirrel out there somewhere!
A romp and a squirrel sounded good. After visiting the Yukon border sign, Lupe dashed off into the forest. A squirrel did materialize, making SPHP look like a genius.
Burning off some steam early on was a good thing. 2 km N of the Yukon border Cassiar Hwy No. 37 came to an end. SPHP turned W (L) onto the Alaska Highway. Hours slipped by, the only significant stop being a now traditional one at Teslin Lake.
By early afternoon, Lupe had left the Alaska Highway at Jake’s Corner, and was on her way back into British Columbia heading S on Hwy 7 to Atlin. A lunch stop was made on a bluff overlooking the N end of Atlin Lake and Mount Minto (6,913 ft.).
Atlin Lake is long and narrow. It was still quite a way to the town of Atlin on its E shore. Shortly before Loopster got there, SPHP spotted a couple of float planes on Como Lake, a small lake W of Hwy 7. Might be fun to go take a look. The American Dingo was all for it!
None of the stops today had been terribly long. By mid-afternoon, Lupe was back in Atlin again! A year ago, she’d had a terrific time climbing Monarch Mountain SE of town.
Being back in Atlin was exciting! Lupe went to the waterfront to see the gorgeous lake and the Tarahne, a century old excursion boat which had once upon a time brought tourists to Atlin.
Off to the SW was the reason Lupe was here. Across Atlin Lake near the far W shore was a large island. Teresa Island was dominated by a single massive mountain which occupied virtually the entire island. In 2018, Lupe had seen Birch Mountain (6,765 ft.), not only from Atlin, but also from Monarch Mountain (4,728 ft.).
For the past year, SPHP couldn’t help thinking that Birch Mountain had looked climbable from the N. Why, Lupe could do that! From the top there ought to be a fantastic view of the Llewellyn Glacier, which the Carolina Dog had glimpsed on the far horizon from Monarch Mountain. Birch Mountain had a peculiarity, too, which added to its overall appeal. With 1,393 meters (4,570 ft.) of prominence, Birch Mountain was the 2nd most prominent lake island in the entire world!
Until Lupe had run across Birch Mountain, it had never occurred to SPHP that she might be capable of summiting the 2nd best of any class of mountain in the whole world, yet here was an opportunity to do so in this remote NW corner of British Columbia, an area Lupe had been close to on her summer Dingo Vacations these past 3 years. The whole notion was so enticing!
Beyond the usual weather considerations, 2 significant problems needed to be addressed. First, how to get over to Teresa Island? Second, how to get above tree line? The lower portions of the island looked densely forested. Was there a trail? If not, was the forest open enough to simply amble up through it without too much difficulty? If Looper could get above tree line, the upper regions of the mountain appeared to be quite manageable. SPHP was confident she could reach the summit.
Time to get some answers! Across the street from the waterfront was a hotel. SPHP went in to see what might be learned, while Lupe waited in the G6. Hotel personnel directed SPHP to the Atlin Historical Society a few blocks away. The Historical Society turned out to be a museum. Inside, a couple of old ladies were busy answering tourist’s questions.
So what did you find out, SPHP?
Nothing yet, Loop. Didn’t even talk to them. Might be wrong, but I doubt they know anything at all about getting to Teresa Island or climbing Birch Mountain in there.
What now, then?
I think there was a sign when we came into town about kayak rentals. Not going to take on Atlin Lake in a kayak, but maybe they rent motor boats, too? Let’s go have a look.
Sure enough, there was a sign. Glacier View Cabins, canoe and kayak rentals, 12 km on Warm Bay Road.
Driving S on Warm Bay Road, SPHP saw no sign of Glacier View Cabins. After going an extra 2 miles, SPHP turned around. On the way back N, there it was! A sign was near a steep driveway on the E side of the road, away from Atlin Lake. SPHP drove up only as far as the first couple of cabins before parking the G6. Lupe hopped out.
Nobody seemed to be around. Lupe and SPHP trudged farther up the steep driveway. At the upper end, a home sat perched on a slope with a fabulous view of Atlin Lake and the Llewellyn Glacier. SPHP rang the doorbell. No answer. Knocking and ringing again didn’t help. On the verge of giving up, Lupe and SPHP were still standing next to the door, when suddenly a man appeared carrying a basket of laundry.
Peter Sidler and his wife, Edith, who wasn’t home at the moment, own and operate Glacier View Cabins. Originally from Switzerland, Peter had been a resident of Atlin for the past 37 years. Although busy, he invited Lupe and SPHP into his home.
Peter had canoes and kayaks available for rent, but said Atlin Lake was too big and dangerous to cross over to Teresa Island in such craft. He also had a motor boat that would have worked, but it was rented out for the next 2 days. The following 2 days it was committed to participation in a search and rescue class.
Peter did share some good information. Over the years, he had climbed Birch Mountain multiple times. There were no trails on Teresa Island, and Peter was skeptical of SPHP’s proposed route from the N. He’d never tried that, but expected the willows would make it tough to get through the forest.
The best route was from the SE, where a major rock slide gets down to within 200 meters of the shore. Staying on the rocks made the climb much easier. Peter had once gone up the NW side of the mountain, but that was more difficult. Yes, Birch Mountain could be climbed in a single day, but it would be a long, hard one.
Although Peter couldn’t get Lupe to Teresa Island in the next few days, he knew who might be able to help. No regular water taxi services were available in Atlin, but Archie Wiggins had tremendous experience in the area and ran charter services with his large boat. Gary Hill might also have a suitable boat available. A call to Mr. Wiggins went unanswered. Probably out on the water with clients.
Armed with phone numbers and instructions on how to find both Wiggins and Hill, Lupe and SPHP departed after thanking Peter for all his help. Returning to Atlin, Lupe dropped by Wiggins’ house, but no one was there. At the Hill household, Gary’s wife, Bobbi, was out in the yard. She was friendly and summoned Gary. Again no luck. Gary’s boat was rented out, and wouldn’t be available for a whole week. He had no other options for Lupe.
That left Archie Wiggins, Lupe’s last and best bet. After dinner, Loop and SPHP returned to his house in Atlin. A vehicle was there now, but knocking on the door and walking around back produced no response. Hmm. Suddenly the front door opened. Barefoot and in an old T-shirt, Archie Wiggins strode out of the house. Peter and Bobbi had both called Archie leaving messages on Lupe’s behalf. So what did SPHP want?
Passage across Atlin Lake both to and from Teresa Island.
Wiggins and his boat were available tomorrow, but his response was surprising.
Don’t really know much about Birch Mountain. We don’t get much call for it. People seldom want to hike Birch. Usually they helicopter over there. Most people I deal with want to go either to Atlin Mountain (6,722 ft.) where there’s a trail, or Cathedral Mountain (6,965 ft.). Cathedral is a gorgeous mountain, a premier destination.
Not familiar with Cathedral. What does it cost to go there? Really came for Birch. Are you willing to take us to Teresa Island?
Are you alone? Just you and the dog?
Yes.
For drop off and pickup, it’s $1,000 to Cathedral. Really a wonderful trip, and a fabulous peak. To Birch, $175. That’s just to the NE shore. More if you want to be dropped off somewhere else.
$175?
Do you have inReach?
I suppose maybe we ought to, but no. I don’t.
We get a lot of intrepid individuals up here, who’ve done some amazing things. My customers know what they’re doing and come prepared. I’m not going to be responsible for anyone who’s going to put themselves in a situation.
With that, without waiting for a response, Archie Wiggins turned and went back into his house. The door banged shut behind him.
That went well.
Dingo feathers! I totally blew it, Looper! The moment he quoted $175 for Teresa Island, I should have asked him what time we could start in the morning. I only hesitated because I was wondering if I ought to ask him about going to the SE side of the island to the rock slide Peter mentioned. Could have done that once we were already on board crossing the lake. He would have been thrilled to charge us more, if we didn’t like the looks of the NE shore.
He still might have asked you about inReach.
Maybe, but maybe not, too. We might well have been on our way! It would have worked out. Wiggins knows what he’s doing, and he was our last and best chance. Can’t believe I let it all fall apart like that.
Too late now. Why don’t we take the helicopter, SPHP? That would be amazing!
That’s right! He did say most people helicopter to Birch.
Discovery Helicopters was close to where Hwy 7 reached Atlin. Right away SPHP ran into Matt, a young, professional helicopter pilot.
Birch Mountain? No problem. Alone? That’s too bad. Price is the same for up to 4 people. We fly you up to an upper ridge. Still a nice hike to the summit from there. Spectacular views! Just tell us what time you want us to meet you again for pickup back at the ridge. Too late in the day to go now, but we can get you there as early as you like in the morning.
Price? Well, 10 minutes flight time one way. Two round trip flights. That’s 40 minutes. Gotta figure some time for loading and unloading. $1,000 will do it. If someone else wants to fly beyond Birch about the same time, we could save you something on that, but don’t think we have anyone lined up at the moment. Drop in again in the morning, if you want to go. We’ll see if that’s changed, and work out the details. We’ll get Lupe up there!
SPHP thanked Matt and returned to the G6.
Are we really going in a helicopter, SPHP?
It’s a great deal with 4 paying passengers. $250.00 each, Canadian. Lucky American Dingoes get a nice discount at the current exchange rate. How are those royalties on your blog doing? Rolling in the dough by now, I hope?
Business has been, umm, steady, SPHP.
Still nothing, aye?
Zippo.
Any book advances or movie rights in play?
The agents just mutter something about “extremely limited market”. By the way, what does “infinitesimal” mean?
In this context, Loopster, it means “Ain’t gonna happen.” How about those endorsements? Anything happening there?
I haven’t really endorsed anything except playing in the mountains and T-bone steaks.
No ad revenue, either, I don’t suppose.
There might be, eventually, if we ever come up with an ad.
I see. Well, doubt I can rustle up 3 additional paying passengers in the next few hours. Atlin is a small place. Probably doesn’t make sense to hang out at the marina tomorrow trying to buy a random ride from some boater to Teresa Island, either, since we’ll actually need to get back, too.
No helicopter ride?
At $250, yes. Absolutely. What an experience! Not at $1,000. We can get more bang for our buck at another mountain. To tell you the truth, I’m sort of used to free, other than our normal travel expenses.
And that was that. Lupe’s Birch Mountain dreams had gone up in smoke. The Carolina Dog left Atlin heading back N on Hwy 7. Sundown found her at a little rest stop along the E shore of Atlin Lake. The lake was almost mirror smooth. The evening so calm, and a little sad.
6 days into what was meant to be Lupe’s grandest Dingo Vacation of 2019, Tangle Ridge had been her only major peakbagging success. Failure at Hudson Bay Mountain. Failure at Birch. She’d traveled the long road N to the Yukon, and wasn’t far from it now, yet it seemed the Carolina Dog was getting nowhere fast.
SPHP might be concerned, but Lupe wasn’t. Tomorrow was another day.
Links:
Next Adventure Prior Adventure
Monarch Mountain near Atlin, British Columbia, Canada (8-12-18)
The Crocus Trail to Pine Creek Falls, Atlin, British Columbia, Canada (8-11-18)
Glacier View Cabins (Peter Sidler)
Archie Wiggins (Atlin Lake boat charters) PH: 250-651-7542
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.