{"id":26029,"date":"2020-02-16T10:10:29","date_gmt":"2020-02-16T17:10:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/?p=26029"},"modified":"2020-06-08T20:34:49","modified_gmt":"2020-06-09T02:34:49","slug":"to-the-arctic-circle-return-of-the-most-high-exalted-dingo-of-the-arctic-sisterhood-8-16-19-8-17-19","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/?p=26029","title":{"rendered":"To the Arctic Circle! – Return of the Most High Exalted Dingo of the Arctic Sisterhood (8-16-19 & 8-17-19)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Days 12 & 13 of Lupe’s 2019 Dingo Vacation to the Yukon & Alaska!<\/em><\/p>\n

8-16-19, 6:02 AM, 36\u00baF, at the Mount Haldane trailhead<\/em> – Chili bean!\u00a0 Chilly enough to fire the G6 up to get the heater going.\u00a0 Might as well drive a bit.\u00a0 Minutes after waking, Lupe was headed S on the Silver Trail.<\/p>\n

Mostly cloudy, with darker stuff to the W.\u00a0 SPHP didn’t drive far, 15 km?\u00a0 After crossing the Minto Bridge over the Mayo River, SPHP pulled into the rest stop on the other side.\u00a0 Chili for breakfast.\u00a0 American Dingoes love chili!\u00a0 Lupe happily scarfed down her share.\u00a0 SPHP moved the G6 close to the river where she could watch a flotilla of ducks.<\/p>\n

The sky darkened.\u00a0 Mist, then rain.\u00a0 Hah!<\/em>\u00a0 The decision to climb Mount Haldane<\/span><\/a> (6,023 ft.)<\/span><\/strong> yesterday had been a good one!\u00a0 A beautiful day hadn’t gone to waste.\u00a0 Apparently, if yesterday had been spent driving to get into position for a different peak this morning, Loopster would have gotten rained out anyway.\u00a0 As it was, after two big days of peakbagging in a row, a lazy day was in order.\u00a0 Let it rain all it wanted!<\/p>\n

8-16-19, 3:36 PM, 57\u00baF, Silver Trail at the Minto Bridge rest area<\/em> – Rain tapering off, and the trip journal caught up.\u00a0 About to get underway again!<\/p>\n

8-16-19, 4:09 PM, 51\u00baF, Five Mile Lakes campground<\/em> – No rain here!\u00a0 Still heavily overcast, though.\u00a0 Lupe got out for a look at the lake.\u00a0 Nice, but certainly nowhere near five miles long or across.\u00a0 The name must come from being five miles N of Mayo.\u00a0 Turned out that the picnic ground was at a separate location a short drive from the campground.<\/p>\n

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At the Five Mile Lakes<\/strong> campground beach.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The picnic ground was empty when Lupe arrived.\u00a0 The lake wasn’t far away, but wasn’t in view, either.\u00a0 No matter.\u00a0 SPHP heated up a can of clam chowder for supper.\u00a0 American Dingoes aren’t thrilled with clam chowder.\u00a0 Loopster sniffed around the edges of the boreal forest and found a squirrel to bark at instead.<\/p>\n

8-16-19, 7:42 PM, Gravel Lake<\/em> – Lupe’s 2019 Silver Trail adventures were behind her now.\u00a0 Along the N Klondike Highway, a short stop was made for a look at Gravel Lake.\u00a0 Big, round, and probably shallow, Gravel Lake appeared to be merely an over-sized pond.<\/p>\n

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Charmingly named Gravel Lake<\/strong>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

However, a plaque about lodgepole pines contained amazing information.\u00a0 These days Gravel Lake is about as far N as lodgepole pines are found in the Yukon, but 1,000,000 years ago they grew as far N as Old Crow.\u00a0 The virtually unbelievable part was that lodgepole pine seeds can remain dormant for 10,000 years before sprouting!<\/p>\n

8-16-19, 8:31 PM, 55 \u00baF, at the start of the Dempster Highway<\/em> – At the S end of the Dempster Highway<\/strong><\/span><\/a>, SPHP fueled the G6 up at the automated gas station.\u00a0 No quibbling about price, even if one wanted to.\u00a0 Not a good place to get stingy, anyway.\u00a0 Last chance for gas between here and Eagle Plains – 369 unpaved km away!<\/p>\n

In 2018, Lupe had traveled the entire 737 km Dempster Highway all the way to Inuvik in the Northwest Territories.\u00a0 She had even pressed on taking the new all-season road (Hwy 10)<\/em> to Tuktoyaktuk on the Arctic Ocean, 845 km from here!\u00a0 Whether the Carolina Dog would get that far on this Dingo Vacation or not wasn’t decided yet.\u00a0 Adventures were in the works as far as the Richardson Mountains N of the Arctic Circle.\u00a0 Beyond that, the crystal ball was hazy.<\/p>\n

At any rate, the Most High Exalted Dingo of the Arctic Sisterhood<\/span><\/strong><\/a> was on her way back to the true Arctic!\u00a0 To commemorate the occasion, she stopped by the big Dempster Highway sign before heading N.<\/p>\n

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The Dempster Highway starts at this junction with the North Klondike Highway 496 km\/308 miles N of Whitehorse.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Dempster Highway display.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Dempster Highway display.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

8-16-19, 9:39 PM, 50 \u00baF near Dempster Highway km 26<\/em> – Now that it was about over, Loopster saw the first hint of blue sky she’d seen all day.\u00a0 For a moment sunshine was on a hillside!\u00a0 Encouraging, although the sun never appeared.\u00a0 The Ogilvie Mountains were coming into view ahead!\u00a0 SPHP found a spot to park, so Lupe could get out for a look.<\/p>\n

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A chance to stretch after being cooped up in the G6 most of the day.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Approaching the Ogilvie Mountains<\/strong>. Photo looks N.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Far enough!\u00a0 Still light out, but time to call it a day.\u00a0 With a little luck, the Ogilvie Mountains would be out of the clouds tomorrow.\u00a0 Although she’d snoozed for hours in the G6, Lupe went right back to preparing for Mount Chester Henderson (6,300 ft.)<\/span><\/strong> in the morning.<\/p>\n

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Shhhh! Peakbagging preparations underway!<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Not long after dark, though, the mist returned.\u00a0 Then rain.\u00a0 Not good.<\/p>\n

8-17-19, 6:50 AM, 36 \u00baF<\/em> – What’s this?\u00a0 A clear blue sky!\u00a0 Awesome!\u00a0 Full of optimism the American Dingo hit the road N.\u00a0 Soon she reached the S boundary of Tombstone Territorial Park<\/strong><\/span><\/a>.\u00a0 Sunlight was visible on the peaks of the Ogilvie Mountains, yet the sky was much hazier than just a short while ago.\u00a0 Trees were swaying in a lively breeze.<\/p>\n

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About to enter Tombstone Territorial Park. Ogilvie Mountains<\/strong> in view. Photo looks N.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

8-17-19, 8:14 AM, 32 \u00baF, km 71.5 of the Dempster Highway at the Tombstone Interpretive Centre – <\/em>What a change!\u00a0 Cold, windy, with new snow on the mountains.\u00a0 Mount Chester Henderson lost in the clouds.\u00a0 The interpretive center didn’t open until 9:00 AM.\u00a0 A weather forecast posted outside showed sunny with highs of 12 \u00baC and lows of 0 \u00baC the next several days, but that was for Dawson City, not here.<\/p>\n

No local forecast, but there was one for where Lupe was ultimately heading – km 450 of the Dempster Highway.\u00a0 That had to be Wright Pass in the Richardson Mountains on the border of the Northwest Territories, or close to it!\u00a0 Unsurprisingly, the Wright Pass forecast wasn’t as good as Dawson City’s – highs of 3 or 4 \u00baC with lows of -3 to 1 \u00baC today and the next 3 days.\u00a0 Most days cloudy with periods of rain or snow.<\/p>\n

So what did you find out, SPHP?<\/em><\/p>\n

Mainly that we should wait for the interpretive center to open, Loop.\u00a0 The forecast for Dawson City, which isn’t too far away, is decent, but that’s way down by the Yukon River.\u00a0 Maybe the rangers can tell us a little more about what to expect up here?<\/em><\/p>\n

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New snow in the mountains across the Dempster Highway from the Tombstone Interpretive Centre parking lot. Photo looks E.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Breakfast was lukewarm.\u00a0 The cold wind made it nearly impossible to heat anything up.\u00a0 SPHP returned to the interpretive centre shortly after it opened.\u00a0 A surprisingly busy place, but that was due to the weather.\u00a0 Everyone was cancelling hikes and backpacking trips, and wondering what else there was to do?<\/p>\n

A local forecast?\u00a0 Nothing official, but the ranger SPHP talked to said to expect little change.\u00a0 Overcast, high temps near freezing, and a 60% chance of rain or snow every day for the next 3 days.\u00a0 Improving after that.\u00a0 They did have a new extended forecast for Wright Pass, which was at least somewhat encouraging.<\/p>\n

What’s the verdict, SPHP?<\/em><\/p>\n

What we see is going to stick around awhile, Loop.<\/em><\/p>\n

Mount Chester Henderson isn’t happening then, is it?<\/em><\/p>\n

Nope, don’t even want to leave the G6 in this frigid wind.\u00a0 No point in it, anyway, with the mountain up in the clouds.\u00a0 Same situation for anything else we might consider around here.
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

So what now?<\/em><\/p>\n

I’m pondering that, Looper.\u00a0 Seems we’ve simply hit it wrong.\u00a0 Our timing is off.\u00a0 The safe bet is to just chalk it up to bad luck and head for Alaska.\u00a0 Somewhere skies are blue!<\/em><\/p>\n

We’ve come such a long way, though, SPHP!\u00a0 Are we really going to give up on everything we were going to do along the Dempster Highway just like that?\u00a0 Aren’t there any other options?<\/em><\/p>\n

Yeah, we could just sit here or go to Dawson City waiting for the weather to improve, but that’s not in the cards for at least 4 more days.\u00a0 Even then, no guarantees.\u00a0 Only one other thing I can think of, but it’s a gamble.\u00a0 We could keep heading N.\u00a0 Things aren’t any better in the Richardsons, but if we can make it over Wright Pass, we could probably go all the way back to the Arctic Ocean at Tuktoyaktuk!<\/em><\/p>\n

Oh, the Arctic Ocean would be grand!\u00a0 And that would chew up a few days, SPHP!\u00a0 Maybe it would warm up by the time we headed S again?\u00a0 We might still get a shot at climbing a mountain or two in the Richardson Range!<\/em><\/p>\n

Exactly, Loopster!\u00a0 The extended forecast does show improvement at Wright Pass on the 21st – sunny and 9 \u00baC.\u00a0 Cloudy with showers the next day, but then mostly sunny and 11 \u00baC on the 23rd.<\/em><\/p>\n

And even if none of that works out, remember Greg and Svetlana from Mount Lorne?\u00a0 They invited us to go to Grizzly Lake<\/strong><\/span><\/a> with them on the 23rd here in Tombstone Territorial Park.\u00a0 Maybe that would work?<\/em><\/p>\n

Certainly a possibility.\u00a0 So what do you want to do, Loop?<\/em><\/p>\n

Well, as the Most High Exalted Dingo of the Arctic Sisterhood, I feel some responsibility to make an effort to return to the true arctic.\u00a0 Can we just keep going N and see how things turn out?\u00a0 Not many Dingoes have ever been to the Arctic Ocean twice!<\/em><\/p>\n

You can say that again!\u00a0 Darn few have been there even once!\u00a0 Actually, if we get there, you will have almost made it to the Arctic Ocean 3 times.\u00a0 Remember Deadhorse<\/strong><\/span><\/a>, Alaska?\u00a0 Since they didn’t allow Dingoes, I had to take the Arctic Ocean tour as your personal representative, but you were within only a few miles of the Arctic Ocean then, too.\u00a0 Alrighty, then.\u00a0 I sort of feel the same way you do.\u00a0 Shall we gamble?<\/em><\/p>\n

Onward, SPHP!<\/em><\/p>\n

Cold and windy out, but road conditions were fine.\u00a0 Even beneath leaden skies, the scenery was spectacular!\u00a0 No rush on such a day.\u00a0 The G6 made many stops at favorite points.\u00a0 The first was at the famous viewpoint overlooking the North Klondike River valley only a couple of km beyond the interpretive centre.\u00a0 On a clear day, Tombstone Mountain<\/span><\/a> (7,192 ft.)<\/span><\/strong> could be seen at the far end.<\/p>\n

This wasn’t a clear day.<\/p>\n

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N Klondike River valley<\/strong>, Tombstone Territorial Park. Photo looks SW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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A closer look with help from the telephoto lens.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Carolina Dog went past Goldensides<\/span><\/strong><\/a>, over North Fork Pass, and saw the lower slopes of Angelcomb Peak<\/strong><\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Approaching North Fork Pass<\/strong>. Photo looks NNE.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Upper E Blackstone River valley<\/strong> from North Fork Pass.<\/strong> Photo looks WSW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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North Fork Pass<\/strong> looking down the E Blackstone River valley<\/strong>. Photo looks NW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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E Blackstone River valley<\/strong>. Photo looks W.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

8-17-19, 11:39 AM, 30 \u00baF, Dempster Hwy km 95 (Bubbly Pond)<\/em> – A longer stop was made at the Bubbly Pond pullout, the lower portion of a two-tier parking area on the E side of the Dempster Highway.\u00a0 Even colder here, but low enough to be protected from the wind, so it didn’t seem bad at all.<\/p>\n

Lupe got a chance to sniff through the bushes, play with a stick, and show off how fast she could run!\u00a0 Naturally she visited the bubbly pond, too.\u00a0 Before hitting the Dempster Highway again, she topped it all off with a leisurely counter-clockwise sniff clear around the perimeter of the big parking area.<\/p>\n

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The bubbly pond parking area, km 95 of the Dempster Highway. Photo looks WNW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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By the bubbly pond. Photo looks E.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Surfbird Mountain<\/span><\/strong><\/a> (km 98)<\/em> was low enough to be out of the clouds and had only a skiff of snow.\u00a0 Farther on, Loopster made stops at the E Blackstone River rest area (km 107)<\/em> E of Peak 5262<\/strong><\/span><\/a> and Chapman Lake.<\/p>\n

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The E Blackstone River<\/strong> was running high. Photo looks NE.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Chapman Lake<\/strong> just N of Tombstone Territorial Park. Photo looks N.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Carolina Dog barked at wild horses in the E Blackstone River, but they were too far away to even look up.<\/p>\n

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Wild horses in the E Blackstone River valley<\/strong>. Photo looks E with lots of help from the telephoto lens.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Despite the endless gloomy sky, optimism grew.\u00a0 All was well!\u00a0 The G6 rolled on.\u00a0 So much fun to see these incredible places again!\u00a0 Lupe had been this far N on the Dempster Highway only once, but that had been just a year ago.\u00a0 Memory was still fresh.\u00a0 Suddenly being here again felt fantastic!\u00a0 If only the weather would turn, fabulous adventures awaited!<\/p>\n

A quick stop at Windy Pass (km 152)<\/em> recalled the tremendous day Lupe had climbing Windy Pass Peak, Distincta Peak<\/strong><\/span><\/a>, and Peak 5906 last year.\u00a0 The Carolina Dog also got a chance to stretch her legs at scenic Engineer Creek (km 168 & 172) <\/em>and the bridge over the Ogilvie River.<\/p>\n

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Back at Windy Pass<\/strong>. Windy Pass Peak<\/strong> (L). Photo looks S.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Engineer Creek<\/strong>, km 168 of the Dempster Highway. Photo looks SE.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Engineer Creek<\/strong>, km 172. Photo looks S.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Dempster Highway and Engineer Creek<\/strong>, km 172. Photo looks NNE.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Bridge at the confluence of Engineer Creek and the Ogilvie River<\/strong>. Photo looks SE.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Same bridge with Sapper Hill (3,150 ft.)<\/span><\/strong> (Center) in the background. Photo looks E.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Shortly after passing Churchward Hill<\/strong><\/span><\/a> (km 225)<\/em>, the situation began to change.\u00a0 A light rain set in.\u00a0 No problem, at first, but Seven Mile Hill where the Dempster Highway climbs out of the Ogilvie River valley wasn’t much farther, and proved to be muddy and slick.\u00a0 Low traction caused the G6 to struggle and slip.\u00a0 No guardrails.\u00a0 A tad unnerving!<\/p>\n

Snow was in the air by the time Lupe reached the Ogilvie Ridge rest area (km 259)<\/em> at the top of Seven Mile Hill.\u00a0 Not sticking much … yet.<\/p>\n

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The situation was deteriorating by the time Lupe reached Ogilvie Ridge<\/strong>. Normally a great view of the Ogilvie River valley from here. Not today.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I don’t know, Looper.\u00a0 We better talk about this.<\/em><\/p>\n

Thinking about turning around, SPHP?\u00a0 We got up Seven Mile Hill alright.<\/em><\/p>\n

Yeah, we were doing great, but now it appears we’re heading into weather.\u00a0 Hasn’t been a speck of blue sky all day.\u00a0 Rain is one thing, but the snow scares me.\u00a0 We’ve got 5\/8 of a full tank.\u00a0 If we go much farther, we won’t have any choice, but to continue on to the Eagle Plains hotel where the next fuel is.\u00a0 If we wait too long to turn around, we won’t have enough fuel to get back.\u00a0 The G6 isn’t any good in snow.\u00a0 If conditions worsen, we might easily end up stranded.<\/em><\/p>\n

How much farther to the Eagle Plains hotel?<\/em><\/p>\n

Still 110 km to go.\u00a0 Will take hours bumping along at a snail’s pace.<\/em><\/p>\n

Can we stay at the hotel, if we get there, SPHP?<\/em><\/p>\n

Sure, if they’re got room.<\/em><\/p>\n

Well, we can go a little farther, can’t we?\u00a0 If it starts snowing harder, we’ll turn around having given it our best shot!\u00a0 If things improve or stay about the same, we can head for the hotel.\u00a0 How’s that?<\/em><\/p>\n

A little dicey, but makes some sense.\u00a0 At least there aren’t any more hills as big as Seven Mile Hill before we get to the Eagle Plains hotel.\u00a0 OK, we’ll go a bit farther and see what happens.<\/em><\/p>\n

8-17-19, 4:05 PM, 35 \u00baF crossing the Eagle Plains<\/em> – No turning back now!\u00a0 Not enough fuel.\u00a0 A mix of snow and rain all the way since leaving Ogilvie Ridge.\u00a0 Fortunately, still warm enough so nothing was sticking.\u00a0 The Dempster Highway was a rough, pot holey, sloppy mess, but firm.\u00a0 The G6 crept along, jolting and splooshing through the puddles.<\/p>\n

Despite how slowly SPHP was driving, no vehicle going N passed the G6.\u00a0 Scarcely any traffic at all.\u00a0 Occasionally a vehicle heading S appeared.\u00a0 Lupe actually had a few peakbagging objectives along in here, minor hills that should have been easy climbs, but SPHP couldn’t even find them in this weather.\u00a0 Not leaving the highway in this cold, foggy soup, anyway.\u00a0 No way!<\/p>\n

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Crossing the Eagle Plains<\/strong>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

8-17-19, 5:38 PM, 33 \u00baF, Eagle Plains hotel<\/em> – Nothing dramatic happened.\u00a0 Just a dreary, damp, marginally above freezing day.\u00a0 The G6 made it!\u00a0 At Eagle Plains fuel was $1.70 CAN per liter, roughly $4.95 US per gallon.\u00a0 A bargain.\u00a0 Fill ‘er up!\u00a0 Confidence restored.<\/p>\n

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A hopeful Dingo looks forward to a pleasant evening at the Eagle Plains Hotel<\/strong> (km 369)<\/em>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Any rooms available?\u00a0 Yes!\u00a0 $160 CAN per night, tax included.\u00a0 Sounds good!\u00a0 Only one person?\u00a0 Yep, and a Dingo.\u00a0 Sorry, no pets.\u00a0 We have 2 pet friendly rooms, but both are taken.<\/p>\n

No soft warm bed.\u00a0 No spacious room.\u00a0 Lupe was crushed.<\/p>\n

A check of the latest weather forecast on display in the hotel wasn’t as good as the one back at the Tombstone Interpretive Center.\u00a0 One day of sunshine ahead 4 days from now with a high of 6 \u00baC.\u00a0 The next day 8 \u00baC, but cloudy.\u00a0 Then a 10 \u00baC day, but rainy.\u00a0 Until then 3 more days of gloom with rain, snow, and temperatures within plus or minus a few degrees of freezing.<\/p>\n

Only one thing to do.<\/p>\n

8-17-19, 7:03 PM, 33 \u00baF, windy, leaving the Eagle Plains hotel<\/em> – 36 km to go.\u00a0 Barely raining now, so the road was a bit drier.\u00a0 After crossing the Eagle River, the G6 had an easier time climbing the steep hill out of the valley than last year.\u00a0 Kms clicked away.\u00a0 The lower, snow-covered slopes of the Richardson Mountains came into view.<\/p>\n

The Most High Exalted Dingo of the Arctic Sisterhood was coming!<\/p>\n

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Approaching the Richardson Mountains<\/strong>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

8-17-19, 8:18 PM, 33 \u00baF, breezy at the Arctic Circle (km 405)<\/em> –<\/p>\n

Congratulations, Loopster!\u00a0 You’ve made it back to the true arctic for the 4th year running!<\/em><\/p>\n

Thank you, SPHP!\u00a0 The mountains are all snowy!<\/em><\/p>\n

Yeah, and the forecast is lousy.\u00a0 Not going to stand much chance of getting any peakbagging done in the Richardsons.\u00a0 Maybe Peak<\/span> 3850<\/span><\/a><\/strong> just S of Wright Pass on the way back from the Arctic Ocean?\u00a0 That’s about it.<\/em><\/p>\n

We’re going on to Tuktoyaktuk?<\/em><\/p>\n

All depends on if we can make it over Wright Pass tomorrow.\u00a0 If we can, I think you’ll be seeing the Land of the Pingos<\/strong><\/span><\/a> again.\u00a0 Still a long way, but we’ve already come so far.\u00a0 Why not go for it?<\/em><\/p>\n

The American Dingo was more than willing.<\/p>\n

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The Most High Exalted Dingo of the Arctic Sisterhood returns to the true arctic!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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At the Arctic Circle<\/strong> 4 or 5 miles from the Richardson Mountains<\/strong>. Photo looks NE.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Richardson Mountains<\/strong> with help from the telephoto lens.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Looking E.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Same view with help from the telephoto lens.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The plan was to stay at the huge pullout at the Arctic Circle rest area for the night.\u00a0 Lupe hadn’t been here too long, though, before it began to snow lightly.<\/p>\n

8-17-19, 9:50 PM, 32 \u00baF, at the Arctic Circle<\/em> – A few vehicles had come out of the N.\u00a0 SPHP had been chatting with several people who stopped.\u00a0 Two women had just come from Inuvik.\u00a0 They’d made it over Wright Pass, but the road was treacherously muddy and slick coming up from Rock Creek.\u00a0 A man made it over the pass, too, but had picked up a nail in a tire.\u00a0 Had to stop every 20 km to air it up with a compressor.\u00a0 He agreed that Rock Creek was a mess.<\/p>\n

A friendly family in a motorhome were the only ones still heading N.\u00a0 Still optimistic, they encouraged Lupe before continuing on their way.<\/p>\n

The last tail lights disappeared.\u00a0 Twilight fading.\u00a0 Alone at the Arctic Circle!\u00a0 A year ago, it had rained incessantly all night here.\u00a0 Fortunately, it had been just warm enough.\u00a0 A degree or two colder, and there would have been feet, not inches, of snow.\u00a0 No telling how long the G6 might have been stranded.\u00a0 Hadn’t happened, though.\u00a0 The next morning Lupe had pressed on, eventually getting all the way to the Arctic Ocean.<\/p>\n

Outside the G6, the snowflakes racing by in the wind were now huge.\u00a0 The ground was white.\u00a0 An inch already.\u00a0 Snowing hard and sticking!\u00a0 Almost no visibility.\u00a0 Close to blizzard conditions.\u00a0 If this kept up …<\/p>\n

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At the Arctic Circle<\/strong>, Yukon Territory, Canada 8-17-19<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Links:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Next Adventure<\/span><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Prior Adventure<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Dempster Highway Travelogue<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

W<\/em>ant more Lupe adventures?\u00a0\u00a0Choose from Lupe’s 2019 Dingo Vacation to the Yukon & Alaska Adventure Inde<\/strong>x<\/strong><\/span><\/a>,\u00a0Dingo Vacations Adventure Index<\/span><\/strong><\/a> or Master Adventure Index<\/span><\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0Or subscribe free\u00a0to\u00a0new Lupe adventures<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Days 12 & 13 of Lupe’s 2019 Dingo Vacation to the Yukon & Alaska! 8-16-19, 6:02 AM, 36\u00baF, at the Mount Haldane trailhead – Chili bean!\u00a0 Chilly enough to fire the G6 up to get the heater going.\u00a0 Might as well drive a bit.\u00a0 Minutes after waking, Lupe was headed S on the Silver Trail. … Continue reading To the Arctic Circle! – Return of the Most High Exalted Dingo of the Arctic Sisterhood (8-16-19 & 8-17-19)<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":26026,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1210],"tags":[105,721,30,106,1083,26,1089,104,1087,964,708],"class_list":["post-26029","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-2019-yukon-alaska","tag-american-dingo","tag-arctic-circle","tag-canada","tag-carolina-dog","tag-dempster-highway","tag-dingo-vacations","tag-eagle-plains","tag-lupe","tag-ogilvie-river","tag-tombstone-territorial-park","tag-yukon"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/adventuresoflupe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/IMG_4597-scaled.jpg?fit=1651%2C1238&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26029","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=26029"}],"version-history":[{"count":24,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26029\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27917,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26029\/revisions\/27917"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/26026"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=26029"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=26029"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=26029"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}