{"id":7053,"date":"2016-12-08T08:10:48","date_gmt":"2016-12-08T15:10:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/?p=7053"},"modified":"2019-04-01T23:18:29","modified_gmt":"2019-04-02T05:18:29","slug":"decoeli-kluane-national-park-yukon-territory-canada-8-9-11","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/?p=7053","title":{"rendered":"Decoeli, Kluane National Park, Yukon Territory, Canada (8-9-16)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Day 11 of Lupe’s Summer of 2016 Dingo Vacation to the Canadian Rockies, Yukon & Alaska.<\/em><\/p>\n

No matter what hour of the night Lupe woke up, there was light in the northern sky.\u00a0 Twilight moved slowly around the horizon, but never completely disappeared.\u00a0 Lupe was N, as far\u00a0N as\u00a0she had ever been in her life. \u00a0Beyond huge, dark Kluane Lake, a line of mysterious unknown mountains marched away to the Arctic.\u00a0 It all seemed surreal, but Lupe really was here, in the fabled Yukon!<\/p>\n

Two days ago, Lupe had climbed her first peak in the Yukon, King’s Throne Peak<\/a><\/span> (6,529 ft.)<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0in Kluane National Park.\u00a0 It had been a long, hard climb in powerful, swirling winds, but Lupe had made it to the top.\u00a0 She had been rewarded with spectacular views of Kathleen Lake,\u00a0Louise Lake\u00a0and mountains of the Saint Elias range.<\/p>\n

From King’s Throne Peak, Lupe had seen another peak off to the\u00a0NW, the mountain\u00a0she would attempt to climb today – Mount Decoeli<\/a><\/span> (7,650 ft.)<\/span><\/strong>.\u00a0 If Lupe could\u00a0reach the\u00a0summit of Decoeli,\u00a0it was possible she\u00a0would get to see the highest mountain in Canada, Mount Logan<\/a><\/span> (19,541 ft.)<\/span><\/strong>, far\u00a0off to the WSW!<\/p>\n

At some point, the long twilight became a long dawn, as the sun\u00a0started sneaking\u00a0back up toward the horizon again.\u00a0 Twenty minutes after the sun finally\u00a0appeared (6:30 AM, 39\u00b0F), Lupe was at the long, paved\u00a0pullout on the W side of the Alaska Highway that serves as the trailhead for the trek to Decoeli.\u00a0 No one else was here.\u00a0 The G6 was alone in the huge parking area.<\/p>\n

At 7:23 AM, all was ready.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP left the pullout heading S to a cairn marking the start of the route to Decoeli.\u00a0 Nearby an old jeep trail headed SW into a forest of stunted trees and tall soapberry bushes.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP followed the jeep trail, which soon met another similar road coming from the E.\u00a0 Lupe took the new road W.\u00a0 Mount Decoeli was in sight up ahead.<\/p>\n

\"Mount<\/a>
Mount Decoeli from along the jeep trail. Photo looks WSW using the telephoto lens.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

About a kilometer from the Alaska Highway, the road ended at Summit Creek.\u00a0 From here, Lupe’s route followed Summit Creek upstream.\u00a0 The creek\u00a0led Lupe toward a still unseen rock glacier S of Mount Decoeli.<\/p>\n

\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe reaches Summit Creek at the end of the road. From here, Lupe followed the creek upstream toward a still unseen rock glacier at the base of the snow streaked mountain on the L. Lupe’s objective, the summit of Decoeli, is seen on the R. Photo looks WSW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Summit Creek was running low, but not low enough for SPHP to cross without getting wet feet.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP stayed on the S side of the creek for as long as possible.\u00a0\u00a0It\u00a0was generally easiest to simply\u00a0travel right up the creek bed.\u00a0 However, Summit Creek often ran right along the S bank of the stream channel, forcing Lupe and SPHP up into the bushes above the bank.<\/p>\n

At first, there were usually some pretty decent trails to follow through the brush, but as Lupe got farther and farther upstream, these trails deteriorated, becoming hard to find and follow.\u00a0 The jungle of bushes was so\u00a0dense, it was\u00a0almost impossible to make any headway where there wasn’t some\u00a0kind of\u00a0path.<\/p>\n

Being in the tall bushes made SPHP increasingly nervous.\u00a0 Nothing more than a few feet away was in view.\u00a0 With the stream babbling along close by, it wasn’t easy to hear anything else.\u00a0 SPHP kept up\u00a0a lively, loud conversation with Lupe, counting on Lupe to give some warning if she smelled bears in the area.<\/p>\n

After being\u00a0repeatedly forced up into the jungle, SPHP finally decided enough was enough!\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP forded Summit Creek, and stayed out in the open on the wide, rocky creek bed.<\/p>\n

Of course,\u00a0fording the stream\u00a0meant SPHP’s feet were now soaking wet.\u00a0 They stayed that way.\u00a0 Summit Creek kept insisting upon flowing back and forth all the way from one side of the stream channel to the other, so Lupe and SPHP had to keep crossing the creek.\u00a0 Nevertheless, Lupe’s upstream progress was much faster out on the rocks.\u00a0 Furthermore, if any bears were in the area, at least out on the creek bed they could be seen well before coming right up on them.<\/p>\n

After a long trek, Lupe could see the rock glacier S of Decoeli up ahead.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The rock glacier is now in view below the snow-streaked mountain up ahead. Photo looks WSW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

By the time Lupe\u00a0reached the toe of the rock glacier, the dense jungle of bushes on the banks of Summit Creek was gone.\u00a0 Lupe left the creek bed to start climbing the green, mossy slope on the N bank.\u00a0 A trail showed others had taken this route before.\u00a0 Lupe liked being out on the spongy, mossy slope a lot better than being down on the rocky stream bed.<\/p>\n

\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe nears the toe of the rock glacier. About the time she reached it, she left the creek bed to follow a trail up the mossy slope on the R. Photo looks WSW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe greatly preferred being on this spongy, mossy ground. She would eventually climb from the little knob seen on the ridgeline at (Center), up to the summit of Mount Decoeli on the R. Photo looks NW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Lupe had already gained a fair amount of elevation on the long, gentle trek up Summit Creek to the rock glacier. Now that she had left the creek bed, though, things were about to get a lot steeper! Photo looks NW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Only a few minutes after Lupe left the creek bed, SPHP heard voices.\u00a0 Looking back, two people and a big brown dog were in sight not too far away.\u00a0 They were moving fast,\u00a0coming up the creek bed, just like Lupe and SPHP had.<\/p>\n

Lupe’s route was much steeper up\u00a0on the green, spongy ground, than it had been down by Summit Creek.\u00a0 Rather than turn NW directly up the steep slope, it seemed best to follow the trail W for a little while\u00a0making a more gradual climb.\u00a0 Lupe had already crossed a big ravine and gained a fair amount of elevation above the rock glacier, by the time the two hikers and their dog overtook SPHP.<\/p>\n

\"Two<\/a>
Two hikers and their big brown dog overtook SPHP near this point. Photo looks SW over the rock glacier.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The two hikers were Milo and Ben, from Smithers, British Columbia, with their dog, Lucca.\u00a0 Lucca was\u00a0bigger than Lupe, and not too sociable.\u00a0 Lucca growled menacingly.\u00a0 Lupe wisely kept her distance.\u00a0 Milo, Ben and SPHP had a brief, friendly conversation.<\/p>\n

Had Lupe and SPHP seen the grizzly bear?\u00a0 Uh, no.\u00a0 What grizzly bear?\u00a0 Where?\u00a0 Milo and Ben said they had come across a huge, steaming, fresh grizzly scat at the junction of the two roads\u00a0leading to\u00a0Summit Creek.\u00a0 Shortly after that, they saw the grizzly.\u00a0 Fortunately, it\u00a0just ambled off into the bushes where they lost sight of it.<\/p>\n

SPHP was certain that a giant steaming bear scat hadn’t been at the road intersection when Lupe passed by.\u00a0 Even if SPHP hadn’t noticed it, Lupe certainly would have!\u00a0 The bear must have been fairly\u00a0close by, though, for it to come through before Milo and Ben showed up.\u00a0 Yeah, avoiding the bushes, and staying out on the rocks on the wide Summit Creek channel was definitely the way to go on the way back!<\/p>\n

All\u00a0resumed the climb up Decoeli.\u00a0 Milo, Ben and Luca were soon well ahead of Lupe and SPHP.\u00a0 Everyone had turned NW going directly up the steep slope.\u00a0 For a little way farther, the ground was still covered with nice spongy, green plants.\u00a0 Pretty soon, though, Lupe reached rocky ground again.\u00a0 From here on, Lupe faced a long, steep climb up very loose scree mixed with occasional large rocks.<\/p>\n

\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe reaches the scree. She isn’t to the steepest part of the climb quite yet. Worryingly, a cloud had appeared, and now clung to the summit of Decoeli. Photo looks NW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Lupe on her way up Decoeli. She went over the orange-tan colored knob beyond her, and then climbed toward the saddle seen L of Center on the ridge. Photo looks NW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Although most of the sky was clear, a worrisome cloud formed and grew around the summit of Decoeli.\u00a0 It hung around for a while, but eventually blew away to the E.\u00a0 In the meantime, Lupe was making steady progress up Decoeli.\u00a0 She was now approaching the most challenging part of the climb.<\/p>\n

Lupe and SPHP\u00a0reached a long, incredibly steep, scree slope.\u00a0\u00a0The climb became\u00a0rather unnerving.\u00a0 Virtually everything was loose.\u00a0 With each step up, the mountain gave way.\u00a0 Rocks slid and\u00a0careened down the mountain from under SPHP’s feet.\u00a0\u00a0Now and then,\u00a0entire areas began to slide, taking\u00a0SPHP sliding back down, too, before stabilizing.\u00a0 Nothing wanted to hold.\u00a0 It was like trying to\u00a0navigate a river of rock flowing in the opposite direction.<\/p>\n

Most of the few large rocks on the slope were loose, too.\u00a0 SPHP avoided coming up directly below them.\u00a0 Even Lupe was causing showers of rocks to tumble, sometimes bounding hundreds of feet down the mountain.\u00a0 It was dangerous for Lupe and SPHP to be directly above or below each other, for fear of the projectiles\u00a0being released\u00a0from above.<\/p>\n

\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe on the scary steep scree slope. The American Dingo was doing fine. She was heading for the saddle just L of Center. Photo looks NW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lupe headed up toward large rock formations along the ridge to the WNW.\u00a0 She gained elevation relentlessly.\u00a0\u00a0The view back down the precipitous scree slope toward the rock glacier was tremendous.\u00a0 Lupe was as calm as ever.\u00a0 SPHP, however,\u00a0found it better\u00a0not to look down too long upon the dizzying scene.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Lupe nears the first big rock formation. No wonder the Carolina Dog was so calm on this steep scree slope – she was keeping her eyes closed! Photo looks WNW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lupe reached the top of the first big rock formation.\u00a0\u00a0On\u00a0a small area of relatively\u00a0level\u00a0terra firma, Lupe and SPHP\u00a0took a break.\u00a0 At Summit Creek, the air had been calm, but up here a cool breeze was blowing.\u00a0 The views were already fantastic, even though Lupe still had a considerable climb ahead.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP relaxed for 10 minutes, recovering from the ordeal on the treacherous scree slope.<\/p>\n

\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe at the first rock formation above the treacherous scree slope. Photo looks S toward the rock glacier, now many hundreds of feet below.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lupe was now on the ridge that had been visible from below.\u00a0\u00a0Another, longer ridge was in view off to the W.\u00a0\u00a0The longer ridge\u00a0looked like it might very well have been a considerably\u00a0easier route up.\u00a0 Perhaps Lupe should have stayed down near the rock glacier longer,\u00a0following it\u00a0farther SW before turning\u00a0N to start her climb.\u00a0 Maybe she should take that ridge on the way back down?<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The long, low ridge seen beyond Lupe would have been a much easier route up Decoeli. To get to it, Lupe would have had to follow the rock glacier farther SW before turning N to start her climb. Photo looks W.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Off to the NW, SPHP saw another climber!\u00a0 He was at about Lupe’s level.\u00a0 Apparently, he had come up\u00a0somewhere along that longer ridge, thereby avoiding the super steep, scree slope.\u00a0 This new\u00a0climber also saw SPHP, and waved.\u00a0 SPHP waved back.\u00a0 No doubt, Lupe would get to\u00a0meet him at the top of the mountain.<\/p>\n

Lupe continued her climb up Decoeli.\u00a0 She was now traveling up the ridgeline, no longer on the\u00a0scree slope.\u00a0\u00a0The ridge was\u00a0still very rocky, and quite steep, but the rocks were more stable than before.\u00a0 Soon, Lupe came to another rock formation where there was a small\u00a0patch of level ground.<\/p>\n

\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe reaches a 2nd rock formation along the ridgeline. There was a little level ground here, but Lupe still faced a fairly long climb to reach the top of Decoeli. Photo looks NW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lupe was getting closer to the top of Decoeli.\u00a0 She still had to gain hundreds of feet of elevation, but the nature of the climb was changing.\u00a0 The slope ahead, while still steep, was broader and covered with talus.\u00a0 The large rocks were much more stable.\u00a0 Projectiles were no longer being released with every step.<\/p>\n

Lupe and SPHP toiled upward.\u00a0 A cold W wind was blowing.\u00a0 The sky overhead was a clear, brilliant blue.\u00a0 The slope diminished.\u00a0\u00a0A weather vane, spinning rapidly, came into view.\u00a0\u00a0Beyond it, a silver metal shack perched atop the mountain.\u00a0 Milo, Ben and the\u00a0new climber were all there, engaged in conversation.\u00a0 Weary, Lucca\u00a0had\u00a0collapsed\u00a0on the rocks.\u00a0 She didn’t stir at all, as Lupe went by.<\/p>\n

After gaining nearly 4,400 ft. of elevation, Lupe had made it to the top of Decoeli<\/a><\/span> (7,650 ft.)<\/span><\/strong>!\u00a0 The views were fantastic, but disappointingly, off to the WSW, there were clouds in the direction where Mount Logan should be.\u00a0 High, snowy\u00a0peaks were partially in view, but many summits were not.<\/p>\n

\"Far<\/a>
Far to the WSW, partially shrouded by clouds, were giant snowy peaks of the Saint Elias range. This photo was taken as Lupe arrived at the summit of Decoeli. Even a partial view was a stirring sight! SPHP wondered if Lupe was gazing upon Mount Logan, the highest peak in all of Canada, among the distant giants she could see? Photo taken with the telephoto lens.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe on top of Decoeli! Photo looks S.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"The<\/a>
The view toward Haines Junction. Photo looks SE.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Milo<\/a>
Milo and Ben chat with Richard Baker. Poor, exhausted Lucca was passed out on the rocks. Photo looks WNW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After a few minutes gazing at the\u00a0amazing views, Lupe and SPHP went to\u00a0see Ben, Milo, and Lucca and meet the other climber.\u00a0 He was Richard Baker, owner of\u00a0a seasonal window cleaning business in Tucson, Arizona.\u00a0 Richard was quite animated, and busy expounding upon his philosophy of life among other topics.<\/p>\n

Milo and Ben were telling the tale of the grizzly bear.\u00a0 Richard couldn’t believe he hadn’t seen the bear scat, or noticed\u00a0the grizzly.\u00a0 He is normally very wary in bear country, and was well-equipped with bear spray and other protective devices.<\/p>\n

Milo and Ben\u00a0were both wearing shorts, and feeling a bit uncomfortable in the cold breeze.\u00a0 Since they intended to start back down soon, it was time for a photo op with them at the summit cairn.\u00a0 Milo said they had just built the cairn higher while Lupe was coming up Decoeli, which explained it’s magnificently balanced slender height.<\/p>\n

\"Ben<\/a>
Ben (L) and Milo (R) at the newly improved Decoeli summit cairn with their dog, Lucca, and Lupe. Ben is 16, and in school. Milo is 50, and works in the lumber industry. They were all from Smithers, British Columbia. They had been climbing mountains on 5 of the past 7 days. Like Lupe, they had also been to King’s Throne. Photo looks S.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Spurred on\u00a0by the cold wind, Milo, Ben and Lucca started down Decoeli.\u00a0 Lupe did not see them again.\u00a0 Richard, Lupe and SPHP were in no hurry to leave.\u00a0 Richard and SPHP chatted while admiring the views.\u00a0 Gradually, the clouds were lifting in the W!\u00a0 Many towering\u00a0ice-clad mountains were in sight.\u00a0\u00a0Richard shared his binoculars with SPHP.<\/p>\n

Both Richard and SPHP wondered whether or not Mount Logan was in sight, and if so, which giant peak it might be.\u00a0 Richard thought it was one farther to the N than SPHP believed.\u00a0 In truth, neither Richard nor SPHP really knew, but it was fun to speculate.\u00a0 It remained a pretty good bet that Lupe was seeing Mount Logan somewhere over there!<\/p>\n

\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe scans distant giants of snow and ice from Decoeli. Somewhere over there was Mount Logan, the highest peak in all of Canada, and 2nd highest peak in North America! SPHP believes Lupe did see Mount Logan, even though neither Richard nor SPHP knew exactly which peak was it. Photo looks WSW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"SPHP<\/a>
SPHP believes the highest mountain at Center is Mount Cairns<\/a><\/span> (9,186 ft.)<\/span><\/strong>. Photo looks WNW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Looking<\/a>
Looking SE from Decoeli. Two large lakes are seen faintly on the L. Kathleen Lake is the closest. Dezadeash Lake is the more distant. The long slope rising to the R from between them is the NE ridge that Lupe climbed 2 days earlier to reach the summit of King’s Throne (6,529 ft.), which is barely in view.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Kluane<\/a>
Kluane Lake from Decoeli. Photo looks NW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Gradually,<\/a>
Gradually, the clouds to the W lifted, allowing a better view of the stunning, distant peaks of the Saint Elias range. Neither Richard nor SPHP knew the names of any of them, but nevertheless, they were an inspiring sight! Photo looks W.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"A<\/a>
A world of snow and ice. Was that huge snowy ramp on the R, Mt. Logan? It was SPHP’s favorite candidate. It would be fun to know the truth! Photo looks WSW using the telephoto lens.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Mount<\/a>
Mount Logan? No one knew. It’s some grand and massive peak, for certain! Photo looks WSW using the telephoto lens.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"More<\/a>
More spectacular high peaks. Photo looks W.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"A<\/a>
A lofty white peak R of Center looks almost made of clouds. But what’s that slope on the L? It was hard to tell if it was a cloud or part of some colossal mountain. Photo looks W.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Richard and SPHP spent so long taking turns looking through the binoculars, that Lupe became a bit bored with it all.\u00a0 She was tired of standing around, and disliked the cold wind.\u00a0 Lupe had water, some\u00a0Taste of the Wild, and curled up on as flat a spot as she could find.\u00a0 SPHP covered her with a jacket to help her keep warm.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Richard Baker on Decoeli. Richard was quite animated and friendly. He shared his binoculars and philosophy with SPHP. Richard’s window cleaning business in Tucson, AZ is seasonal enough to permit him time to travel and climb mountains part of the year.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After Lupe and SPHP had been at the summit for 50 minutes, Richard announced that he was ready to head down.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP remained on top of Decoeli alone\u00a0a little longer\u00a0for a last look around.\u00a0\u00a0The views remained simply astounding! \u00a0Climbing Decoeli had been a challenging, yet\u00a0magnificently rewarding experience.<\/p>\n

\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe not far from the Decoeli summit cairn for the last time. Photo looks S.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
The best route down Decoeli passes to the R of the small prominence seen L of Center overlooking the rock glacier. Photo looks S..<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Richard<\/a>
Richard Baker starts down Decoeli. Mount Cairnes is in view at Center. Photo looks WNW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Sadly, it was time to\u00a0move on.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP set off following Richard down the mountain.\u00a0 This time, Lupe\u00a0stayed on the longer ridge going SSW.\u00a0 The first part of the descent down the talus slope\u00a0was still quite steep and slow, but by staying on the SSW ridge, Lupe was able to avoid having to go down the treacherous scree slope to the SE where she and SPHP had come up.<\/p>\n

Richard was leading the way,\u00a0taking the same long SSW ridge.\u00a0 Even this route was steep enough so SPHP had to be careful not to send rocks bounding down the mountain toward him.\u00a0 Several times\u00a0SPHP had to\u00a0shout a warning.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The SSW ridge led down toward a wide saddle. The rock glacier Lupe would eventually have to turn toward is out of sight farther down to the L. Although this route wasn’t as difficult as the scree slope Lupe and SPHP climbed going up, it was still plenty steep. Richard can be seen ahead. SPHP had to be careful not to send loose rocks bounding down the mountain at him. Photo looks SSW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Unnamed<\/a>
Unnamed peaks beyond the saddle SSW of Decoeli. Photo looks SSW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Partly out of fear of rocks\u00a0hurtling down the mountain, Richard stopped off to the side long enough to let Lupe and SPHP catch up.\u00a0 While climbing Decoeli, Richard had originally come up from the SE\u00a0to reach this broad, gentler slope on the long SSW\u00a0ridge.\u00a0 He had also had\u00a0to climb up a steep, scree slope on the way, but not for nearly as far as Lupe.<\/p>\n

Ahead was a small prominence overlooking the rock glacier to the S.\u00a0 The question was whether to start down to the SE now, or circle around the W side of the prominence?\u00a0 After a little discussion and scouting around, it was decided to go the long way around the W side.\u00a0 There were numerous sheep trails Lupe could follow in this area.<\/p>\n

\"Going<\/a>
Going down around the prominence overlooking the rock glacier. The top of the prominence is out of sight up the L slope. Richard leads the way, while Lupe wonders what’s keeping SPHP? The rock glacier is in view ahead. Photo looks SSE.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Looking<\/a>
Looking SSE at the mountains beyond the rock glacier. It’s possible the more distant peak on the L is Mount Archibald<\/a><\/span> (8,491 ft.)<\/span><\/strong>, but SPHP isn’t certain.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Lupe on her way down Decoeli. Photo looks N.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Eventually, Lupe, Richard and SPHP all arrived down\u00a0at the rock glacier.\u00a0 Up close,\u00a0it was possible to see there really was melting snow and glacial ice under all the rock.<\/p>\n

\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe down by the rock glacier.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Richard, Lupe and SPHP all\u00a0started the journey NE toward the rock glacier’s toe.\u00a0 The terrain along the NW\u00a0side of the glacier was often\u00a0rough and broken.\u00a0 After staying near the glacier’s edge\u00a0for a while, SPHP tried leading Lupe up\u00a0a steep bank to a green, spongy area\u00a0overlooking the glacier.\u00a0 This maneuver did not help.\u00a0 Lupe quickly arrived at a ravine leading right back down to the glacier.<\/p>\n

Richard had stayed down by the rock glacier.\u00a0 He forged ahead, while Lupe and SPHP navigated the ravine.\u00a0 By the time Lupe reached the toe of the glacier, Richard was out of sight somewhere down Summit Creek.<\/p>\n

Lupe and SPHP made great progress going down the wide, rock-strewn Summit Creek channel.\u00a0 This time, SPHP didn’t hesitate to simply ford the creek whenever necessary.\u00a0 Every now and then, Lupe caught sight of Richard far ahead.\u00a0 The long trek down the creek bed was actually quite easy and fun.\u00a0\u00a0Lupe and SPHP enjoyed the\u00a0beautiful long Yukon evening.<\/p>\n

Near the start of the jeep trail, Lupe and SPHP caught up with Richard again.\u00a0 Richard and SPHP chatted as Lupe trotted along the road.\u00a0\u00a0Richard\u00a0expounded upon\u00a0grizzly bears.\u00a0 He was carrying bear spray and other anti-bear devices to deal with them.\u00a0 He talked about how all these tall bushes with small red berries growing along the road were soapberry bushes, and how bears love soapberries!<\/p>\n

At the intersection\u00a0where the road forked, there it was, just\u00a0like Milo and Ben had said.\u00a0 A huge grizzly bear scat full of soapberries was right there at the intersection.\u00a0 Richard still couldn’t believe he hadn’t seen it in the morning!<\/p>\n

The sun was getting low when Lupe reached the G6.\u00a0\u00a0She’d had a\u00a0long, long day.\u00a0 Without the slightest hesitation, she hopped into the G6.\u00a0\u00a0Lupe curled up on her blankets and pillows,\u00a0looking forward to a soft, comfy snooze.\u00a0 For more than an hour outside, Richard and SPHP conversed about Decoeli, bears, and other things.\u00a0 Richard even offered SPHP a free canister of bear spray.\u00a0 SPHP thanked him, but declined.<\/p>\n

When Richard said good-bye and drove off, SPHP joined Lupe in the G6.\u00a0 The sun was about to set.\u00a0 What a fantastic, memorable\u00a0day it had been!\u00a0 Lupe had made it to the top of Decoeli.\u00a0 She had\u00a0almost certainly\u00a0seen Mount Logan, the highest mountain in all of Canada.<\/p>\n

Lupe and SPHP drove N on the Alaska Highway on the way to Kluane Lake, as the still glowing evening faded slowly from the wild Yukon mountains and sky.<\/p>\n

\"Half<\/a>
Half moon over mountains NW of Decoeli.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Lupe's<\/a>
Lupe’s long, fabulous Day of Decoeli draws to a close.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Sunset,<\/a>
Sunset, Kluane National Park, Yukon Territory, Canada 8-9-16<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Note: The trailhead for Mount Decoeli is a long, paved pullout\u00a012.5 miles N of Haines Junction on the W side of the Alaska Highway.\u00a0 (1.4 miles N of the Spruce Beetle trailhead.) Decoeli is near, but not actually in, Kluane National Park.\u00a0 The route up is not maintained or signed in any manner.\u00a0 There is no formal trail.\u00a0 Elevation gain is a bit under 4,400 feet, or 1330 meters.\u00a0 Distance is roughly 11 miles or 18 km round trip.<\/em><\/p>\n

A free description of the route up Decoeli\u00a0is available from visitor centers near Haines Junction and Kluane Lake.<\/em><\/p>\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 Prior Adventure<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Want more Lupe adventures?\u00a0\u00a0Choose\u00a0from Lupe’s 2016 Canadian Rockies, Yukon & Alaska Adventure Index<\/strong><\/a><\/span>, <\/span><\/em>Dingo Vacations Adventure Index<\/strong><\/span><\/a> or Master Adventure Index<\/strong><\/span><\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0Or subscribe free to New Lupe Adventures<\/span><\/span><\/b><\/a><\/span><\/em>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Day 11 of Lupe’s Summer of 2016 Dingo Vacation to the Canadian Rockies, Yukon & Alaska. No matter what hour of the night Lupe woke up, there was light in the northern sky.\u00a0 Twilight moved slowly around the horizon, but never completely disappeared.\u00a0 Lupe was N, as far\u00a0N as\u00a0she had ever been in her life. … Continue reading Decoeli, Kluane National Park, Yukon Territory, Canada (8-9-16)<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7071,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","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":[726],"tags":[105,30,106,715,26,711,104,708],"class_list":["post-7053","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-2016-canadian-rockies-yukon-alaska","tag-american-dingo","tag-canada","tag-carolina-dog","tag-decoeli","tag-dingo-vacations","tag-kluane-national-park","tag-lupe","tag-yukon"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/adventuresoflupe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/IMG_1843.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\/7053","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=7053"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7053\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21391,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7053\/revisions\/21391"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7071"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7053"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7053"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7053"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}