Sam has been talking about moving to the Yukon for some time now. My only worry was the dark months in the winter, and I didn't know how I'd handle the sunlight in the summer since I prefer to go to bed early.
But after 2 days I was convinced. Then I was talking about it more than Sam.
Job prospects are good, the environment is inspiring and the one thing I love most: people that live there are there because they WANT to be there. Because it's so darn beautiful!
I love Yukon's biodiversity. Every time we went for a hike I could spot at least 1 or two more flowers or plants that I'd never seen before. And the flowers are so vibrant in the summer! It seemed as though I had a "flower of the day" every day. You may notice I have a habit of wearing flowers in my hair often.
I love Whitehorse culture too. Everyone we met talked about how much they love the Yukon, and people are there because they love nature, so they really respect nature too. I'm told that people won't let things that disturb nature fly too well. Furthermore, the campgrounds are awesome. $12/night. Cheap! And Beautiful! No plug-ins or anything unnecessary when camping :) The government campgrounds are all over Yukon and they're fairly convenient and beautiful! If that's not awesome enough, you are invited by locals to camp in places that aren't regulated too. (As in you won't be charged- they trust that you will be responsible about it.) Sam and I were given a nice place to camp near carcross that was on the Windy Arm (a lake) right by a beautiful trail on Montana Mountain and no one bothered us. (Not even bears. :P) The thing I love about Carcross is it's emerald lakes. Beautiful! And on Windy Arm, there are no bugs! Yay for wind!
As for the midnight sun, it was really nice for hiking because we didnt have to worry about being out too late, or flashlights in the dark when camping and we had no problems sleeping because we were active and outside so much!
If you ever go to Whitehorse, make the extra trip to Tombstone National Park. (It's about 1.5 hours from Dawson, north on the Dempster Highway.)
We didn't care for Dawson City much. It's a tiny town full of tourists and young people with summer jobs to satisfy tourists. It's an old mining town and it's main attraction is a casino that has three shows daily in the summer. There's something about the look of Dawson- or maybe it's the history: a town of people who came to earn money digging for gold- I just didn't dig it. I have no interest in gold. I do, however, love rocks and I collect them. :) I can't wait to show off my nerdy rock collection to all my friends!
Anyway, Tombstone National Park on the Dempster Highway. GO! From the mountains you can just see for miles. There are 4 designated trails but honestly, you can just walk anywhere because it's in the toundra and it's so easy. So go on, explore! You can see animals far far away, and you may experience quick change in climate. It's SO cool! We were over 1700 m above sea level just by foot!
Tombstone was my favourite.
Another place we hear has beautiful scenery is Haines. It's in Alaska and it's close to the coast. We had planned to go to Skagway but heard it was annoyingly touristy and my passport got wet and messed up so we decided not to go to the trouble.
Next time :)
As for hosts... we couldn't have asked for better hosts :) We finally got to use couchsurfing and we loved it! I hope to keep in touch with them and I really think we've made some good friends. After spending an evening with our first host I said to Sam: " I really think we scored coming here! She's so awesome and I can't believe how much we have in common!" She lived in a beautifully wooded area with a view of the mountains on a trail from her home.
Then our second host was just as outdoorsy. He lived a little ways outside of Whitehorse and I'm sure we would have learned a lot if we stayed longer, but he had his many ways of being really resourceful! It was really fantastic sharing a few meals and some meaningful conversation as well.
We would have liked to hang out more but I guess that'll just have to wait until we move to the Yukon :)
I also picked up a book I'd seen in Winnipeg. Well, the woman that wrote this book about wild edibles lives in Whitehorse! And it inspired me to harvest a few wild things too :) I made some fresh labrador tea the next day (its so good fresh- kind of minty, kind of pine-y. It opens everything up!)
Dried roses, fireweed and yarrow. I could have done more and greater quantities, but I mostly wanted to enjoy my walks.
All in all, I felt we belonged in the Yukon - I even found yoga there :) And I hope to return to that studio again! I felt a very positive energy in all of the Yukon and I really see myself returning someday. I want to be a boreal woman!
[This edit of adding pictures is rather delayed (nearly a year later... But it completes the post!]
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| Swinging on a branch on one of the trails! Where there once was a mining operation, near Carcross |
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| Ahh, Tombstone National Park! This is a little valley where the snow never melted- not even at +25 degrees celcius in the heat of summer! |
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| Sam and I on the mountain! |
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| Banff National Park |
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| Grizzly Trail near Tombstone National Park |
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| Ahhh, the variety of mountains at Tombstone National park... :) |
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| With a view like this... one needs to know how to smile. |
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| This is in Northern BC along the Alaskan Hwy. I recall we discussed how it would be so lovely to spend a summer working at a fishing lodge or something out here... |
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| Another image of the beautiful grizzly trail near Tombstone National park. Next time I go, I'll make it a trek to camp out there! |
