Ive had plenty of help as of late and its allowed me to focus on the epic job at hand, especially considering its winter here. As Ive met many people and soon to be many more Ive come to realize the Yukon has an allure that draws people in from curiosity then keeps them mesmerized by the cultural, historical, and geographical beauty that makes up this part of the country. There is a dark side as many come to escape the ever growing world of technology and social indifference. Nearly every community has a story of an outsider coming in to escape society and becomes crazy. The remote and often lonely existence of the far north is too much for most. If you dont have the social skills to survive around the many then perhaps you dont have the skills to communicate with yourself when thats all you have to deal with as you sit in silence in some remote leaky cabin on some lost lake somewhere. There are many success stories however and here are a couple of charming ones... You never know who youll meet or whats their story which is part of the reason I love what I do do much. As Ive been in the Tagish, Carcross area Ive been staying with my new friend Patrick Brown. Hes originally from Kentucky but moved to San Diego California when he was 17 to play in a band called Scallywaggon. They recorded 6 full albums but only 4 were released. Although they toured for 12 years they never opened as a headliner but they did open for Blink 182, Green Day, NOFX, and did the Warped Tour a few times. While on tour he met a Canadian girl in Winnipeg and they began to date. He ended up getting married moved there quitting the touring lifestyle. It didnt work out as his new wife as it turns out was already married and wasnt even separated yet. They were married 4 years. She had been married three times. He ended up in the Yukon following this girl before they split. Once it was done he just decided to stay and now loves it. He shot his first moose this year and I was happy to enjoy some Moose Chilli. His new roommate Kristina Young from New Liskerard Northern Ontario always wanted to come to the Yukon. Now shes here for the Dog Sledding. Last year she got a job doing it and shes hoping to do it again but recreationally for now she will work as a snow maker and an equipment operator. She has her own dog sleigh and may be looking after some sleigh dogs and looks forward to running them on Tagish Lake this winter which is literally right out front of the house. Ive met many people in Tagish and it seems to be a place where people from all over meet. This is how Tagish has always been I learn. The Tagish people were longtime middlemen in the trade between the Coastal Tlingit and the Northern Athapaskans. Today, the original Tagish language is unique and closely guarded from extinction. Tgish means break up of ice in the Tagish Athapaskan language. It was also home to the five First Nation people who arguably Began the Gold rush in Dawson on Bonanza Creek. On August 14th 1896 a nugget was found by Skookum Jim, his nephews Patsy Henderson, brother Dawson Charlie, sister Kate and George Carmack, Kate’s husband. This is where the recent story began and the rush was on. The Southern Lakes water route rush to the goldfields of the Klondike created need for some management back in 1897 and the safety of six-mile River at Tagish was the location of one of the most important posts for the North-West Mounted Police. They called it Fort Sifton, after the then Minister of the Interior. A tent city developed very quickly with the sudden influx of gold seekers. Over 28,000 people registered at Fort Sifton on their way to the Klondike, outfits were inspected for safety and duties were collected by the men in Red. Fort Sifton was credited with instilling some order during this major influx of newcomers to the Interior. As I hike past Tagish these things cross my mind and I allow my imagination to take me back to a time long gone. That it appears this has always been the lure of the Yukon. Just you vs yourself and the hard but rewarding landscape around you. My destination was Carcross which from where I began that morning Jakes Corner was a 55km hike. The days are becoming shorter fast and so night hiking is necessary to get that sort of distance. As the sun begins to set I see what I was desperately hoping I wouldnt Grizzly tracks. I had roughly 15km/3hrs of hiking left and here I was following a Grizzly Bear. The tracks were fresh and the bear very brazen as it followed the side of the road just as I was. Every once in a while the tracks would leave the road and head into the woods near Crag Lake. Im guessing to avoid traffic as it wasnt far before it would wander back on the road to continue on. Allow me to explain something to you. Its winter up here and the costal mountain range is all around me. This late with a bear so comfortable to walk public roads is a scary thought. An old underweight bear trying to scrounge in order to gain weight this late is a very dangerous bear. This was heavy on my mind as I hiked in the dark my nerves tight ready to spring into action. I was astonished just how close to Carcross it had come. I was relieved when I myself arrived at Montana Services the local gas station, store, and café. My friend Patrick was on his way to once again take me to his house for the night in Tagish which was a relief. He pulls up excited. It turns out he had just seen the Grizzly on the road not far near Crag Lake. He tells me it was in the middle of the road and slowly with confidence it meandered to the ditch a the while staring with glowing eyes. Im to its one of the biggest hes ever seen. The hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I had just walked past there in the dark and I am certain the bear heard me coming probably went through the ditch into the tree line and watched me pass then began to follow me. How many times has this happened to me Im not sure but far more than I really want to know... Now once again I find myself hiking in the dark...
Posted on: Wed, 05 Nov 2014 15:06:55 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015