“To the toe!”
This became our mantra on the Rat Race Gold Rush test pilot we completed in August but you’ll have to keep reading to find out why….
In 1896 the Klondike Gold Rush began and over 100,000 prospectors migrated to the Yukon region of Canada. These resilient souls made perilous journeys over mountain passes and up the Yukon river, challenged by extreme weather conditions and limited supplies. Those who were successful set up camp at the confluence of the Klondike and Yukon rivers, and Dawson City was founded.
Our plan was to follow their route, although we were beset at the start by an unforeseen closure of the Chilkoot hiking trail, which crosses the mountains between Alaska and the Yukon. This trail was originally a trade route of the Tlingit Indigenous people and was used by early explorers and prospectors.
Instead, we took the White Pass and Yukon Route railway from Carcross to Bennett and spent two days hiking out to the Lindermann campsite and back. This rail line was built in six months in 1898, an incredible feat of engineering. These days it’s mostly used by cruise passengers who are taken on a well-trodden overland excursion from Skagway to Anchorage. We were fully prepared for dangerous encounters, with bear bells jingling from our packs and the obligatory bear spray to hand, but not a peep. Instead, our senses were calmed as we replaced the digital world with the natural world, breathing the clean, phytoncide rich air and gorging on wild, polyphenol rich blueberries.
Once back in Carcross we collected our gravel bikes and cycled 250km over two days up to Carmacks, on the banks of the Yukon. There, we swapped our bikes for canoes and started our 400km journey down the Yukon to Dawson City.
The Yukon was flowing at 5km/ hour, which considerably helped our exertion levels, although it did make for tricky landings! It’s a very wide river, flowing through boreal forest of aspen, pine and spruce and dotted with islands which provide excellent camping spots. We settled into a simple routine over the six days – up at 6am, breakfast and camp admin until 8am, canoeing 60-80km with a break for lunch and then stopping between 4-5pm to set up camp, dip into the river and savour our dehydrated dinners.
Unlike many of the gold pioneers, we were blessed with dry and relatively warm weather. The skies cleared some nights to give wide angle views of the stars and the milky way and, thanks to my need for a night-time ‘bio break’, a spectacular sighting of the northern lights.
Although the Yukon has an abundance of wildlife, there is also plenty of space for it to roam. We were lucky to see a black bear and a moose with her youngster cross the river and the ubiquitous bald eagles kept a close eye on us.
The region has a long indigenous history that far pre-dates the Gold Rush era. Having visited the fantastic Museum of Anthropology in Vancouver during our stopover there, I had a much greater appreciation of the First Nations’ history and cultures. Central to this is their ability to live with nature, taking from it only what is necessary to survive, and thereby living a sustainable lifestyle. The upper reaches of the Yukon River are important spawning grounds for wild Pacific salmon which, for thousands of years, have been an important food source and a significant cultural symbol for Yukon First Nations. Significantly declining salmon returns are impacting both aspects and causing detrimental societal impact. If this subject is of interest, I highly recommend reading ‘Kings of the Yukon’ by Adam Weymouth.
After ten days we arrived in Dawson City without mishap. The ‘city’ (population 1,600) looks like a film set, with buildings from the early 1900s restored in bright colours, an old steam boat, some good souvenir shops, cafes and restaurants and a casino with a can can show! In its heyday, it was known as the Paris of the North.
So finally, “to the toe”. The Downtown hotel, where we stayed, has gained notoriety for its Sourtoe cocktail. This drink consists of a shot of whisky and a human toe. It was inspired by a river captain who found an amputated frost-bitten toe in a bottle of liquor in 1973 and decided to commercialise the concept. The resident captain controls each individual experience, with a personal reminder of the one rule: “you can drink it fast, you can drink it slow, but your lips must touch the toe.” The highlight of the trip? Not for me!
