Ice, Ice, Baby 2024
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Trail Talk
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Relocated from Banff to Lake Louise for a couple of nights; such a pleasure in winter without the crowds and parking bans. On the way down we stopped at Johnston Canyon to visit the Ink Pots, probably 30+ years since we were last there with the kids.
The weather continued clear and cold so we snowshoed up Paradise Valley to Lake Annette. The massive backside of Mt Temple leaves this tarn lake in perpetual shadows.
A sobering moment occurred when we met a lone fellow at the lake, staring up at Temple. Turns out he was here a few weeks ago and met a group of skiers on their way up Temple. It was all over the local news when one fell and was killed. Our new friend was clearly affected. He was the last person to talk with them and recalled to us how he cautioned them about the iffy snow conditions.
He also pointed out fresh up-tracks that seemingly ended in an avalanche run and wanted to investigate if another tragedy had occurred. We promised to stay within sight as he went to a higher vantage point but soon returned with the happy news that the tracks missed the avalanche path and appeared to continue up the couloir. Maybe he was experiencing PTSD, who knows, but today he was drawn back for a whiskey-infused toast to the lost skier.
We enjoyed a quiet drive up Alberta's Forestry Trunk Road from Nordegg to Edson. There were frequent signs of logging and O 'n G activity but traffic was exceedingly light (my partner's count had discarded Monster cans and Tim's cups outnumbering vehicles) and road conditions were excellent. Eventually the scenic twisty, dipsy snow-covered gravel portion gave way to a massive paved highway - not coincidentally commencing at the gates of coal strip-mine. Ah, back to civilization...
The weather continued clear and cold so we snowshoed up Paradise Valley to Lake Annette. The massive backside of Mt Temple leaves this tarn lake in perpetual shadows.
A sobering moment occurred when we met a lone fellow at the lake, staring up at Temple. Turns out he was here a few weeks ago and met a group of skiers on their way up Temple. It was all over the local news when one fell and was killed. Our new friend was clearly affected. He was the last person to talk with them and recalled to us how he cautioned them about the iffy snow conditions.
He also pointed out fresh up-tracks that seemingly ended in an avalanche run and wanted to investigate if another tragedy had occurred. We promised to stay within sight as he went to a higher vantage point but soon returned with the happy news that the tracks missed the avalanche path and appeared to continue up the couloir. Maybe he was experiencing PTSD, who knows, but today he was drawn back for a whiskey-infused toast to the lost skier.
We enjoyed a quiet drive up Alberta's Forestry Trunk Road from Nordegg to Edson. There were frequent signs of logging and O 'n G activity but traffic was exceedingly light (my partner's count had discarded Monster cans and Tim's cups outnumbering vehicles) and road conditions were excellent. Eventually the scenic twisty, dipsy snow-covered gravel portion gave way to a massive paved highway - not coincidentally commencing at the gates of coal strip-mine. Ah, back to civilization...
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Trail Talk
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Just to wrap up the story of Paradise Valley; on our way back to camp we were passed by three skiers also heading out. I asked where they'd been and "Temple" was the hurried reply. With that previous episode still in my thoughts, I quipped back something like, "Glad you made it out OK". The last guy, a young fellow sporting the current trend for 70s skeezy moustaches, looked back at me. He flashed a smile and quietly said, "Yeah we got away with that one." Hard to encapsulate all the nuance behind that answer but yeah, he knew the game.
Trail Talk
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The Transglobal Car Expedition is now crossing the Franklin Strait on their way to Resolute. They got some press coverage when at Cambridge Bay...
Trail Talk
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Checking in from Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, on a bright sunny day that reached 5C. The roads have been dry so our rig remains clean! As expected most public and private campgrounds are still closed but our favourite boondocking spot so far was an old airstrip. We were surprised to find the Liard Hot Springs campground was open for business so we stopped for the night and had a nice soak.
The next leg may be problematic; weather conditions have resulted in frequent closures of the Dempster Highway over the past few weeks. We hope to avoid the purgatory of waiting at Eagle Plains for the road to open so instead will head to Dawson City and try to catch the northern lights.
The next leg may be problematic; weather conditions have resulted in frequent closures of the Dempster Highway over the past few weeks. We hope to avoid the purgatory of waiting at Eagle Plains for the road to open so instead will head to Dawson City and try to catch the northern lights.
NOPEC
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Great pics Dean,
We were wondering if Wood Bison #48 in your photo is sporting a DNResources ear tag or is some Toronto Maple Leafs fan missing their Jersey, either from a clothes line or their back.....?
Trail Talk
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Well, the sanity of Leafs fans has always been questionable 🥴Great pics Dean,
We were wondering if Wood Bison #48 in your photo is sporting a DNResources ear tag or is some Toronto Maple Leafs fan missing their Jersey, either from a clothes line or their back.....?
Now at Dawson City and the truck is no longer clean, 6C and slush. So warm this season in fact they never established an ice bridge across to West Dawson. Good news is that all roads north are open!
Edit #2: also realized that sunset is nearly one hour later than our starting point and will continue to lengthen as we move further northwards.
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Trail Talk
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Spent the first night after Dawson in Tombstone Territorial Park, intending to stay next at Eagle Plains. On arrival, the road conditions were so good we just went for it and “poof” we are at Inuvik! A day off now and Tuk next…
Dawson City on a sleepy Saturday morning but we managed to find a great coffee place.
Staring down the Dempster, wondering what lays ahead.
$2.36 a litre, glug glug glug
Mandatory picture or you weren’t there ;-)
About to cross the Peel River on seasonal ice bridge. Drydocked ferry watches from far shore.
Dawson City on a sleepy Saturday morning but we managed to find a great coffee place.
Staring down the Dempster, wondering what lays ahead.
$2.36 a litre, glug glug glug
Mandatory picture or you weren’t there ;-)
About to cross the Peel River on seasonal ice bridge. Drydocked ferry watches from far shore.
Trail Talk
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Change of plans again. As the farmer’s say, “make miles while the sun shines”, or something like that…
Trail Talk
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Cell service is so much better now than the last time we visited Tuk so I’ll go ahead and load a few more pictures.
With no formal camping facilities open at Inuvik, here we are arriving for the night at the airport. Mrs TT just discovered she’d left the step hanging out since our last rest break…
Crews busy clearing snowdrifts on the Tuk road. Sometimes it resembled a furrow scratched into the snow-covered ground, only wide enough for one vehicle.
Other times it was wide-open vistas for as far as the earth’s curvature would allow you to see.
Arriving Tuk, straight to the Northern Store for a few odds n’ends then to the hamlet office to clear it for us to camp at the point.
We weren’t alone for long as a guided group of Chinese arrived for their turn under the sign.
A resident fox checked for leftovers after the crowd left.
I find cemeteries one of the more interesting places to visit in our travels. We were pleased to find the Gruben family plot, having enjoyed the stories of a Gruben family elder during a previous visit to Inuvik. She laughed while telling us her father was Swiss and her mother Inuit so they are Swisskimo!
With no formal camping facilities open at Inuvik, here we are arriving for the night at the airport. Mrs TT just discovered she’d left the step hanging out since our last rest break…
Crews busy clearing snowdrifts on the Tuk road. Sometimes it resembled a furrow scratched into the snow-covered ground, only wide enough for one vehicle.
Other times it was wide-open vistas for as far as the earth’s curvature would allow you to see.
Arriving Tuk, straight to the Northern Store for a few odds n’ends then to the hamlet office to clear it for us to camp at the point.
We weren’t alone for long as a guided group of Chinese arrived for their turn under the sign.
A resident fox checked for leftovers after the crowd left.
I find cemeteries one of the more interesting places to visit in our travels. We were pleased to find the Gruben family plot, having enjoyed the stories of a Gruben family elder during a previous visit to Inuvik. She laughed while telling us her father was Swiss and her mother Inuit so they are Swisskimo!
Trail Talk
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Blizzard warning on the Dempster and they’ve closed the road South. We have a couple more days planned up here but hoping the road clears by then. The record this year, up to now, was nine days closure also for a blizzard and subsequent clean-up.
Trail Talk
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Arrived Aklavik
Trail Talk
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Snowmobile racing Saturday
Our friend generously let us boondock at her house. Looking forward to tonight and the talent show!
Tomorrow we head south via an informal ice road that saves about two hours driving time. I’m informed that it is in good shape 🤞
Our friend generously let us boondock at her house. Looking forward to tonight and the talent show!
Tomorrow we head south via an informal ice road that saves about two hours driving time. I’m informed that it is in good shape 🤞
Trail Talk
Well-known member
Now back in the land of wifi at Whitehorse Yukon Territory, enjoying warmth and sunshine as we head back South…even washed that Dempster dirt off our truck!
We took a shortcut out of Aklavik, bypassing Inuvik for an unadvertised ice road that runs 160km down the Peel River to Fort McPherson, where it rejoins the highway. It was one of my favourite sections of this trip.
At Eagle Plains we boondocked in the parking lot, with the kind permission of the manager, and returned the favour by splurging for an expensive but filling trucker’s breakfast in their restaurant. Unfortunately the blue skies of the previous day gave way to a snow squall overnight that had the road North closed yet again. Fortunately we were going South
Before leaving the Dempster we spent several days exploring Tombstone Territorial Park. Snowmobile traffic left some pretty solid walking trails on top of 4+ feet of snow. When those petered out, we donned snowshoes.
As I said earlier, not much is open for camping facilities during the winter. However, the Territorial Government does leave certain recreation sites unlocked and accessible by plowing the parking lot, otherwise they are unserviced. Tombstone is one, and we took advantage of another at Fox Lake. A beautiful spot on the shores of a frozen lake and we had it entirely to ourselves.
We took a shortcut out of Aklavik, bypassing Inuvik for an unadvertised ice road that runs 160km down the Peel River to Fort McPherson, where it rejoins the highway. It was one of my favourite sections of this trip.
At Eagle Plains we boondocked in the parking lot, with the kind permission of the manager, and returned the favour by splurging for an expensive but filling trucker’s breakfast in their restaurant. Unfortunately the blue skies of the previous day gave way to a snow squall overnight that had the road North closed yet again. Fortunately we were going South Before leaving the Dempster we spent several days exploring Tombstone Territorial Park. Snowmobile traffic left some pretty solid walking trails on top of 4+ feet of snow. When those petered out, we donned snowshoes.
As I said earlier, not much is open for camping facilities during the winter. However, the Territorial Government does leave certain recreation sites unlocked and accessible by plowing the parking lot, otherwise they are unserviced. Tombstone is one, and we took advantage of another at Fox Lake. A beautiful spot on the shores of a frozen lake and we had it entirely to ourselves.
Trail Talk
Well-known member
Couple of days and we’ll be home. Today we transitioned from the splendid isolation up north to the hectic pace of resource industries gearing up for the season. I’ll be glad to get off the road!
Remnant of the Canol Road construction during WWII
Soaking our cares away at Liard Hot Springs
We parked for the night on top of the old Alaska Highway. Its traces are visible everywhere and during a wildfire last year a portion was quickly rehabilitated south of Watson Lake as a detour.
Remnant of the Canol Road construction during WWII
Soaking our cares away at Liard Hot Springs
We parked for the night on top of the old Alaska Highway. Its traces are visible everywhere and during a wildfire last year a portion was quickly rehabilitated south of Watson Lake as a detour.