Jan 5 – Whitehorse and Dawson City, Yukon
I only had a few hours in Whitehorse before our flight to Dawson City. A short visit to the Yukon Wildlife Preserve was only 30 minutes away and only 2 minutes from the Takhini Hot Springs we had visited the day before. The wildlife preserve is a Zoo of sorts but it is more-so a place where wild animals can be rehabilitated and cared for on a ranch of over 600 acres.
It is a must visit location on any trip to Whitehorse. It was an opportunity to get up close to view wild animals such as moose, elk, caribou, musk ox, lynx, arctic foxes, deer, and red foxes. Our guide toured us around the refuge for an hour and a half explaining the different types of animals and their role and place in the Arctic. We got off our small bus at various locations around the reserve for photo opportunities just as the sky was starting to light up. The lynx was the hardest to spot as they did not want to be seen. I was fortunate to get a glimpse of the red fox as they hid when our group came by but were back when I went to search for them on my own.
Our afternoon flight to Dawson City was a little over an hour and a half long. Checking the weather forecast we realized that the -24°C of Whitehorse was going to be nothing compared to the -38°C to -41°C forecast for Dawson City. It was to be the coldest place in the world on January 5th, a fact I was not able to verify but it didn’t really matter, getting off of the plane was a freezing experience. Fortunately, we were given some cold weather gear and were bundled up with warm puffy red jackets, insulated boots, a hat, and gloves.
Even with the low temperatures, however, our hosts were not adjusting the day’s schedule of activities. We started out with a tour of the historic sites of Dawson City. These included the old gold rush style theatre, the post office, and a historic bank building. We learned about the importance these places played during the Yukon gold rush from 1896 to the early 1900s. The particular story that stood out was that of Percy DeWolfe, a dogsled mailman that for 40 years would take a 4-day trip each way to Alaska in order to deliver and pick up the mail. Even falling through some ice on one occasion, he hauled the mail sacks out and ensured that he kept his record of not losing one piece of mail during his long career.
After our tour, we were invited to participate in a 5K run along the riverfront looping around to some mountain trails to the mountainside of Dawson City. It was still just as frigid as in the morning but many of us took the frigid challenge. I did my best to keep up to the group of runners in the front but eventually, I could no longer see the RCMP escort out front. The last half was more of a jog/walk combination as my eyes started to freeze over with snow crystals. Check it out here!
The trail along the backside of the community was marked with glow sticks and was a beautiful little trail that was obviously frequently used by locals. It was a well-worn path in the snow that was easy to find and follow. By the time I was done however my eyelashes were frozen over with white frozen condensation from breathing into my scarf. My cheeks were freezing cold but the rest of me was rather warm from the challenging experience.
In the evening we were invited to go to the local volunteer ski hill to view the Northern Lights. This particular ski hill has a simple t-bar and is staffed by local volunteers. At about $7 for a day lift ticket and rentals available on site, it is a winter activity families in the community can participate in. The forecast was for a clear sky so we all had great hopes of viewing the aurora borealis in the sky. As the night dragged on, we were not disappointed, the streaks of light did come and lit up the sky with faint bands of light green. It was interesting to see how much more a camera could capture with long shutter speed than I could see with my own eyes.
I was impressed with the sense of community that we felt as everyone pulled together to host us for our stay. Two young girls came to the unheated theatre to play 2 fiddle tunes for entertainment in frigid temperatures. A local running group came to encourage us along for the 5K run while the local RCMP came to lead the way. Volunteers also helped serve a meal at a local ballroom while others hosted us at the ski lodge with hot drinks and a bonfire in the parking lot. The locals got together to show us a wonderful time in their community and were grateful we had come even with the frigid temperatures outside.