By Gillian Chee
“The Wanderlust has lured me to the seven lonely seas,
Has dumped me on the tailing piles of dearth;
The Wanderlust has haled me from the morris chair of ease,
Has hurled me to the ends of all the earth
…
And I’ve got to glut the Wanderlust again.”
(from The Wanderlust by Robert Service)
Once upon a time, two women, named Jean and Brigitte, became friends when, on a long bike trip, Jean helped Brigitte change her flat tire in only five minutes. That friendship deepened when they discovered in each other a mutual fascination for the North. They decided to lead, and did lead, successfully, a group of cyclists to the Arctic Circle along the Dempster Highway, through swarms of flies, very cold days in 24 hour daylight, camping and cooking on the tundra.
Sated for a year, the wanderlust haled them again, hurling them, this time, to the Klondike, to follow historical gold routes and towns of miners, prospectors and other seekers of gold, fame and fortune. This route encompassed the current Yukon, Alaska, and parts of B.C. Seven from the Dempster Highway trip chose to join again. 16 women and eight men ranging in age from 52 to 74, made up this group, several of whom were first time bicycle campers. The planning took a year. Assistance was provided by Dan, who produced meticulous maps and detailed ride instructions, and by Janet and Linda who assisted with meal planning and shopping.
The route (a Whitehorse to Whitehorse loop), went west along the Alaska Highway to Haines Junction, south along the borders of the Kluane National Park and the Tatshenshini-Alsek Park, along parts of the Dalton Trail & Haines Road, crossing the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve, down to Haines. From Haines, a ferry ride to Skagway. From Skagway, on the Klondike Highway over the White Pass road to the summit at an elevation of 3292 feet to Carcross. East from Carcross along the Tagish Road, to just before Jakes Corner, and south to Atlin. Finally, north along the Atlin Road and the Alaska Highway back to Whitehorse.
To complete the journey successfully, they set out some rules for the group to follow. These might perhaps be referred to as ‘the laws of Jean and Brigitte’.
- You must be able to cycle 100 kilometres in a day on rolling terrain as we will be cycling up and down mountain passes;
- Breakfast must be ready by 7 a.m., lunch trimmings put out and ready to be made at least 15 minutes earlier; departure by 8:30 a.m.;
- Five cook/drive teams to perform driving and cooking duties in rotations;
- Coffee break at an appropriate place along the roadway at 30 km or half way through the ride, whichever comes first;
- Daily meetings (and happy hour) at 5 p.m. everyday;
- Every day’s ride to have a sweep, who must be able to change tires;
- All communal responsibilities such as loading and unloading of the truck, kitchen set up, and drawing water, to take priority over personal matters such as tent set up and personal grooming;
The Alaska Highway heading west out of Whitehorse, was silent, with hardly any traffic; no towns, no villages, no cafes, not even homes or homesteads. The first night we camped next to a gravel pit, the second in a private campground with few scattered buildings. It was only on the 3rd day of riding, a beautiful day, that we caught glimpses of Kluane Park, and rode into the first real town, Haines Junction. At least two mountain passes, a cumulative elevation gain of 800 m or so, and an international border crossing later, did we enter the next town of Haines, in the North Pacific rainforest. That was the 6th day of riding. In Haines we deviated from the plan in ditching the campground and bailing into a hotel. Good call: the rain pelted and the wind howled that night, while we snuggled in our hotel beds.
The next two days, were rest days in Skagway, with opportunities for laundry, a gourmet tour dinner, a ride on the White Pass & Yukon railway, a trip to Dyea, a rafting trip, walking tours, and shopping.
Leaving Skagway, illness and fatigue manifested in four individuals, causing musical chairs on the driving route. Three recovered, but the tour bosses , both retired nurses, decided that one needed medical attention in Atlin.
Between Skagway and Atlin, we stopped in Carcross. A significant small railway stop, it was also noteworthy for its hot water in the visitor centre washrooms, drinking water replenishment, two bakeries with delicious baked goods, and a lovely lake filled setting.
The next significant stop (with hotels) was Atlin, a town in a spectacular setting, on the large Atlin Lake with many glaciated mountains on the east, south and northern parts of the Lake. There is an attractive museum, art gallery, and nearby, a Taku First Nations reserve and wetlands.
At this point, quite a bit of wildlife had been seen. Lots of fowl and flora all along the way. Many saw bears, wolves, hawks and porcupines, along the road, rock ptarmigan near Haines Summit, sand plovers on the beach. A few saw a moose crossing the Chilkat River. Beavers and bald eagles in Atlin. Most of the fish we saw, however, was on our plates.
A major deviation from the schedule occurred in Atlin. The 98 km Atlin Road from the Tagish Road, was by general consensus, pretty lousy. Unfortunately, there was a lack or absence of advance information on road conditions. Thankfully, Brigitte cleverly found someone who could drive cyclists in his 15 passenger van from Atlin as far as the next campground at Marsh Lake.
To accomplish this ‘short cut’, the packing prowess of Al our wagon master came into play. He had all of everybody’s luggage other than panniers, all of the communal cooking paraphernalia, foods and drinks, and half the bicycles packed into the truck, ready to go. Can you walk on water too, Al?
When we got back to Whitehorse, we were treated to a Last Supper, consisting of a delicious steak dinner, complete with trimmings, at the Whitehorse Legion for the amazing sum of $10. A two man band played. Everybody got onto the dance floor, and danced their behinds off.
“Highway, by-way, many a mile I’ve done;
Rare way, fair way, many a height I’ve won;”
(from Wanderlust)
Before closing, I would like to make special mention of the following individuals:
1. Jim and Ute: the senior members of the group and salt of the earth. They drove the truck to and from Whitehorse to Vancouver. Plus they can power past you on their tandem bike
2. Elisabeth with her culinary skills could look at what food was available and then make something delicious out of those without recipes;
3. Michael for his knowledge of bicycle mechanics and his patience and willingness to share this with all and sundry in the group;
Everybody completed the trip and nobody dropped out. Everybody pitched in when needed, and the many hands made for little work. It was a wonderful adventure. The group gratefully thanks Brigitte and Jean for their hard work, diligence, attention to detail, resourcefulness, and the use of their organizational skills to make this trip possible and enjoyable for the rest of us. You deserved all the Taku salmon you got, and more.
Please click on this photo link to get the essence of what we experienced: https://picasaweb.google.com/103948522128486065488/KlondikeBikeTrip