I thought about the hundreds of miles more that the river still must course before it spread out into countless braids of water streaming into the Bering Sea, free, yet confined to its banks, and what a small speck we were in this vast land. Steeped in heritage and acclaimed internationally for renowned canoe design and quality, Clipper Canoes has developed a reputation as being one of North America’s top-rated canoe manufacturers. Canoeing the Yukon A 16-foot canoe loaded with food, 500 miles of wilderness ahead of us, camping on islands under the stars: paddling down the Yukon River remains one of my favourite adventures. “The water was less than an inch away from flooding the canoe,” he said later, over a glass of wine, far downriver. No menacing signs, orientation sessions, forms, permits or imperatives got in our way. The water moved silently and unceasingly, careless to the activity of our preparations on the shore. Prior to this our sole paddling experience had been a two-hour guided tour in inflatable kayaks on … We have completely re-designed our Northern Canoe offering for 2019. Typically, we head out on the water in the early afternoon. In an area ten percent larger than the state of California, the Yukon Territory counts only a minute fraction of that state’s population, sprinkled lightly across 12 tiny communities. We paddled in a straight line. The current slowed and instead of tight turns the curves became more meandering. I waited for last minute instructions about government regulations or life-saving tips but the outfitter had turned away and was walking toward the street, whistling happily. We could afford to sleep in as the long northern days allowed us to paddle late into the night, pulling in at dusk around 9 pm. This slough might have looked similar when they first saw it for this land was fairly temperate, even in the last ice age. Gingerly we paddled to the center of the strong, seven mile-an-hour current and got our bearings. We fussed over the canoe, tying everything down and making sure everything was there– life jackets, sponge, bucket and paddles. And we hadn’t even dumped the canoe, though we came very close. So far so good. The Hungry Spork: A Long Distance Hiker’s Guide to Meal Planning, Planning a Yukon River paddling trip | Inga's Adventures, Planning your Chilkoot Trail backpacking trip | Inga's Adventures, Exploring Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada | Inga's Adventures, California Backpacking Women Facebook Group, Erik the Black's Backpacking Blog/Sierra Maps, Unofficial Acclimatization Guideline for JMT Hikers, Let's Get TP Out of the Backcountry Facebook Group, Chilkoot Trail and Yukon River Facebook Group, Foster Calm Wilderness First Aid Training (CA. Travel Canoe from Sea Eagle. Over the last 15 years Steve and I developed a fascination with the history of Northern settlers, from the ancient crossing of the Bering land bridge that landed the first aboriginal people 20,000 years ago, to the gold seekers a century ago. Wilderness Adventures in British Columbia & Yukon since 1988 . Meet up with your guides in the morning and gather gear to begin the canoeing portion of our trip. “Dig in!” Steve said. The next day, after a filling breakfast of instant oatmeal, a cup of hot tea, orange-flavored Tang, and a slice of salami, we paddled north, toward the Arctic Circle. During the winter of 1897–1898 the Klondike gold rushers crossed the Chilkoot Pass and reached the frozen lakes of the upper Yukon … Has a very good glide and is easy to keep up at cruising speed. By now we were in sync with the river. On the Thirty Mile River section, we will be introduced to the wonderful world of swift water with an extensive introduction and/or review of swift water techniques and safety. I dug, but nothing useful happened. Weight: 62 lb. The Yukon River Quest is the world’s longest annual canoe, kayak and stand-up paddleboard race. Choose from our selection of Canadian made lightweight Canoes, Kayaks and Pack Boats. “Nope, not for a couple of days,” Steve replied. One of the worst fire seasons in history hung over the Yukon … One evening, after a day spent hunting moose, we pulled the canoe up on the sandy shore of an island … “I see the outlet of the lake,” I cried out excitedly, sitting up straighter on my diminutive bench. All Rights Reserved. One day in the canoe Steve whispered, “Look on the right bank.” Scanning the distance I noticed some movement. Over the last 31 years, Swift and AO have tested the latest in canoe technology using the AO rental fleet and … Now we were in sync, as I gained confidence and we learned to work together, and with the river. I don't think … Here is my account. It is a true expedition canoe designed for wilderness conditions in the far north. “The wind is kicking up pretty good swells,” said Steve, gesturing toward the water. “What?” I shouted incredulously. Wonderful all around canoe. We hadn’t tipped the canoe. Floating the Yukon - by raft, canoe, or powerboat - is a popular way to experience the grandeur of the river, rich with history. I run a canoe … It starts in Whitehorse and sees participants paddling day and night to reach … Swift canoe, Dumoine in Royalex plastic, 16' 8" long.New this was a $1600 boat- Swift still makes this, but not in the plastic.Asking $800, open to offers.From online; asymetrical design, can … Length: 17`-6" Swift River is a settlement in the Canadian territory of Yukon, primarily a service stop on the Alaska Highway at historical mile 733. Weight: 69 lb. The clear, swift water and the superb scenery of the coast mountains compete for your attention. The hump on his back sent shivers down mine. Originally published as Rolling Down the River-How the Yukon Can Transform a Traveller, p. 16 in Coast and Kayak Magazine (Fall 2012). seaeagle.com. As much as we tried to control the forces of nature, our puny efforts were no match. In many visits to the North we had seen black bears but never a grizzly (also known as the brown bear). I looked back at Steve and said, “What are you doing?”, He said, “I’m trying to get a closer look.”. We were alone. That evening we found an obvious campsite with little trouble and feasted on our fresh food, starting with appetizers of sharp cheese and peppery salami, then supplemented our reconstituted  freeze dried meal of Beef Stroganoff with a salad of cabbage, crisp carrots and piquant radishes smothered with ranch dressing, and washed it all down with a glass of Pinot Noir. That still gave us enough time to set up camp, fire up the camp stove to boil water for our hot chocolate and re-hydrate our freeze-dried meals. Then, he says, “We gave the Cruiser more … We cocked our heads this way and that, listening closely. The first day Steve and I were in different places, he jovial and relaxed, while I worried about the unknown. Of course, if you have neither the time nor the dream of a far northern trip, the Yukon still has a lot to offer. Price: $1,649-$1,999. “What?” I asked, “I’m trying to get away from him!” I had been attempting to turn the canoe in one direction, while Steve had been turning it the other, resulting in our merry-go-round. Swift Canoe & Kayak. Manufacturer's Description: The Yukon grew out of paddler requests for a larger Dumoine with greater capacity. Prior to this our sole paddling experience had been a two-hour guided tour in inflatable kayaks on the Dart River in New Zealand and some quiet afternoons canoeing on Green Lake in Whistler. Here we were in the fight of our life and we were just going to succumb? Use without permission is prohibited. In contrast, our Yukon River expedition began abruptly without any regulation-laden preface. By using this site, you are agreeing to the terms and conditions as described in this, Lady Evelyn River/Maple Mountain/Sugar Lake Loop, Opasatika/Missinaibi/Moose Rivers from Highway 11. I looked around and found that we were, indeed, going to live. Like its smaller sister it has unprecedented white-water capability plus confidence building open water performance. We practically flew down the “30 Mile” section, said to be the most beautiful part of the entire river, with crystal clear blue-green water magnifying the pebbles below, fat grayling and arctic char swimming evasively under the boat, and thick stands of spruce lining the banks along the narrowed waterway, so close we could easily cross from bank to bank with a couple of strong paddles. This gave new meaning to the phrase, “go with the flow” and we learned to do just that, letting the river be the guide. The current in much of the Yukon is swift, but there are only 2 sets of rapids, and both are short, and not particularly difficult. “What’s that sound?” I asked, hearing the hiss of white noise. I thought about all the unknowns we faced the first day, how foreign it had felt to be on the water, the uncertainty I felt stepping into the canoe and the strangeness of being so isolated. We were a small part of nature that surrounded us, and found the paddling easy in the swift current. Our wildlife count for the day stood at wolf-1, beaver-2, mountain goat-30, human-0. Without even realizing it we had become one with the river, adapting to its rhythm, two more sojourners flowing downstream, harmonizing peacefully with the natural world. Putting all our learnings to use that day we stopped at a side creek to get clear water, collected our beaver wood from a log jam, paddled expertly from side to side to catch the fastest current, and were rewarded with one of the best campsites of the entire two week trip at Ogilvie Island. Got our bearings now we were experiencing, the ones who came across swift yukon canoe river of... 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