Growing Up in the Yukon

While we’ve spent quite a bit of time exploring other parts of the world, Laura reminds us that there are so many vast expanses in our own continent calling to us.  Kathy’s father worked in the Yukon many years ago, and though we’ve never visited, Laura’s description below started us talking about how fun it would be to go camping in that great white north!

Guest Post By Laura Graham

I spent over 25 years raising my family in the Far North, the Yukon Territory to be specific. At first our summer vacations always saw us traveling ‘outside’ (driving down the Alaska highway or flying back home) to see grandparents and other family members. There never was time to really explore the territory.

There is only one highway, the Alaska Highway. One either drives up it (north-west) or down it (south-east). There is excellent signage along the highway indicating camping spots which are always stocked with ample wood for campfires. (Over time we eventually learned which roads to turn onto from the highway to discover secluded camping spots.)

Some ‘roads’ soon become two meandering ruts with big potholes. It’s always best to be driving a vehicle with high clearance so rocks and tree roots don’t damage the oil pan or other critical parts of the vehicle’s undercarriage.

As a visitor to the Yukon it is wise to have travel insurance before you leave home. The Yukon is a vast land filled with breathtaking scenes of mountains, valleys, lakes, streams and wildlife but communities along the highway are hours apart. The territory has one city, Whitehorse, which has a modern hospital but the smaller communities only have nursing stations. If you need urgent medical attention, you’ll be flown out to a major centre such as Vancouver, BC on a commercial airline. If it is by stretcher, nine seats will have to be paid for. Also, you’ll have to make arrangements to have your RV driven back down the highway. Although it is most unlikely you’ll need medical attention, it is best to be prepared to avoid the stress and worries.

Secluded camp spots are awe inspiring. The silence is deafening! You can hear the call of a loon from the other side of forever. If the wind is still, the lakes shimmer like glass and are crystal clear for hundreds of feet. (They’re also just a few degrees above freezing.) One can see the mirror image of the mountains and trees as clearly in the lake as on the horizon. Of course, the fishing is great! You can actually see the Rainbow Trout, Northern Pike and other fish as you sit in your boat or canoe. They look like they are only an arm’s reach away but the clearness of the water is deceiving.

Besides mosquitoes (small but mighty) the only visitors are the four-legged or flying kind – maybe a cow and calf moose, a beaver, eagles, or once in a while an elusive wolf. Be very quiet or the noise pollution of human voices or chopping campfire wood scares away the wildlife. The smell of campfire smoke does keep larger animals at bay. However, the smoke is a dinner invitation for squirrels and chipmunks. They always look for crumbs of food and over time will be quite brazen. (We did our best not to leave food temptations out because some ‘human’ food such as peanut butter is actually lethal for some creatures.)

Camping week-ends can be filled with all sorts of relaxing activities, reading a book, photography, hiking, exploring flora and more. Later in the summer they can be busy picking wild berries such as strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and low or high-bush cranberries to be taken home to eat or preserve.

The flora is sparse but hardy. Evergreen trees whether spruce or pine tremble in the wind above you, shedding needles that make the earth very acidic and inhospitable for many plants. Trees are often spindly looking for the Far North has such a short growing season. Growth rings are densely packed. A fifteen foot evergreen tree can be decades old.

I spent over 25 years raising my family in the Far North, the Yukon Territory to be specific. Being with my grandchildren and the only campers at a secluded lake are the heart-songs calling me back. Inevitably I will return.

Amma is a grandmother of two. Sitting in front of a computer screen is very foreign to her but since her grandchildren live in the Yukon, Amma decided she had to find new ways to keep in touch. Thus her story was born. ‘A Blogging Grandma’ is the tale of learning computer jargon, coping with frustrations and celebrating the joys of ‘talking’ with grandkids in their world. You’re welcome to live and laugh along with her at www.ammasviews.com