ACCOMMODATIONS 

We intended to camp for much of our trip, in order to keep costs within reason, and to be able to be based in areas lacking other accommodations.  Roofed accommodations are available, and are understandably pricey, but we did use them occasionally.  Those that we used are described further in this report -- we made our choices from information on web sites and in the travel guides.

Camping is a good option.  There is a fine system of territorial parks in the Yukon, as well as in the NWT.  In 2007 the Yukon rates were $12.00 / night, while in the NWT they were $10.00 / night.   Most campgrounds offer limited facilities, usually no more than campsites (with tent pads), pit privies, water, and a screened kitchen shelter.  Bear safes for food are sometimes present, though we used our vehicle.  Firewood is often available.  Most campgrounds are not staffed, so campers are expected to pre-purchase their campground permits and self-register their site (instructions regarding how this is done is given in each campground).  Permits can be purchased in Whitehorse, though no longer through the Yukon Tourist Information Bureau, despite what some web sites will tell you.   We purchased ours in the Canadian Tire store in Whitehorse which, due to the various hardware and camping supplies it offers, will likely be an inevitable stop.  This store is not hard to find.   Every single resident of the city can direct you there. 

In the NWT the only campground we used was staffed, but they otherwise have self-registration on-site.  The Alaska state parks were staffed with volunteer campground hosts, who collected the camping fee.   And in Kluane National Park you may obtain the camping particulars at the Visitor Centre in Haines Junction.  (We didn't camp in Kluane, but stayed with friends.)

EQUIPMENT

We brought most of our camping equipment with us, but if that is not a practical option for you, yet you still wish to camp, there are local outfitters from whom most of the necessaries may be rented.   We required a propane camping stove, as our white gas camping stove is awkward to transport by air -- the gas cannister gives the airlines concern, and the clearance hassle is more trouble than it is worth.   We arranged to rent a propane camping stove from Up North Adventures, 103 Strickland Street in Whitehorse, phone: (867) 667-7035.  A three-week rental was only $30, and the necessary propane cylinders are available in many locations, including, of course, Canadian Tire.  We also rented two self-inflating sleeping pads as a back-up for our air mattress; this cost only $10 for the three weeks.  You can also purchase Yukon Territorial Park camping permits.

We took along our own camping kit and exploration supplies, but we found the following items particularly useful, and sometimes indispensable:

• Bug Jackets.  Yes, there are biting insects, legions of biting insects beyond measure, particularly (though not usually simultaneously) mosquitos and black flies.  As a principle we try to limit the use of insect repellent, and I have no difficulty using binoculars or cameras while looking through the insect mesh of a bug jacket.  Bug Jackets are widely available in Canada through the various hardware store chains, and can be easily purchased on-line through the Mountain Equipment Co-op, for about $15.   Our bug jackets were always close to hand when not being worn.  Do not explore the Yukon without one.  If you still insist on repellent, use a formulation that contains 30% DEET, the maximum now allowable in Canada. We carried some as a back-up.  Northern bugs are indifferent to any non-DEET repellent (NOTE: Permithrin is not permitted for sale in Canada).
  

• Propane Camping Stove.  We bought a six-pack of small propane canisters, and used about an average of one a week.  We decided that the propane stove was much superior than our white-gas stove -- easier to light, maintain, and clean, and cooking was fast and efficient.
  

• GPS.  A good GPS unit with the necessary topographic maps was a plus, and much more convenient than carrying around paper topographic maps.  We never had a problem obtaining good satellite reception.
  

• Trekking poles.  With my knees (of a certain age) I find trekking poles of great utility for ascending and descending hills and mountains -- and there are a lot of these in the Yukon.   Highly recommended.  Available, of course, through the Mountain Equipment Co-op. 
  

• Car charging adaptor.  This was a great little device that we bought in Canadian Tire.  It fitted snugly into the vehicle's cigarette lighter element, and we could then plug our various electronic devices into it, most frequently our battery charger for the digital cameras.  Since we drove nearly every day we never lacked for battery power.
  

• Insulated Coffee Mug / French Press combo.  I like (need) to start my day with coffee, and this specialty mug was my favourite piece of travel equipment.  It was a thermos travel mug with a built-in French press, so preparing the morning cuppa was simplicity.  I found it at Mountain Equipment Co-op -- they carried more than one model.
  

• Thermos (vacuum flask).  We had many early starts and found it very convenient to boil water the previous evening and store it overnight in a good-quality thermos, so that the morning coffee and muesli preparation was effortless.
  

• Eye Mask.  Given the latitude and the time of year we were in 24-hour daylight, and an opaque eye-mask let us have a good night's sleep.
  

• Digital Photo back-up.  I didn't wish to carry a lap-top computer, so I used a small portable hard-drive upon which I could daily download my digital photos.
  

• 20 litre gasoline can.  It can be a long drive between service stations, though never further than a tank of gas.  Having the emergency supply, however, does allow a certain amount of back-and-forth exploration en route, within reason.

• Small waterproof pad.  This did double-duty, both as a seat cushion during driving, and to facilitate my comfort during  macro photography of the numerous arctic/alpine "belly plants". 

• Queen-sized Inflatable Air Mattress, with battery-powered pump.   Hardy campers will sneer at this addition to our equipment list, but we had purchased a new four-person tent for this trip (retiring my two-person tent after 30 noble years of service), and I wished to be able to enjoy my new-found luxury of room inside the tent.  The mattress was glorious.

• Cell Phone (not) and Walkie Talkies (yes).  We didn't bother with a cell phone, as coverage rarely extends far from settled areas.  If you must have a communications link you'll need a satellite phone.  We did carry two walkie-talkies, but as the photographer was never able to wander far from the botanist, we didn't need them.
  

PRINT REFERENCES

• The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Western North America  This was completely adequate for my field birding needs, and pocket-sized.
  

• Birds by the Dempster Highway (revised 1987), by Robert Frisch.  Though this book has not been revised or re-printed since 1987, it is still remarkable useful.  It is not carried by your typical on-line sellers, though copies appear on Ebay for substantial prices, but it is still available in the Yukon.  It is sold at the park office in Tombstone Territorial Park for $10 Cdn, but if you wish to have a copy in hand before you leave home you may purchase it by calling Maximilian's Gold Rush Emporium in Dawson City, phone (867) 993-5486 or e-mail.   Obviously there have been some changes in bird life along the Dempster in the past 20 years, especially in light of global warming, but there is still great utility in this publication.  NOTE: the book describes habitats and sites according to the old highway marker system.  See the note above regarding distance indicators on the region's highways, including the Dempster.
  

• A Bird-Finding Guide to Canada edited by Cam Finlay, revised 2000.  This book is worth seeking out.  It helped with some updated information for the Dempster, and also included some site info for Inuvik, Tuktoyaktuk, Dawson City, and Kluane National Park.
  

• Birds of the Yukon Territory by Pamela H. Sinclair, Wendy A. Nixon, Nancy L. Hughes, Cameron D. Eckert, published by UBC press, 2003. I consulted this hefty, authoritative volume before I left, but didn't bring it along.  A very useful resource for trip-planning.
  

• Flora of the Yukon Territory, by William J. Cody, published by the National Research Council, 1997.  Martine brought along a number of botanical field guides and references, but this is the one that was a constant companion. 
  

Canada's Western Arctic, including the Dempster Highway, by the Western Arctic Handbook Committee, 2002.  ISBN 0-9687910-0-X.  I found this guide book very useful.  I purchased a second-hand copy through on-line book re-sellers. It is worth seeking out.  It describes the Dempster Hwy using the old distance marking system.


• Yukon & NWT Government Publications -- The territorial governments offer a number of useful free publications, available at their Visitor Centres, such as the ones in Whitehorse and Inuvik, and at staffed campgrounds.  You should also be able to request them on-line via the territorial tourism web sites.  We found the following publications of interest:

ITINERARY:

24 June -- flew from Halifax, Nova Scotia, to Whitehorse, via Montreal and Vancouver.  Overnight in Whitehorse.
25 June -- Whitehorse area, overnight in Whitehorse.
26 June -- Drove north from Whitehorse on the North Klondike Hwy.  Overnight at Moose Creek Campground.
27 June -- 

DAILY ACCOUNTS

24 June

We had an early-morning departure from Halifax for our cross-continent journey.  Given the length of the trip we chose to cash in sufficient air miles to fly business class, which had the advantage of not just begin wined and dined (with sufficient leg room), but we also benefitted from an increase in our luggage allowance, which meant we could bring along all our various camping gear, including the essential queen-sized air mattress -- no more camping "rough". 

We landed first in Montreal, and changed planes. Birds noted there from the terminal included Cliff and Barn Swallow, and Great Blue Heron.  The next leg was the long flight to Vancouver, and we had a longer sojourn in the Vancouver airport, during which time I saw California Gull and Northwestern Crow, the only ones of the trip, of course.  However, the most interesting sighting was of a Little Brown Bat flying forlornly about inside the waiting area opposite the departure gate.  The reactions of my fellow passengers stretched across the emotional spectrum, including a few that were noticeably concerned.   Not as concerned as the bat, however.   It finally flopped to the floor, exhausted, and Martine threw her jacket over it, and gently picked it up.  She then attempted to convince the airline staff that they should let her release it outside and, remarkably, they agreed.  Maintenance staff opened the necessary door to the exterior, and the bat was released, apparently in good health.

The last leg of the trip was the flight to Whitehorse, where we arrived at 1900 local time.  All our luggage arrived (hurrah!), and despite the hour the car rental agency was open, and they dispatched a driver with our rental car to pick us up.  We were delivered to the rental agency from where, upon completion of the necessary paperwork, we drove to our accommodation.

Because we arrived in the early evening after a cross-continent flight, and we also needed to purchase food and other supplies, we chose to stay at a Bed-and-Breakfast the first two nights.  We chose the Midnight Sun Inn Bed and Breakfast, reservation Toll Free: 1-866-284-4448, email.   Our hosts, Farshid & Del Amirtabar, could not have been nicer, and their hospitality was matched by the quality of the breakfast.   Recommended. 

We were exhausted, and crashed.

Sparrow's-egg Lady's-slipper (Cypripedium passerinum)
photo © 2007 by Blake Maybank

Profile of our drive up McIntyre Mountain.

Looking west from McIntyre Mountain
photo © 2007 by Blake Maybank

"The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see,
Was that night on the marge of Lake Laberge, I cremated Sam McGee."
    from "The Cremation of Sam McGee", by Robert W. Service

While the forest around the campground was primarily coniferous, there was a good stand of deciduous (Trembling Aspens and White Birch) along Deep Creek Road, and though the woods were fairly quiet by then (being late morning) I did hear a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, a new Yukon bird for me.

On the drive into the campground we had noted a sign announcing "Mom's Bakery" on the south side of the road, and we stopped on our way back out.  A wise choice.  The owner has a delightful small garden with numerous bird feeders, where I saw the only Pine Grosbeaks of the trip.  Her garden overlooks the steep bank of  Deep Creek, and she has regular sightings of Belted Kingfisher, but not while I was present.   And the bakery itself must not be overlooked, as she sells cinnamon buns, remarkable for their girth and taste -- she lays claim to making the second-largest cinnamon buns in the Yukon.  I misplaced my notes that mentioned where the largest are made, so you'll have to ask "Mom" yourself.   She welcomes birders, feeder watchers, and cinnamon bun aficionados.  Neither her birds nor her buns will disappoint.



Once back on the Klondike Hwy, just a few kilometres north of Deep Creek Road, I had a most unexpected but welcome sighting of a Swainson's Hawk perched on a roadside power pole.  This enigmatic species is encountered intermittently in the Yukon, with breeding as yet unproven, and it was a welcome addition to my list. 

Here is my Lake Laberge bird list:

Common Loon
Surf Scoter
Red-breasted Merganser
Swainson’s Hawk
Mew Gull
American Herring Gull
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Northern Flicker
Least Flycatcher
Tree Swallow
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Townsend’s Solitaire
Swainson’s Thrush
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
Black-capped Chickadee
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Gray Jay
Common Raven
Yellow Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Wilson’s Warbler
Chipping Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Pine Grosbeak
Purple Finch
Pine Siskin

We stopped for lunch at the Kit Kat Cafe in the village of Carmacks.  The meal was quite good, and there was the added bonus of a Red Fox outside, coming for handouts provided by a nearby work crew.

Further north on Hwy 2 we stopped at the overlook for Five Finger Rapids, at KM 320.  We chose to not climb down the long staircase to the overlook above the rapids, but instead enjoyed the view from the highway.  These rapids posed considerable danger for the Klondike gold rush prospectors.  

These rapids mark the southern extent of Beringia, the ice-free corridor that persisted throughout the last ice-age, linking Siberia with North America.  Click on the above link for more information.  From our perspective it meant that we could now look forward to a more diverse flora.

Our next stop was at Meadow Lake (sometimes called Shallow Lake), at KM 458, just 8 km south of Pelly Crossing [GPS coordinates = N62 45.824 W136 37.289].  This is a salty inland lake (an "athalassic" lake), that is particularly rich for breeding waterfowl.  

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