 
Posts tagged with ‘klondike’ (18)
After paddling solo 1,300 kilometres and reaching the Arctic Circle, I finished my wilderness trek retracing the Klondike gold rush. What a trip!
It began at the Pacific Ocean near the foot of the Chilkoot and White Passes, and ended at Fort Yukon, Alaska, a major Arctic resupply point for 19th century Klondike miners. In total I travelled 1,500 kilometres by canoe, historic train and hiking boots.
During almost five weeks of paddling the Yukon River mostly in flood conditions, I took roughly ...
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| Tags : adventure, arctic, arctic circle, camping, canoe, exercise, expedition, expeditionrcgs, fitness, gold rush, klondike, nature, north, northwest passage, royal canadian geographical society, yukon
“The Canadian canoe is one of the greatest achievements of mankind,” wrote paddling guru Bill Mason. “There is nothing so aesthetically pleasing and yet so functional and versatile.”
For Bill Mason “beauty” was defined by the single word “canoe” — of which he had 17!
Ever since attending summer camp as an eight-year-old, I’ve found canoes certainly beautiful.
The subtle lines and gentle curves project a soothing calmness on my heart.
Yup! Canoes have always made me happy. They also spell “ADVENTURE” ...
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You know, I’m thinking that glamping would be awfully nice right now. I’ve been living outside now for well over a month paddling north on the Yukon River, and the Arctic Circle is drawing near.
What? You’ve never heard of “glamping”?
Glamping, short for glamour camping, is the tourist industry’s hottest niche market. And right now it’s looking pretty good to my blood-shot eyes.
Wealthy English aristocrats thought up the original concept 150 years ago for their Africa safaris. Then sultans from ...
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| Tags : adventure, arctic, camping, canoe, expedition, expeditionrcgs, food, glamping, gold rush, klondike, nature, north, yukon
Aching loneliness. That’s what I feel right now after several weeks alone on the Yukon River paddling north. Only a couple more days until I reach Dawson City at the Klondike Valley. But the loneliness is gripping my heart like a fiend.
It’s as if my bones are made out of spongey material and a sickly, oozing liquid loneliness is slowly creeping through every fibre. Sigh.
I know it’s just a phase that I’ll push through. Still, it’s reality right now. And its awful gnawing power is relentless. ...
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As a kid I loved Simon and Garfunkel’s classic song, “The Sound of Silence.”
Somewhere in the decades between the 1970s and today we’ve forgotten what silence sounds like. Although we might think we “tune out” the jarring din and chaotic noises that assault our senses on all sides today, scientists tell us a different story. They attribute much of our stress levels to mindless haste and noise. They warn that some birds and other wild urban creatures avoid downtown areas of mega cities. And some ...
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| Tags : canoe, conservation, environment, expedition, expeditionrcgs, gold rush, klondike, music, nature, pollution, royal canadian geographical society, yukon
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