*ALL of my Yukon posts are rough drafts … not particularly coherent at the moment, sometimes just a smattering of notes I wrote down or satellite messages to family*
June 13th to June 27th, 2024
Week 3-4 — Dawson City to the Dalton Highway
ALASKA!!!! đŚ đť đ˛
I have arrived over the border. The telephone to call customs at the first town of Eagle is broken so I guess they donât get to know that Iâm back in the states. 𤣠Thank you to the general store owner at Circle for letting me hop on their WiFi right now. Sitting in here has allowed me to narrowly avoid a hail storm too-woot!
From Eagle to Circle there were multiple public use log cabins to stay in. One called âSlavinâs Roadhouseâ was EXTRAORDINARY!! Two stories tall with over fifteen beds and a kitchen. I had it all to myself for two nights! And a mile way away is âThe Coal Creek Dredge.â I had no idea what a dredge was upon arrival aside from this vague understanding that it was something used to mine gold and WOW!! To see inside the bowels of the dredge with all its old machinery frozen in time and various staircases and ladders and offshoots, amazing!!! Like a playground for adults. A highlight of the trip by far, I am in awe!! On the way there, the mosquito mafia tried to wage war but I successfully fended off their advances in no small part thanks to the bug shirt my friends Monte & Sandy got me. (Thank you Monte & Sandy!!) đ”
⌠funny coincidence! As I was typing this message just now, a man came in to the general store saying, âyou must be the kayakerâ followed by âhow long did you stay at Slavinâs?â before telling me that he worked at the Dredge when it was still in operation in the 70s or 80s. He asked me if I visited the other service cabin by Slavinâs (I didnât) which he said was his favorite.
Only obstacle from here to the next town of Fort Yukon is the âHalfway Whirlpool.â When I first heard âwhirlpoolâ I pictured this scary vortex of water that sucks you in and drowns you-eeks!-but then I read it wonât actually kill you, youâll just spin in circles for however many hours it takes to get out. And that itâs easy to avoid by sticking to the left bank.
I have been struggling with my hands going numb/a pins and needles sensation at night which I am trying to figure out how to prevent going forward as itâs pretty serious. Iâm now entering âThe Flatsâ where the river slows down considerably while widening so there are many more islands and sloughs. đđ
Trip of a lifetime, an honor to be out here in such beautiful country!!! In all honesty, while my ride across the U.S. was a joy, towards the end I began to seriously lose heart, growing very weary and downcast, so this adventure has restored my spirits! Worth all the fast food serving and plasma selling while in college these last few months.
If I live long enough to have kids, Iâd like to bring my family out here in a decade or two. (Though knowing my luck, my kids will hate the outdoors and complain âthis sucks!!â and Iâll have to shout at them âshut up and enjoy it!!â except of course Iâd never tell my fictitious kids to shut up Iâd just throw them overboard.
Iâm hoping to find WiFi in Fort Yukon tomorrow but after that I will likely not be able to get online for 2-3 weeks.
700 miles down, 1200 more to go!!!!! Thank you everyone for your friendship and support!
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Still large chunks of snow along the banks slowly melting.
I forgot it was an hour behind [in Alaska] so I have more time!
Sheila & Rusty my friends from Idaho are such stalkers haha I crossed over literally five seconds ago and they text me “Welcome To Alaska” right away. It looks the same here I wonder if these rocks know they’re American.
10 miles to town!! I’ll make it! Miraculously the universe gave me another hour when all was lost.
I thought I had a bag of crackers in my food bag so I have been ignoring them but I just opened them up and found out they’re cookies!
I just thought I saw a cool red stone on the ground in the water and then I picked it up and realized it was the almond I had dropped a minutes ago.
In town. Parked stupidly and had to climb up rocks. Now walking to post office. Small town, not tourist based. Like small town Alabama or West Virginia.
The mosquitoes love Alaska more too!
I grabbed a ziplock bag full of rocks and was like “they sent me rocks?” but now I see it’s chocolate rocks! “Don’t let a rocky path stop you.” Oh wow and they’re actually so tasty! I like how it looks like I’m eating the river rocks here. If I ever want to out-creepy a creepy man, I’ll just throw some of these on the ground and then pick them up and eat them in front of him. And he’ll be like “WTF she’s eating rocks” And then he’ll know not to fuck with me because you don’t fuck with someone who eats rocks.
Peanut butter overload!
I have to remind myself that weight doesn’t matter in a kayak, only space! Hard to shift gears there in my head.
Customs phone isn’t working. You pick it up and it just beeps like there’s no service. It doesn’t have buttons to press, so I guess I just have to go. “Welcome to the US.”
A seagull just pooped on me on purpose! Ariel assualt!
Much less mosquitoes outside of town. You think town would have a spray operation!
I have gotten tired, my shoulders ache, and have had no luck finding a great camping spot so I’m going against my instinct and camping 20 ft from the river on a flat patch of dirt. Not calling for rain tonight and at this point I’m willing to play the odds to get to sleep already.
My plumber’s butt was my weakness in town today and the mosquitoes exploited it. I swear, I wear underwear, leggings, pants, and an undershirt I tuck into my pants daily, yet somehow my upper arse/lower back cannot be contained.
Just woke up randomly to the sound of the rocks on the bank shifting. Something outside. I immediately called out “hey there” twice while I grabbed my gun and bear spray and popped my head out of my tent to see what was there, but by the time I did, nothing was in sight. And I was suddenly swarmed by mosquitoes. Interesting how they can sense you through fabric enough to hang around a tent. I like to picture them with little heat sensors like The Predator.
May need to take today off. Don’t want to because it’s just a nice day actually really hot but my hands are struggling bad. Worried it’s carpal tunnel?
Oh good the mosquitoes are gone this morning!
I hate when my mind and body are on different pages. So frustrating. I’m ready to go do another 60 miles today!
My wrists are clearly strained as their sensitive to weight being put on them, like what I’d use to brace to stand.
I saw this beautiful purple flower at my campsite two nights ago. Looked in my guidebook and it might have been Indian potato or sweet pea. They’re virtually identical and the plants that they think the man from “Into The Wild” died of starvation/toxicity trying to eat. I never knew the plant from that story was so pretty!
Man lives across the river behind the trees, has sled dogs. Heard them barking once last night and see them out today on the banks with a 4-wheeler.
Getting a late start today at noon. Will paddle til 8-9. Aim is for Glenn Creek Public Cabin 53 miles away.
I’m leery of public use cabins since anyone can walk in anytime. Not so with my tent.
I wish I could paddle with my feet too!
I have so many bananas it’s like banana city in my kayak. Also I realized I can call my kayak a YAK. This pleases me.
It’s like I’m sailing a banana boat.
I refuse to abide by Alaskan time.
There’s three bed frames, a wood stove, two camp chairs, a small table with guest book and information sheets, and miscellaneous stuff. Roll of toilet paper, fly swatter, cooking pot/pans, propane, lantern, kettle, a brush, etc. I could fortify the front door by putting something in front of it so if anyone tries to come in in the night, it’ll awaken me instantly. Ooh!! There’s actually a little bar to lock the door from the inside. Heck yeah I’ll stay in here then.
The cabin has “bear shutters” which is a term I’ve not heard before. There’s three hatchets in a storage shed I think I will bring in with me for safe keeping. A horror book by the bed called “The Darkest Time of Night” by a Jeremy Finley.
Monstrous winds to Slaven’s Roadhouse.
Damn. Spot already taken by two motor boats. Haven’t tried going in the house because of the two motorboats and first come/first serve rules. Not sure if it’s appropriate? But thinking unless occupants show up who are particularly strange I’ll pitch my tent outside on the grounds.
Went in. No one downstairs. Saw multiple bedrooms with bunks upstairs. A kitchen!! Salt and pepper and ketchup and other condiments. Butter and oil!
“Ranger’s Quarters.” The motor boater must be in there. No one came out of that door all morning. Time to knock.
Here I am, eating freeze dried chicken stir fry for dinner and hot cocoa out of a mug with a grizzly bear fishing for salmon painted on it. All in a furnished two story log house for travelers (paddlers and motorboats in the summer, dog sled teams in the winter) to stay for free!
The Dredge is literally the coolest place ever. It’s like exploring an abandoned steamship frozen in time from the 1920s, with lots of ladders and stairways and offshoots. I’m in the bowel of the Dredge, a tunnel of sorts. Reminds me of crawling through tunnels in the McDonalds playground except this one I can nearly stand in. It’s like an adult playground!
Mosquito mafia outside! Worst I’ve ever seen in my life! But in the Dredge most are mercilessly gone, only a few stragglers that dare enter. Though if you stand still long enough you can hear a perpetual faint bzzzzz in the air, like white noise from a TV.
Saw a new bird! Grayish brown with blue and yellow. A yellow-rumped warbler?
Great news! I ventured into the rangers room. The door has a little lock so I’ll sleep in here tonight as long as no actual rangers show.
Being a lumberjack is NOT the profession for me.
If I have food I don’t want, I throw it into the river.
Some natives offering me weed at the boat dock. “This is like our food here” then he laughed. Old man.
In general store for hail storm!
Trippy place, the Flats. Relying on my GPS for my bearings. Feeling hapless.
Rush to post office! Ethel and her brother Sam two old natives gave me a ride to the washteria. I asked them if they were on their way home and they were like “no just driving around [for fun].”
Paddled from 6:30 pm – 12:30 am and then 8:10 am – 4:30 pm. Since the washteria has no shower or bathroom I’m going to have to strip right in the open to change into another outfit. They have a camera too so I’ll try and hide in the corner and be quick.
Accidentally couldn’t make it to shore to pee yesterday and pissed my pants. Had spare clothes to change into but still, yuck!
Sweet woman at washteria drove me to a gas station I didn’t know existed. Then manager of gas station drove me on his 4-wheeler back to where I parked. He showed me the official boat loading and where people normally camp. Debating staying there but probably not, as it’s a Friday night and the 4-wheeler man was saying something about a “midnight sun” looked like it might have been a get together near the boat landing. Baseball game.
Pro of staying where I am-no more paddling, can sleep right away. Hot town food for breakfast. Possible WiFi. Cons-danger of people.
Need to get this pain under control ASAP. It’s so bad I couldn’t sleep through it a second ago, trying to calm it now. It’s the numbness/pins and needles/aching in my hands.
Dwayne the store manager and a woman named Susan gave me a ride back again from the gas station and we stopped to check out Susan’s green house on the way.
Granted I don’t want to pick up an official fishing rod I’m kind of hoping I can redneck it. So chances of success are slight. Maybe grab one from a bear after they catch it.
Another good idea is to buy an electric fly zapper and put it in the water when I see a fish swimming by.
Motor boat just stopped to tell me there was a “tug” coming from behind him that would make a big wake. Very nice to let me know! Though he freaked me out as he started driving straight towards me and I thought he was trying to mess with me so I shouted “HEY!?” but then he turned and stopped to chat. Phew.
Got a paper cut on my hand. Put hand sanitizer on it for now, triple antibiotic, then a bandaid. I’m decimating the Yukon horsefly population. They’re strangely insistent on having me kill them. My kill count is 8 flies in 3 minutes. They fly in my tent then get stuck in this mesh flap where I can squash them easily.
Lots of different channels in the river. Impossible to tell the main one.
I’m in a fight with a seagull and this boy ain’t playing he’s making sweep attacks at me. I’ve been dive bombed multiple times he actually wants to hit me too. I’ve even charged at him as he does it and he isn’t deterred. Shot and killed seagull. Been meaning to test fire my gun anyway. One birdshot. Instant kill. Earplugs worked (good to know). But now my shotgun is immediately jammed meaning there’s something wrong with it! Bad, but good to know. Will throw the body into the river as to not attract predators.
Pump not wanting to pump. Will disassemble it and oil everything. Then try shooting 3 rounds. No reading for me tonight.
My gun is a load of crap. Keeps jamming. Have to pull it crazy hard to cycle.
Another day of not tracking my mileage too which I think will be good for my head.
Do salmon have teeth? Can they bite your finger? Do they like peanut butter? Questions I have when it comes to the possibility of noodling one.
I wish I could rig a sail to my kayak!
At first I thought they might be legless lizards so I was going to pick them up and take them down to the water but then I saw their mouths … baby lamprey’s. Earth worm sized.
Thick smoke in the air coming into Yukon Crossing. Hate when people have big fires, blows for miles! I hear thunder … but I can’t see where a storm might be because of the smoke! Phew, it is so, so hot and humid. Walking to store now. Thunder rumbling menacingly!
Wow! People are being told the road back to Fairbanks is closed due to wildfires her.e I didn’t want to pay $15 for a shower but I bought a burger, fries, and a soft drink with free refills for $22. Shows my priorities, haha. They have snazzy bathrooms! No frozen food options like a convenience store.
Lampreys! Found a pile, earth worm sized, in the most random hole beneath a downed log on a gravel bar. Thought they might be snakes or legless lizards until I saw their mouths âŚ
Mouse! A rude awakening, but a good lesson. If a mouse could snuff out my food, anything could have. So I gave the a good scrub in the river, placed all my food in sealed ziplock bags in the dry bags, and duct taped the holes.
My kayak Reverie (aka my banana boat đ ) and I have survived whatâs called âThe Flatsâ of the Yukon River with its endless maze of islands and sloughs and the âHalfway Whirlpool.â Along the way, a highway of horseflies provided constant companionship, I fought a seagull to the death, and I discovered (in equal parts fascination & dismay) that arctic lampreys exist.
Now I am back in âThe Hillsâ. WOOOO! â°ď¸
At the Dalton Highway, which is the last place a road crosses the Yukon, I learned of forest fires plaguing Alaska right now and that king aka chinook salmon fishing is banned for the season on the Yukon. And that hardly any families in the native villages keep sled dog teams anymore, largely as a result of dwindling chum, or âdog,â salmon numbers. My own hopes of catching a salmon may be dashed; though my odds were never very good in the first place as I donât carry a fishing pole, and apparently you canât just put peanut butter on your fingers and trail them in the water and have a salmon bite you which was as far as my redneck fishing ideas had gone âŚ
Wildlife encounters includeâtwo porcupine. Only one moose and calf. Bald eagles and arctic tern aplenty. Grouse and these quail like birds that will scream and run while feigning injury if you get too close to their nests. The horseflies have been replaced with gnats at night. One stupid mouse that chewed my food bags. Mosquitos, heaviest by towns and in the woods, never on the water and often mercifully absent from beaches/banks too. Really the trip has been surprisingly mosquito free more often than not.
The grizzlies have still been too scared of me to show themselves (that, or my smell is keeping them at bayâwho needs deodorant when you have bug spray?) but I am still optimistic about successfully spotting one (from a respectful distance)!
The locals loved to kidnap me in Fort Yukon, it was great! Got 5 rides randomly offered around town in cars and on the back of four wheelers in my day there. Great visit! Only disappointment is that the washteria had no shower facilities. A native man agreed with me that I should have a dog.
The restaurant/motel/general store at the Dalton Highway crossing. Great bathrooms, free refills on soda (to my utter amazement), and they let me use their landline for free to call home! $15 showers (declined) and they told me their WiFi network which is called âWiFi For Saleâ was not for sale sadly.