Whitehorse: Wildlife & Northern Lights

Once we arrived in Whitehorse, after being in the wilds for several days, we hadn’t planned to do much. But, knowing us, we found a way to be active.

 On our way up, we had stopped in the town of Whitehorse for only a day. We stayed a week this time, giving time to properly explore the area.

In the middle of town, there was a couple shops, including dope places like the bookstore, a skate shop called Freestyle and the “mall”, which included an eco-baby shop and an artsy apparel place. We made a stop at the Alpine Bakery for treats and found delicious gluten-free pizza at Pagano’s.

 We all made time to enjoy the riverwalk as well. It is very well built, going past parks and the Cultural Centre, all along the Yukon River.

Love the rainbow crosswalks in Whitehorse!

On Friday, we drove downtown to join the citizens of Whitehorse for the International Climate Strike. We marched and chanted, and me and Jack joined in the die-in in front of City Hall. There was a huge turnout, including hundreds of kids from preschool to high school. It was awesome to see the youth getting involved in activism. After all, it is their (and our) future. 

One thing we had been waiting to see for a long time was the aurora borealis, or Northern Lights. Me, my father and brother had glimpsed them briefly in Fairbanks, but they were quite dim and far away. Luckily, the skies had cleared up just in time to catch a massive aurora flare, the biggest one of the year.

So late one night, everyone bundled up and we went to the nearby Schwatka Lake to spot the lights. I immediately saw them, in the form of huge, sky-spanning bands like giant greenish rainbows. They came steadily towards us before dissipating. 

Clint and Jack used their fancy cameras to capture the aurora, the long exposure making it many times more vibrant then you could see.

After about a half an hour of photography, the lights dimmed down and everyone was freezing. We jumped in the car to head back home but decided to head north of town to try and catch them one more time.

 We drove up the Alcan, then turned onto the Klondike Highway in search of a place to shoot photos. After looking around with little success, we turned onto the Takini Hot Springs Road and drove down a little ways. We pulled over to the side of the road. 

The lights started up again, and this time they were right above us! You could see the lights twisting and shining so bright, you could easily discern their colors. They were yellow, blue, green, all mixed together. 

We went a little crazy trying to get all the shots! 

It was incredible. 

A day or so later, we left Whitehorse and drove south on the Alaska Highway through the mountains covered in fresh snow. It was a long and mostly uneventful drive to Watson Lake. Not so for the next day, in which we traveled to Muncho Lake. First we revisited the Signpost Forest, in which we added the date to our sign we had made back in June. Then we hit the road again. 

It wasn’t long after when my mom spotted a bear on the side of the road! It was a black bear, only it was cinnamon-colored, and unlike every other bear we saw, it didn’t run away. We stayed there for a while, taking some pictures.

Not long after, on the rolling hills of North B.C, we again saw wood bison alongside the road. It was a huge herd, and they started to cross the road!

There were so many, from giant shaggy bulls to tiny adorable calves walking right past the Eco Womb, only meters from where we sat.

The day was getting on by the time we arrived at Liard River Hot Springs. We had bypassed this popular stop on the Alaska Highway on our way up, and almost passed it by but decided at the last moment to stop in and take a quick dip in the sulfurous waters. In order to get to the springs, you followed a boardwalk that curved through the marshy grasslands. 

Once we got to the springs we immediately got in. The water was warm and steaming in the chilly air. It was also full of dirt, which was a surprise. Unlike every other hot spring we had been to, Liard was not a man-made pool but a natural pond in the forest. It felt more connected to nature.

While wading around the far side, I found a secret little canal that wound through the forest to a cold spring, where the water was very cold. It was only a couple feet deep, and you couldn’t stand up because there were branches drooping down towards the water. It felt like the Amazon, albeit in a boreal forest.

When we left, it had gotten into dusk. We drove into the dark, climbing back up into the Rocky Mountains. We were almost at the top of the pass when something moved off the side of the road. It was a grizzly bear!

After all that time in Canada & Alaska, we had not spotted a grizzly or brown bear yet. This one ran a couple yards away, then rose up on its hind legs before trotting into the bushes. It sounds like it took a while, but it took maybe three seconds and we were past it. I only saw it because I glanced off to the side at the right time. Nobody got a picture, due to it being very dark.

We made it to Muncho Lake all right, then enjoyed the lakeshore while we could. I even pulled out the kayak for a late-season paddle.

The weather was supposed to worsen in a few days, so we left to cross the Northern Rockies while we still could. 

It was a beautiful drive, but the RV was struggling. It was constantly overheating every time we went up a grade, and so made for some stress on what was otherwise a great drive. This traveling life may seem perfect, but I can assure you we have had rough times behind the scenes, especially with mechanical issues. Our RV is pretty reliable, but the Alaska Highway is long and has countless passes to cross. 

We made it to Fort Nelson late, and planned to move on soon. I will tell of our travels further south, and to Jasper and Banff, in the next blog. Stay tuned!

Connor