Farther 2019. First few days in Yukon

Yukon. I’m back. And it’s just as grand as I remembered it. I’ll admit, I was slightly worried that I had made it better in my head. I haven’t arrived at the big mountains yet, but even the smaller ones are just so wild and majestic.

It seemed like an almost instant transformation. I arrived in Yukon, turned west on the Alaska Highway, and suddenly there it was. Words and pictures don’t fully capture it… It’s a magical combination of wide open space, immense mountains, big skies and beckoning wilderness. It’s roads that snake into the distance and mountains that touch the sky. At first the mountains start off small but get bigger. I was filled with joy as I drove through them once again.

Whitehorse is a busy place. I got my oil changed first thing…and was told my front axle is leaking. Oh well, I already have a way to fill the repair day. I also got a serious stone chip that spread into a crack…I’m just learning to live with whatever comes. On that note, the very next day it rained. After my rain days in the middle of nowhere BC, a rain day in Whitehorse was actually ok. I visited a few museums and stocked up on supplies.

At the end of the day the rain cleared up, so I decided to go for a quick drive up Grey Mountain. I had heard that it was a rougher gravel road most of the way up the mountain. It didn’t disappoint. The views were great and the drive was fun.

The next day was a perfect sunny day! The first in a long while. I made future arrangements for car repairs, then headed to Fish Lake to go hiking. It was a much easier mountain hike than my last one, but still had great views at the top.

From the trail, I could see another hill in the distance with radio towers and a wind turbine. I looked it up and it’s Haekel Hill and there is a road to the top. That afternoon I set out to drive to the top of a mountain. The road was rougher than I expected and long. There were a few times I wondered if it was worth it, but I pressed on. I got to the top and the views were terrific. The drive is something like 800m of elevation gain.

I’ve really just been enjoying the views and drives. It’s crazy to think that I’m here. This wild adventure is actually happening, and actually succeeding. To think: this is only just getting started.  What an amazing gift from God!