Adventures ahead!

It’s good to be back in Whitehorse. Trees are budding and ready to burst into leaf, the Yukon River is beginning to thaw, and there is still some snow on the ground. I’ve spent the night at Hawkins House, a delightful B&B not far from Main Street.

Meanwhile Rod, Martha, Steve and David are sledding to Herschel Island and expect to arrive today or Friday. They will prepare the landing strip for the plane carrying Bob, me and the supplies for the return leg. The weather is cloudy and windy here, but hopefully being fairly kind to them in the Arctic.

After a delicious breakfast of cranberry pancakes and maple syrup, I take the opportunity to reacquaint myself with the town. Doug from the General Store knows about our trip and heard Rod interviewed on CBC radio earlier in the week. He visited Herschel in the summer and has seen many parts of the northern Yukon, however not in winter. We chat for close to an hour, and he is very interested in hearing more about the adventure when we return – I promise to drop by.

Noel from Uncommon Journeys arrives promptly at 1:00 and we load my gear into the truck. After ensuring I have all the recommended layers of clothing, we meet Bob and go to the Homestead. With 28 dogs in the Arctic, the dog yard is looking somewhat empty. However the eagerness of those remaining makes up for the lack of numbers. Ruby greets me with an enthusiastic lick; Woodie enjoys the usual scratch behind the ears and leans on me while this continues; BJ is jumping for joy and can’t wait to be cuddled. The puppies are huge!

We organise the outer clothing, water bottles, thermos and other necessities, and then head to the cabins to sort and pack the gear.

Cathie and Noel prepare dinner, and we chat about what we are about to embark upon. Noel has heard from Rod and tells us that they have had a great run to Herschel Island, with David sledding the whole way with a team of 14 dogs! My nervousness increases as I realize that I am definitely the least experienced person on this trip – by a long, long way!

The skies are clearing as we head back to the cabins after dinner. It’s 10:30 and I sleep on and off, a combination of nervousness and checking the sky for an Aurora every hour or so.