Interesting clouds in the sky west of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Where are Kevin and Ruth now? Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

Where are Kevin and Ruth going next? Cancun, Mexico on November 1st.

Sunday, July 29, 2018

Much better than a busy campground...

We headed further south in order to do more exploring of Yukon's Kluane National Park. There were a couple of other hiking trails along the way we wanted to do. The first one was listed as "a short 0.6 km hike to the rock glacier", so we stopped there and got to the trailhead where the sign said it was 1.6 kms each way. Hmm.

So, we went back and got some water and set off to do it anyhow.

But, it wasn't the nicest trail and it was all uphill. We had done enough uphill the day before on the King's Throne trail!

Nice view looking back at Dezadeash Lake.

So we continued on to what had been our main goal anyhow, the St. Elias Lake trail. This hike was 8 kms (5 miles) round trip with supposedly very little elevation gain. And there really wasn't much elevation gain,, but it wasn't totally flat either... lots of smaller up and down sections.



At the lake, we stopped and had a snack and enjoyed the view for 45 minutes.

Beautiful Yukon!


On the way back.

A fairly easy hike, and we did it at a pretty good pace. Including our 45 minute break at the lake we did the 8 km (5 mile) hike in two hours and twenty minutes.

Then we did the 60 km (36 mile) drive back to Haines Junction.

Scenery along the way.

More Yukon scenery.

We got back to Haines Junction and went directly to a spot we had found before where we had an open wifi connection. Used the internet for a while, then I had a short nap.

It was getting late though. We needed to get enough gasoline to get us back to Whitehorse over the next day or two, and I found a card lock station selling it for $1.40 a liter. Every other station along the main road was $1.50 a liter. It amazes us how many people don't shop around for fuel.

By the time we finished getting gas it was just after 6:00pm, which is pretty late for us to start looking for an overnight spot. There wasn't much in the area listed on iOverlander. We drove out to the Haines Junction airport, but they specifically had a sign saying "no camping".

Next we tried the Yukon Territorial Park at Pine Lake, but as we expected it was full. 

We carried on in the direction of Whitehorse.

Drove by a dirt road that didn't look like it led to private property. We stopped and backed up. I parked Sherman and went for a walk. There was a small sign saying that it was a public wood fuel area... I assumed that means that people could go in and chop their own trees for firewood.

I walked in about 1 km (0.6 miles) and I was just about to give up when I came across a nice spot where Sherman could actually get turned around.

It was perfect!

Sherman, boondocking at GPS 60.837873, -137.353638

We are sometimes asked how we find such great boondocking spots.

Well, it's because we look for them!

This spot was far better than that busy campground would have been.

Today, we're headed towards Whitehorse. It's still 140 kms (87 miles) away, so we might not make it there today. But, we're getting low on groceries and laundry needs doing soon... so we'll see how it goes.

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Nice deal on this instant read meat thermometer...


And in Canada...




16 comments:

  1. Well, I haven't commented recently, all I can say is Thank You for taking us along on this trip with you. We have totally enjoyed all of pictures and narratives. You do such a great job of that
    Again, Thank You
    Maybe we will see you wandering around Mexico this winter.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. We were happy to take you "along" for the ride! So glad that you have enjoyed our pictures and posts. We certainly have fun bringing them to you. :-)

      Are you just in one place over the winter or do you move around? If you are in one spot, where will you be?

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    2. We live in Chapala Jalisco, we have a home there but in the winter we rent out our house to snowbirds and spend at least 3 months at Boca Beach Campground in La Manzanilla. Our motorhome is stored in Ajijic. We also travel around Mexico a bit but love the beach.

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    3. We we will be the general area of Ajijic and Chapala in March or so, so who knows maybe will be able to meet up if you are there then. :-)

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  2. Another wonderful hike! Good find on your overnight spot!

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    1. Not quite as exciting as our last hike but still very beautiful. :-)

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  3. Breathtaking scenery and another great spot to overnight. The Yukon tourist bureau should pay you (lol) as I think you have convinced several of us to put the Yukon on our bucket list. Enjoy!

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    Replies
    1. Haha, that would be an excellent job for the summer! :-)

      We hope that people don't just put the Yukon on their bucket list but actually make the effort to come up here, it is definitely worth it!

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  4. You're right ... the scenery was beautiful. How were the bugs on that lake trail?

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    1. The mosquitoes on this trail were a little bothersome as we were hiking through the wooded area, enough that we had to put on a bit of bug spray but only around our necks and hands. Once we got to the lake we didn't really notice any.

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  5. Now I’m all caught up! Thank you for another beautiful blog! Safe travels!

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  6. Really enjoy your blogs. I’ve been following you since your Colombia trip, especially as I live in Medellin. I have a question for you. You mentioned getting fuel through a “ card lock “ facility. How do you get access to the fuel stop and do you put the charges on a credit card ?
    Thanks Neil.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So glad that you are enjoying our blog posts and following along on our many adventures. Lucky you to live in Colombia, we loved our visit there and all the beautiful mountains and scenery. We need to go back again someday as there is still lots that we just didn't have the time to see. Perhaps on our next visit we will drive down in a little campervan. :-)

      Yes, a card lock fuel station means that the only way to access the fuel is by paying with a credit card, the price is normally cheaper than normal stations because there is no one there manning the station.

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  7. I have really enjoyed traveling along on this trip with you.

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    Replies
    1. We are happy that you have been enjoying our trip. There is still more great adventures and beautiful scenery to come as we make our way through British Columbia. :-)

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