Hello Everyone!

The warm weather has left and now winter is back. Yesterday we still held onto -4ºC (25ºF), but this morning the temperature is -22ºC (-8ºF). This colder weather is going to be here for a while looking at the 14 day forecast. Some nights this week could reach -30ºC (-22ºF). 

Sunrise in Whitehorse over the hood of my work truck

This Saturday morning the golden coloured sun is again trying to peek through my trees, and everything is quiet except for the crackling of the wood stove and the chickadees feeding at my window over the sink.

I have been very busy since last update. Last weekend I spent camping at Atlin with Coralie and this week I spent a long night on a rescue mission for my employer. So, this weekend I will be trying to catch up on my emailing.

Last Weekend

Not having any guests of my own for a road trip, I invited Coralie who was staying with a host about 100 kms (60 miles) away on Annie Lake Road. Coralie is wwoofing at a dog sled camp for accommodation only, and she is staying in a special horse trailer. The front half is a human RV set-up only big enough to stand and cook in. There is a large bed on a raised platform meant to be over the truck box. The back half, where a horse usually stays, has a large woodstove to heat the entire trailer.

I think I offer much better accommodations ;)

The road trip to Atlin was the same as plan as my trip with Laura four weeks ago. I picked up Coralie from her host on my way home from work Friday and she stayed here in Tagish Friday night. After a late morning Yukon wake up, we left for Atlin BC around 2 pm. We took in the sights in Atlin, stopped at the bakery, had lunch at a local restaurant and head off down Warm Bay Road, into the wilderness and dusk to Atlin Warm Springs.

This trip the snow was too deep at the springs to drive down into the sight, so I had to shovel out a spot off the road to park the car.

Arriving in the evening, we set up the tent in the dark, cooked supper and prepared to challenge the warm springs.

This time the weather was much better!! Instead of -17ºC (-1ºF) it was a pleasant 0ºC (32ºF), so it wasn't as difficult to get and out of the springs!

The Aurora Forecast was predicting a good night for seeing the Northern Lights, but the clouds were going against us :(  The full moon did manage to make a few appearances to brighten the snowy fields and make the mountains glow white as a backdrop. The surrounding snow illuminated the whole area so there was no need for flashlights. 

"Sorry Tyson, we don't want a wet dog in the tent!"

Atlin Warm Springs

It snowed overnight, but not enough to change our plans. We headed back passed Tagish, stopping in at the sights in Carcross and the Carcross desert. We also tried heading up the White Pass towards Skagway Alaska for the unique scenery, but the highway was closed because of large snowfalls in the mountain pass and the avalanche dangers.

Yukon Rescue Mission

On Thursday afternoon one of the company trucks slid off the road on an isolated back country highway trying to reach the small communities of Faro and Ross River.  I was sent out on a great adventure with another truck around 5 pm on a rescue mission to pickup the driver and secure the Canada Post mail. This was an all night job driving from Whitehorse 300 kms (180 miles) to the sight, collecting the freight in the dark and cold, and continuing on. My dog Tyson had a very long wait for me to arrive home that night, almost 24 hours which is why it would be nice to have someone around to dogsit.

I will arrange a "dog rescue plan" of my own if this should happen again.

A very steep drop 20 metres (60 feet) into the trees. Luckily a tree stopped the truck before the lake below.

Now I can relax in a warm bed all day and catch up on my emails!!!!!!

Hope everyone is having a great New Year.

Stephen