Fire Needs Air: Down the Great River

In passing one day, Anne invited me to partake on a river trip she and Harvey were planning for good friend, Ellen Davignon. Long time Yukon resident and author, Ellen had never made the long trek via agua to Dawson City from her once home of Johnson’s Crossing. Among many other sweet and savory delights, Ellen is hands down the best maker of Cinnamon Buns north of 60 (well, anywhere for that matter). I couldn’t turn down what will probably be for me a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

The four of us embarked on an amazing escapade up the Yukon River from August 13-17.

We put our boat in at Johnson’s Crossing and rode down river to Dawson City. An 8+ day excursion in a canoe, it took us 4 days by motorboat.

The first night we camped at Hootalinqua, the second at Minto, and the last night on Olgivy Island.

There are so many miles of untouched, unremarkable scenery --- sooo much history.

While there were countless moments of whit and wonder to write about….I want to share some info about the amazing waterway that carried us along.

Yukon means "great river" in Gwich'in.

The longest river in Alaska and the Yukon Territory, the Yukon River was one of the principal means of transportation during the 1896–1903 Klondike Gold Rush. The river passes through the communities of Whitehorse (where I am), Carmacks, (just before the Five Finger Rapids) and Dawson City in the Yukon Territory.

The Yukon River is a major watercourse of northwestern North America. Over half of the river lies in the U.S. state of Alaska, with most of the other portion lying in and giving its name to Canada's Yukon Territory, and a small part of the river near the source located in British Columbia. The river is 3,700 km (2,300 mi) long and empties into the Bering Sea at the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta.

It was an opportunity of a lifetime, and for that I am forever grateful!