Since I heard of the Dempster Highway many years ago, I wanted to
drive it. I have now completed the 1475 kilometer round trip from Dawson City,
Yukon www.dawsoncityinfo.com to
Inuvik, North West Territory www.inuvik.ca and
back to Dawson. My first impression is “overload”. Overloaded on scenery,
overloaded on vastness, distances to see and drive, overloaded on mud, snow, dust and
potholes in areas, and unbelievably void of animals. There has to be wildlife,
but we did not see anything on the two day drive north from Dawson City, Yukon.
On our way back we did spot a Musk Ox and one berry-feeding black bear.
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| Lone Bull Musk Ox |
It is
hunting season in this region so most of the wildlife has probably dispersed to
safe hiding places, secure from meat and trophy hunters.
The Dempster is named
for Sgt. W.J.D. Dempster who was sent to find the famous Northwest Mounted Police (NWMP) lost patrol during
the winter of 1910-11. Four members of the NWMP became lost and disoriented during
their regular patrol about 30 or 40 miles from Aklavik during a bitterly cold winter
and all perished. Sgt. Dempster used basically the same route as the highway as
he patrolled this vast region of land between Dawson City and the Mackenzie
Delta region. This is also the region of one of Canada's most interesting manhunts in 1930 for the Mad Trapper of Rat River.The highway construction began in the late 1950s and finished during the 1970s to provide access for oil exploration in this region of the North Country. The unbelievable scenery has since attracted tourists from around the world and it is not difficult to see why.
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| Dempster Highway |
My guests and I
marvel at the silence of the land. There is not much traffic so we often had
several miles of country to ourselves to relish and absorb the silence. With
the peaceful sense of silence is the odours of purity and frozen cranberries
and earthy moss. Taste the berries, tart and juicy cranberries and lignon
berries before the bears and birds gather them.
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| Moss, Lichen and Lignon Berries |
Bend down to touch and feel and
fondle the earth covering mosses, lichens, bearberries and other widely varied
ground cover, growing low to the ground for protection from harsh climate amongst
flora neighbours and protective swales. Gnarly and wiry dwarf birch and willow
grow just tall enough to gather sunlight but low enough to protect each other
from winter’s ravages of wind and blowing ice. These shrubs also grow just tall
enough to hide a full grown grizzly bear from view so constant vigilance is
required. Do not fear, we make enough noise breaking trail that any bear would
have to be deaf and senile not to know we are in the area. www.wildlifeviewing.gov.yk.ca
Feel the wind,
chilly already in early autumn. You need a good windbreaker with fleece and
wool under layers as well as a hat and gloves. Take a layer off as the sun
appears from behind the clouds, warming the optimistic land and traveller. Lie
back on the soft carpet and gaze up at the clouds and the peaks as the sun
warms and rejuvenates your body.
I wonder at the
variety of land as we drive north through the Yukon Territory. www.yukoninfo.com Boreal forest merges into the rugged Tombstone
Mountains with broad valleys and rugged peaks. Vast distances of mixed
coniferous forest blends with aspen/birch mixed with tamarack and black spruce.
Then, there are the miles of strictly lowland meadows and taiga rolling onto
forested shoulders of rough mountains, brilliantly coloured reds and yellows,
orange, green and purple. I drive through several miles of pure black spruce
forest, something I have never seen before. It is beautiful in its own
distinctness. There are the miles of seemingly recent forest fire scars that
turn out that is almost as old as I am.
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| Recovering Burn |
Land recovers slowly, in human terms
anyway, from life generating fire. There are miles with no tree in sight and we
begin to think we have finally travelled beyond the treeline only to discover
that we have been going uphill for many miles before dropping down into the
next drainage system and back into forested valley bottoms with accompanying
creeks and rivers.
We pause at the
Arctic Circle signpost for photo ops and scenery pictures. Later we receive a
certificate at Inuvik visitor center as “Arctic Circle Chapter Order of
Adventurers.”
We cross the Peel
River, a river threatened by mining interests and held off by native and
environmental groups struggling to “Protect the Peel.” www.protectpeel.ca Ft. McPherson sits near
the banks of this river after crossing northbound by ferry. 70 kilometers north
we cross the Mackenzie River at Tsiigehtchic, formerly known as Arctic Red
River. This is one of Canada’s longest rivers draining one fifth of the
country. The river here is more than one half mile wide and runs deep, swiftly
and grey with silt from recent rains.
This highway is a
gravel surfaced road. In places it is hard packed, almost like pavement. In
some sections it is cratered with undercarriage punishing potholes, some filled
by camouflaged, windshield- splattering muddy water. Dust trails billow behind
for a few miles before slowing us down by soupy mud that turns our white rental
vehicle into an indecipherable colour. At higher elevations of the mountain passes, we encounter fresh snow, cleared now from the road but the ditches and hillsides are still well blanketed.
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| Fresh Snow Fall |
Soft shoulders, construction and,
maintenance zones large trucks and campers slow our progress but for the most
part we travel at about 70 to 80 kilometers per hour. Road and ferry reports go
to www.dot.gov.nt.ca A couple days ago, the two ferries were sidelined while new approaches were constructed after high water washed the old ones away.
All around us is
the wild beauty of this vast, empty land. Autumn colours dazzle our eyes in
brilliant sunlight then are shrouded by valleys filled with fog. Mountains
capped by fresh snow blind us before becoming muted by clouds of grey and
white. Distant veils of rain, cooled to snow up top promise rainbows if timed
just right by sun angles. We don’t need more colour to tease our senses but it
is welcome enough to pause for photos. We all marvel at the clear air,
especially after the rain and the sun bursts from its cloudy covering.
Inuvik, itself,
is at the end of the road, for now. Road construction will restart during the winter
season on a 137 kilometer all-season gravel road that will connect Tuktoyaktuk
to the rest of Canada. Currently there is only an ice road crossing this
landscape during the winter season. This new road is expected to be completed sometime
in 2018.
Inuvik sits on
the shoreline of the massive MacKenzie River delta, a vast region of cultural,
wildlife and habitat diversity. This is a full service town with all amenities
to provide for a comfortable northern lifestyle. We stayed at the reasonably
priced and comfortable Arctic Chalet www.arcticchalet.com
who also offered several tours including dogsledding and flightseeing cultural
tours to Tuktoyaktuk and Herchel Island. The visitor center provided valuable
advice for things to do in the area.
The Dempster
highway is a challenge due to the varied terrain and road conditions
that can occur on any remote gravel road. We encountered dust, mud, pot holes,
road construction and maintenance, long hills and curves as well as long
distances between services. You need a reliable vehicle with good tires and
full fuel tank. It is important to drive to the road conditions and slow down
when meeting other vehicles. Give large transport trucks room and if they catch
up to you, let them pass. If you see something you would like to stop to examine
or photograph, pull well off the shoulder on a stretch of road where you can be
seen. I fuelled up at Eagle Plains, www.eagleplainsmotel.com the halfway point of the highway. We also
stayed for the night at this hotel, lucky to have reservations for. We did not
have reservations for the ride back so drove the full distance from Inuvik to
Dawson City in about 12 hours. I would like to thank Driving Force Vehicle Rentals
www.drivingforce.com for supplying
the right vehicle and equipping our Ford Expedition with the right tires for this
road.
This is a vast
land and I have to admire the people who have lived with it for centuries. The
native peoples hunted, fished, travelled and thrived all seasons here. They had
to contend with weather, terrain, wildlife and of course mosquitoes and
horseflies in summer. I also have to admire the first prospectors, trappers,
explorers, police and preachers that ventured here. They encountered many
challenges that caused severe injury and even death while trying to wrest the
natural resources from the land. Today, our modern adventurers, the truck drivers, who deliver vital goods through all weathers, winter and summer, contend with difficult roads and weather conditions relying upon machinery and skill to get them safely to their destination.
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| Sunshine on Top of the World |
I am sure that
all who have ever lived or traversed the landscape have often paused to admire
its natural beauty. In September, when
we are travelling here, we are awed by the autumn colours. If we were to see a
painting done up with all the colours the artist could splash on his canvas, we
would wonder if it could be real or is there some abstract, artistic license
taken here. We now know that no exaggeration is require beyond Mother Nature’s
natural palette.
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| Playful Black Bear |
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