I had not planned for another northern field trip this summer, but when my brother started sharing his plans to get to the Arctic Ocean, I mulled over the opportunity to explore more of the Yukon territory beyond its capital city. How better to gain some firsthand experience of life in our northern territories? Now I didn’t exactly share his enthusiasm as it would involve travelling on the Dempster Highway again (we had previously travelled to Dawson City during a snowstorm) with its long, isolated stretches, poor internet connectivity, and the ever-present possibility of blowing a tire as the permafrost necessitated a gravel road surface. But he did some research and as a result, he decided to rent a 4-wheel drive truck, complete with spare tire and a satellite phone for emergencies. With these cautionary measures in place, I made plans that would begin with a continuation of my archival research and reconnecting with and expanding my Yukon network, all to be completed before we left Whitehorse for the Arctic coast. As an added bonus I included time to travel between Whitehorse and Yellowknife by car, to get a sense of the existing infrastructure between the territorial capitals. To save time and vacation days I would fly direct from Ottawa to Whitehorse and meet up with my brother who would drive from Ontario.
Our plans started to unravel when Frank arrived in Whitehorse by tow truck because the clutch of his trusty Honda Civic gave out just inside of Teslin in southeast Yukon. Towing services are limited and long wait times are not uncommon in the north. Repair shops are also few and far between (unless you know somebody), and appointments were booking several months out. But luck was on our side as the Honda dealership had a last-minute cancellation and so it appeared that our travel agenda would continue as planned. The clutch required a simple repair, and once the Civic was road-ready we drove it to the car rental agency where it would remain until we returned from the far north. After stocking up on essentials, we set out on the Dempster Highway in a new Chevy Canyon pickup truck, albeit without the agreed upon spare tire that was no longer available. But we realized that our plans to drive from Whitehorse to Yellowknife, once we returned the truck, were no longer realistic, as the drive would involve more isolated and gravel sections which we feared would be too challenging for the Civic. This was disappointing but necessary, given the poor infrastructure available to northerners. And so, our plans pivoted to returning home to Ontario by way of the classic Canadian road trip (and hopefully much improved road conditions).
Our drive from Whitehorse to Dawson City was not unlike most summer travel in Canada, complete with periods of construction and heavy tourist traffic. We checked into the Eldorado Hotel and took a walk around Dawson’s main streets that have retained many of its historic landmarks and structural features, including unpaved roads and wooden sidewalks. Best known for its role during the Klondike Gold Rush in the late 1890s, tourism has become a major economic driver for Dawson. We learned about the various methods that were developed to extract the gold, as well as how the town had evolved since that time. One of the common challenges for economic development in the region today is procuring enough summer staff to support the tourist industry. Many of the servers and at least one tourist guide we met were from outside the territory; one was from Nova Scotia, and others were there on work visas from Germany and New Zealand. Before we left Dawson, we began to hear that heavy rain had caused a few washouts on the Dempster Highway between Inuvik and Tuktoyaktuk, our Arctic Ocean destination. However, there were no road closures reported so we continued on our journey.
As we expected, the paved road eventually turned to gravel and, ever cautious, we stopped briefly at the Tombstone Interpretive Centre before setting out for Eagle Plains, the next stop approximately 300 kms away. The highway periodically took on a washboard-like surface, and a lack of guardrails in spite of spectacular drops along the edges made the drive at times, quite treacherous. Wildlife sightings along the highway were unfortunately limited but we did see (at a comfortable distance) four grizzlies in a meadow and later, a moose standing in the middle of the highway before it quickly ran off into the bush. A surprising lack of birds characterized much of the northern parts of the territory and trees, noticeably more sparce, became stockier as we neared the permafrost line. We arrived at Eagle Plains (stated population of 8) to find one main building structure that included a motel and restaurant/lounge, and a gas refuelling station; enough to provide the basics but nothing much else for travellers to do except take advantage of the limited internet service or relax in the lounge. It had also started to rain, and as it was the last place to refuel before reaching ‘Tuk’, many travelers who didn’t have motel reservations were allowed to park their vehicles and campers behind the motel overnight.
Next on the travel itinerary was Inuvik, NWT. We saw very few vehicles on the way except occasional highway and roadwork staff who were repairing and grading a few sections of the highway. We were relieved to see guardrails once we crossed into NWT! We didn’t know what to expect in Inuvik, but I knew that one of the archivists I had worked with had travelled there occasionally. We arrived in the afternoon and took a brief drive around the town before settling in. Inuvik is substantially larger than Eagle Plains with a population of 3337 and noticeably more amenities, but we only planned to stay overnight as our priority was to get to Tuk as soon as possible.
It was windy, damp and cold when we arrived in Tuk on July 2nd. Glad we brought the parkas and rain pants! The young Inuk lady at the Visitor Centre was soft-spoken and spoke few words, but eventually she warmed, answered our questions about Tuk, and provided some helpful suggestions for things to do. We immediately headed to the windy coastline where we found the water to be slightly warmer than the outside temperature. We didn’t spot any polar bears, but we did experience true northern cooking at a well-known establishment that had been recommended to us. We sampled fresh fish from the ocean and Muktuk (sliced skin and blubber of a whale) – a popular and chewy Inuit food that I would describe as an ’acquired taste’. We returned to Inuvik to spend the night before returning to the Yukon.
Heading back to Eagle Plains from Inuvik (normally a 365 km trip) required us to cross two rivers by two different ferries. We arrived at the second ferry outside Fort McPherson and expected to board momentarily, but after waiting in line for over 30 minutes we learned that heavy rain had cause the river water level to rise, resulting in washouts at the ferry landing area and along the route to Eagle Plains. Communication from the ferry staff to travellers was less than forthcoming; we weren’t given any indication of how long it would take to make the needed repairs (“could be a day, could be a week”) so we had no choice but to head back inland. We all raced to Fort McPherson, but unfortunately, the upcoming weekend festival meant that their limited accommodations were fully booked. Those of us without camping options had no choice but to travel 186 kms back to Inuvik (pivot #2) and hope that we could find accommodations there.
And so, the long wait for repairs began. Being so far from the ferry landing, we were reliant on the NWT website which offered no regular updates. However, we did learn that the ferry had floated downstream the following day because of a snapped cable, but it had since been recovered. Eventually we discovered some reporting of the ferry problems on the local Cabin Radio station and eventually, a CBC news report. There was still no update on the needed repairs, but we did learn that some kind-hearted and enterprising locals began offering their own barges to take motorcycles and small vehicles across the river and were charging $200-$400 per trip. But with a 4×4 pickup truck to return to the rental agency in Whitehorse, we didn’t want to chance it!
Over the course of the next few days our routine involved checking the NWT website for updates and when there were none, checking in with the hotel for another night’s accommodation. The daily challenge was to find ways to spend our time in Inuvik which, admittedly, we hadn’t found to be very enticing. We had heard that black bears had been recently sighted around town since the authorities had locked up the local dumpsite, so hiking in the nearby woods wasn’t an appealing option. We spent the first day exploring the main commercial areas of Inuvik and on the second day, we decided to travel back to Tuk to see the Arctic Ocean one more time – a good plan as the sunny weather had returned and Frank was determined to do a full body immersion (I caught it all on camera in case there were any doubters). On Day Three with no updates, we eventually found someone at the Travel Information Centre and learned more about the history, flora and fauna of the town and surrounding area. We spent some time at the local library and joined members of the community to watch a baseball tournament taking place near our hotel. Vendors at the weekly Arctic Market had decided to pack up early, unfortunately, just before we arrived. We occasionally ran into other travellers from other parts of Canada, the U.S. and even Switzerland who were in the same predicament, which underscored for me the importance of northern infrastructure for the tourist industry. We also met some research students from the University of Winnipeg who were travelling to the Arctic to study beluga whales, signalling yet another interesting and necessary research project in the north!
It was around this time that we started hearing about heavy rain and tornado warnings across different parts of the country and even close to home in southern Ontario. I was getting concerned about how we would fare on our ‘classic’ road trip home from Whitehorse. Frank was worried about property damage as a tornado had been recorded near his home, and I was wondering how the ferry closure would affect my scheduled return to work. Frustration started to set in as we were paying substantial expenses out of pocket caused by the delay. Our main hurdle was the need to return the truck rental to Whitehorse, so we began exploring other options. There was a small airport in Inuvik with one Air North flight daily to Whitehorse and, lucky for us, a car rental agency office on site. After some negotiation they agreed to allow us to drop off the truck there which cleared the way for other changes to our travel plans.
Booking the flight to Whitehorse was somewhat complicated but we persisted and managed to get a flight on the 5th day. Time to repack and unload incidentals that we wouldn’t be able to bring with us! We took an extended drive around Inuvik to try to use up some of the extra gas in the jerry gas can we brought with us and eventually offered the remainder to a young Indigenous man with a truck that we met when we visited the local community centre (an impressive example of infrastructure investment into community services). We donated a case of water to volunteers who were setting up for the upcoming annual Great Northern Arts Festival. A final search for gifts brought us to Mo’s Souvenir Shop and a serendipitous encounter with the owner. Petite in size but not personality, she shared her story about coming to Canada from Britain. She had changed her original plans to travel in the States to instead move to Edmonton, then Hay River, and eventually settle in Inuvik. Another local shopper joined our conversation with his own stories of life in the north including his encounters with the wildlife. These memorable conversations wouldn’t have happened if we hadn’t been ‘stuck’ in Inuvik!
It was reported that the repairs to the ferry landing area and washed-out sections of the highway were repaired by the 7th day. Final thoughts on this unplanned part of the journey – I was glad that we had taken some time to further explore Inuvik and to speak with some members of the community. We gained firsthand experience of the limited infrastructure in northern communities, but also how community members attempt to find workable solutions to these limitations. The airport and its staff were small, for example, but they were able to provide a way for us to work around the ferry closure and return to Whitehorse.
One advantage of driving rather than flying back to Ontario was the opportunity to visit some smaller communities southwest of Whitehorse, including Teslin and Watson Lake that are also host to Yukon University’s various community centres. I had been told that the two towns had different approaches and experience with community development, something that might be interesting to explore at a later time. The drive also allowed us to view the different landscapes in the southern part of the territory.
As we travelled into BC and Alberta, the quality and quantity of investment in infrastructure and retail amenities were noticeably improved. We returned to paved roads and observed several highway improvement projects underway. We were surprised to see more wildlife in the way of black bears and bison along the edge of this busier highway, seemingly undeterred by the oncoming traffic. The further south we travelled a pattern emerged – higher traffic volume, and more amenities and services. Eventually the wildlife sightings decreased, and the terrain became flatter as we moved into regions filled with larger farms and ranches, oil wells, and agriculture-related industries. Temperatures were also starting to climb as much of Canada has been experiencing unusually hot and humid conditions.
Lots of landscape changes and more variety as we travelled through Manitoba and into northern Ontario. During the last couple of days we covered larger distances, usually around 700 kms daily, as we attempted to make up for lost time. This became more difficult as the wildfires spread in Quebec and northern Ontario and were impacting air quality, forcing community members to evacuate and move further south. Although we planned to spend the night in Wawa Ontario, hotels were booked and we had to drive to Sault Ste. Marie before we could find a vacancy. The next morning, we found ashes on the Civic under the cover of a desolate, orange skyline – irrefutable evidence of climate change.
It’s been several weeks since we returned home to Ontario, and I’ve taken some time to reflect on our experience. Here are some of my takeaways from the trip:
- Megabus now offers a direct connection from Kingston to the Ottawa Airport. I booked early and paid $9 each way.
- Air North offers direct flights to Whitehorse for several weeks in June and July. Service was great, food was plenty, and the brief stop to refuel in Yellowknife allowed me to notice how the landscape in NWT differed from the Yukon. No mountainous ranges but plenty of lakes, hills and greenery.
- There’s a bus station right outside the Whitehorse airport which was only a short 10-minute drive to my hotel and well within the range of other downtown hotels. Glad I saved a bus ticket from my last trip!
- My second trip to the Archives went fairly smoothly. I reconnected with the staff weeks before the trip to give them sufficient time to gather the files I requested, and I was able to get through them at a much faster pace. Using the onsite scanners was much more efficient than snapping photos with my iPhone and will take much less time to organize when I get home.
- After many failed attempts, I was able to meet with someone at the university who had been highly recommended to me (my persistence won out!). She shared her perspectives and ideas for how to narrow down my research focus in a way that I hadn’t considered before.
- A random encounter with a well-connected member of the community during my last flight home resulted in meetings with key players in the college’s transition to a university. These introductory meetings will hopefully lay the groundwork for follow up meetings and possible connections with other important community members.
- It’s important to reconnect with people who have shown interest in my research! I learned more about some of the issues and challenges going on locally, and one contact shared some of his own experiences as an ‘outsider’ in the Yukon and Whitehorse community. These kinds of conversations are highly motivating and will likely lead to even more community connections.
- We experienced a combination of sunny, cloudy and rainy/damp days during our trip. Daylight hours are long in the north during June and July averaging around 21 hours of sunlight, which meant that we never saw the moon, the stars, or any sunsets or sunrises. Our hotel rooms had heavy blinds or curtains to help with sleep, but it’s important to develop some ‘downtime’ routines in the evenings to keep circadian rhythms in check.
- Important observation for travel along the Dempster Highway: Virtually no infrastructure between communities meant there were no service stops including washrooms along the route. Need to develop a strategy to deal with this.
- Our southern concept of time is not universally shared in northern communities; posted opening and closing hours were not always observed.
- People in remote northern communities but would certainly benefit from better internet access and are not opposed to or unwilling to adapt to new technology. Even Gramma at the (only?) restaurant in Tuk used her iPad to process financial transactions and email receipts!
- One suggestion I have for visiting smaller communities is to find their local library. Staff is generally interested in hearing about your research and happy to answer questions you have about the community. Added bonus: every library we found had a used book sale, or free for the taking!