Day 3 Yukon River
Griz, Wolves and a beautiful river.
The day began with a slow morning on the rocky shores of Lake Laberge. Two cups of coffee and two bowls of hash browns set the pace. Around 11:30AM we hit the water ready to knock out the final stretch of the 30 mile long lake before getting back to moving water and reading the rivers current once again.
On the water we cruised across a glass like Lake Laberge, thankful that the Yukon gods had blessed us with a still day. As the sun beat down, the blue-green water seemed even more vibrant against the backdrop of the massive rock outcroppings lining the lake. The reflection of the clouds and mountains showed like a mirror on the still water.
As we paddled we took in the scenes around us, thankful to be in such a unique place in the world.
Lunch came at the outlet of Laberge, where the water is pinched from the massive lake and flows once again into a river. Cell service dropped out. It felt as though we were now truly entering the wild.
Not long after the river returned I spotted a brown blob moving in the distance on the right shore. Pointing it out to Jackson, we soon recognized the familiar shape and movement - Grizzly Bear.
On all fours, the golden brown adolescent bear slowly sauntered into the tree line away from the rivers edge and out of view. Jack and I both took a pull of whiskey to celebrate the first Griz sighting of the trip. We toasted to living safely amongst the Griz 😎.
Not 10 minutes later we rounded a bend and once again spotted movement, this time on the left shore. Not quite sure what we were looking at, we silently floated closer, soon realizing that we were a mere 20 yards away from a pair of wolves trotting around a small riverside meadow.
We sat silently in awe as one wolf strolled to the rivers edge to grab a drink. The large white wolf with a rusty red tint throughout his coat and tail soon noticed us and moved toward the forest that lined the small meadow. As one retreated, the other wolf, similar in stature and color walked closer to the shore and stared us down as we floated by in the canoe, both Jackson and I returning the favor. As we continued silently downstream the wolf’s eyes still fixed on us, and us on him. We finally floated away in awe, truly feeling as though we were traveling a wild, raw place.
The rest of the afternoon flew by as we made great time with quick current. All said and done we crushed around 45 Miles.
Pesto pasta with canned chicken and re-hydrated cherry tomatoes filled out appetite. A beautiful campsite on a forested edge next to a small meadow made for a great spot to take in the river and enjoy the sounds of the Yukon flowing by.
Now, we are in it.
……………………………………………
Day 3 of a 70 day expedition canoeing the length of the Yukon River, Source to Sea, Summer of 2018 #buffaloroamer
