Days 9 – 22: Magic & magnificence (with some headwinds & rain)

After and extended layover to wait out the rain, we left Tok (on our 20th wedding anniversary!) and headed toward the Canadian border and through a remote 300 mile stretch that included the Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge.

• Day 9 – rain layover in Tok – 0 miles
• Day 10 – Tok to Lakeview Campground – 58 miles/2600′ climbing
• Day 11 – Lakeview to Beaver Creek, Yukon, Canada – 49 miles/2500′
• Day 12 – Beaver Creek to Discovery Yukon – 34 miles/1300′
• Day 13 – Rest Day at Discovery Yukon
• Day 14 – Discovery Yukon to Remote Camp – 46 miles/1800′
• Day 15 – Remote Camp to Destruction Bay – 38 miles/1650′
• Day 16 – Destruction Bay to Haines Junction – 66 miles/2700′
• Day 17 – Haines Junction to Kathleen Lake – 18 miles/1200′
• Day 18 – “Rest” day at Kathleen Lake
• Day 19 – Kathleen Lake to Million Dollar Falls – 40 miles/1800′
• Day 20 – Million Dollar Falls to Remote Camp – 70 miles/3300′
• Day 21 – Remote Camp to Haines, Alaska – 26 miles
• Day 22 – “Rest” day in Haines Alaska

Tetlin NWR, one of only two National Wildlife Refuges in Alaska, encompasses 700,000 acres of snowcapped mountains, glacier fed rivers, tundra and a large amount of wetlands. This is a critical area for migratory and nesting bird species – 186 different bird species have been recorded to visit Tetlin of which 115 species stay to nest and raise their young. Tetlin is part of the world’s largest contiguous conservation unit including Wrangell St. Elias National Park (US) & Kluane National Park (Canada).

After seeing our first bear (black) on the first day out of Tok, we decided to camp at an established campground with secure food storage. This led to a longer day of cycling than we expected but Lakeview Campground in Tetlin NWR delighted us with amazing views and several bird species.

The following day we intended to remote camp between Tetlin and the US/Canada border but we weren’t finding anything that suited our fancy and the day was just so glorious (a nice little tailwind helped!) that we kept cycling. On our way to the border we stopped at the Tetlin NWR visitors center for amazing views and a neat replica of a food cache. A food cache is where early homesteaders would store their food and equipment away from animals – a ladder is placed to access the door when required.

We eventually crossed the US/Canada border but did not clear Canadian customs for another 19 miles – it was surreal, we were in another country but had not yet used our passports. Once again we had gone further than we were expecting for the day and it was later in the evening so there was little traffic and no issues once we’d arrived at the border. This was the first time we’d ever crossed an international border on a bicycle – we’d simply rode away after showing our passports and Katy’s proof of rabies vaccination.

Just past the border is the western most town in Canada, Beaver Creek. In speaking with a fellow traveler the day before he said, “Beaver Creek wasn’t much of anything” but after a long day of cycling the amenities of this small town were a welcomed relief. We were able to find camping (including a hot shower!) and cooked dinner before the rain and hail started.

After two cycling days which were longer than we expected we planned an “easy” 34 mile day to Discovery Yukon Lodgings which came highly recommended from another traveler… little did we know. We had a leisurely morning in Beaver Creek and started peddling around 11am straight into a headwind which we later learned was sustained at 15 mph and gusts up to 25 mph – it was tough. Seven hours later we arrived at our campground thrilled to be out of the wind.

After three hard days of cycling we were beat. After looking at the wind forecast for the next several days and learning that our next food store was closed Sunday & Monday we decided to take a rest day in the middle of the vast Yukon before moving on.

After a needed rest day we started off towards Kluane Lake, which has a stop called Destruction Bay aptly named because as they were building a structure the winds picked up and destroyed it. We were heading south, into those same winds, for two days until we got to Destruction Bay. On our way we encountered our first bear on the highway (we’d already seen one up on a hill).

On the first of those two days riding directly into a headwind, we had stopped for a snack and relief break, setting up a tarp to shield us from the wind and sun a bit when a “magic couple” stopped and asked us if we needed anything. We needed water if possible. The more we got to talking they asked again about food and the next thing we knew we had Kind Bars, Fig Bars, and Macaroni & Cheese in our bag. Before they were out of the parking area another guy stopped and brought us some Double Stuffed Oreos – we now refer to this location as our “magic stop”. All of these food items we were starting to run low on because of the desolation of this stretch and a couple unanticipated rest days. As we pedaled away, and even into the next day, they had given us what we needed to push on, a wonderful act of kindness that lifted our spirits when we needed it the most.

After a remote camping spot that evening we pedaled on to Destruction Bay. It was one of those days of put your head down and get it done as the winds were even stronger than the day before. In Burwash Landing the only grocery for a 100 miles was closed (on a Monday!), so we sat at their picnic benches out of the wind for lunch. We then pushed another 10 miles into Destruction Bay where a hotel room and a restaurant awaited us. This mere 35 miles was our toughest segment to date – the wind was so strong dampening us both physically and mentally. We fell into bed that night exhausted.

At 6:20am we pedaled away from our motel refuge in Destruction Bay in an attempt to avoid tough headwinds. For three hours we had a glorious ride along the shores of Kluane Lake and even spotted some bighorn sheep up on the mountainside.

We knew we’d have some rain and about 20 miles in we donned our raingear – it was only 15 more miles to our intended campsite. When we arrived at the location we intended to camp the early hour of the day, a decent tailwind, and evidence of bear in the area motivated us to keep pedaling toward Haines Junction, Yukon. When we arrived in Haines Junction we’d covered over 66 miles with 2500 feet of climbing – our biggest day yet (and 40+ miles of that was in the rain). Prior to the last 7 miles we stopped and had our first (of many) three course snacks – potato chips, then nuts, then a granola bar.

Looking like a couple drowned rats we checked into the local hostel and were set up in a wall tent (with heat and electric!) to warm up and dry out. After such a big day of cycling our appetites were voracious – Patricia cooked up a generous dinner at the hostel and then we went to the local bakery to devour a plateful of day-old goodies – a scone, bearclaw, and cinnamon bun. We probably could have eaten more but we were so exhausted that we went to bed.

The next day we re-provisioned our food stores at the local grocery – walking back to the hostel, Patricia spoke with the caretaker of a unique active Catholic congregation. This congregation does not specifically have a priest assigned to it but gets a different priest, on rotation, every other week. The building was constructed out of a Quonset hut which was used by the US Army during the construction of the Alaska Highway.

Soon enough we headed out of town and down the Haines Highway where we would spend the next five days making our way back into Alaska ending at the coastal community of Haines. Our first day on the Haines Highway was a welcomed 18 mile pedal to Kathleen Lake to set up camp – after such a big previous day the relatively simple segment was a welcomed relief. Kathleen Lake was quiet, dry, and serene so we decided to take a rest day there attempting to slow our arrival into Haines, Alaska thereby avoiding more rain. On our “rest” day at Kathleen Lake we hiked an ambitious trail to attain a birds eye view of the surrounding landscape.

After resting up we continued to make our way down the Haines Highway and had absolutely beautiful weather, well excepting for some headwinds (aggghhh!). The traffic on the road was extraordinarily light – one morning it took 2 hours for us to be passed by our first car.

Million Dollar Falls was our next campground where we met two other touring cyclists from Whitehorse, Yukon – they were very helpful in giving us advice for the next several days of our trip. At Million Dollar Falls we were able to camp right next to the river which was helpful because the campground didn’t have any water – we sourced water from the river and filtered it.

We continued on down the road eventually making our way onto the summit of the Haines Highway – luckily the winds at the summit were not horrible and we were able to enjoy the scenery of frozen lakes and mountains in all directions.

To get back into Alaska we’d have to cross the border again – this one was a bit more complicated for timing because it is not a 24-hour border crossing and didn’t open until 8am (Canadian time)/7am Alaska time. We have been getting up quite early to start pedaling around 6am and we were worried we’d get to the border too early so we decided to make a long day of it and push to cross the border while we knew we’d get there during open hours. This caused us to do our biggest day yet – 70 miles with 3300 feet of climbing. 63 miles into this exhausting day there was a roadhouse where we each devoured a cheeseburger and french fries before pedaling our last 7 miles to a local’s recommendation for a remote camp. At camp, before collapsing into bed, we ate two packages of cookies and a chocolate bar.

After such a big day (for us) we slept in at our remote camp on a pristine lake, had a leisurely morning and then pedaled off for the remaining 26 miles to Haines, Alaska. We rode through the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve unfortunately this is not the time of year to see many eagles, we’ll have to come back in October. We thought this would be an easy gradual downhill pedal into the coastal town of Haines but, of course, we had more strong headwinds as we rode next to the Chilkat River – an interesting braided river that stays about 10-20 degrees warmer than surrounding waters because of and alluvial fan reservoir and this is the reason so many eagles come here.

Eventually we made it into the town of Haines and found a delightful campground right on the waterfront with all the important things close by – laundry, showers, and groceries! We’re taking a rest day here to pick up our next general delivery package at the post office, enjoy the sights of Haines, resupply, and plan our next several days. So far in Haines we’ve made it to the Hammer Museum – 2400 different types of hammers on display.

Tomorrow we will take the ferry to Skagway and hope our prevailing headwinds become a tailwind as we climb up the Klondike Highway back into Canada – this is a notoriously brutal climb. We plan to post our next update in about two weeks…