I grew up in Bethel and most of my flying is the flat lands of the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. The tallest mountains I’ve flown around, really, is 3 Step and the Kilbuck Mountains.
This day would see us cross the Rockies and head Northwest into Watson Lake, Whitehorse, and finally Haines Junction.
The ride wasn’t so bad, but after hours and hours of sitting in a snowsuit, my butt was sore!! I finally gave up and packed the snowsuit, but the damage was done. Not enough seat time for the gluteus maximus muscles. They are a bit sore.
We saw some snow showers, but all in all the ride was pretty good. Upon arriving in Whitehorse, the last stop for gas before Tok, we bagged up 15 gallons of fuel so we would have some spare. We each have 3 of the Bushwheels Fuel bags which are really convenient.
I was really looking forward to the stop in Whitehorse. A good hotel and a beer really sounded great. Also our family spent time there in the motorhome, so the memories were a callin’. Sean had more of the trail in mind and it was evident that we were not staying in Whitehorse! The weather was good and the sun was shining, so the trail boss got out his whip and off we went! (Haha!)
What a great move it was to fly into Haines Junction. It’s a beautiful place and in the glow of the sunset, the tidy little airport was just so nice! A 206 landed as we were putting the Cub’s to bed with covers and offered us a ride into town. We hurried our chores and in a few minutes Daniel was calling around for a place to stay. My first Hostel!! It it pretty cool! I’d never stayed at such a place, but the Wanderer’s Inn in Haines is really great. We then hurried over to the Pub for some food, where Daniel stopped by to share a few tales of aviation while we watched the Hockey playoff game (In Canada- A must!)
By the time we got back to the hostel we were beat! After 7 hours on the trail and 12 since Fort Nelson, we were sleeping as soon as our heads hit the pillow.
Next Stop— The USA! (And a fond farewell to our Canadian friends we’ve met along the way!)
