In October 2019 three friends and I embarked on a chilly adventure in the Yukon. Our plan? To helicopter into Tombstone Territorial Park, north of Dawson City, and camp for 7 days! At first, something like this doesn't sound too bad, but when you're in the far north of Canada and in the mountains, it's important to remember that winter comes early. I packed with about -20c night temperatures in mind, although I brought gear that would keep me warm in much colder conditions, just in case.
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Pictured: view from the helicopter as we descend to the helipad
After our evening flight into Whitehorse and overnight drive to Dawson City, we had breakfast at a local restaurant and went to the heliport for an early afternoon flight. The views from the flight in were atmospheric and moody, to say the least. Every moment in a helicopter is special, but this one was particularly memorable. At one point, our pilot motioned to our right and we looked out the window to be greeted by one of the most dramatic and jagged peaks I've ever seen. Moments later, we were coming in for landing in the snow.
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Pictured: one of the main mountains overlooking our campsite, taken shortly after landing
We waited a minute for the blowing snow to clear and for the pilot to idle the helicopter, and then we quickly exited, unloaded our gear and gave the pilot the signal. There is a bit of pressure when it comes to heli drops and pickups, and while this was not my first time in one, this was my first heli camping trip. You have to be quick and follow various safety procedures with the extremely loud rotors spinning above you, and opening/closing the basket and various doors properly can be tricky for a nervous first timer.
But soon enough, we were surrounded by snow, silence and mountains.
Pictured: the view a moment's walk from our tents
Boundless solitude.
The greatest feeling in the world. For me it's a feeling of true freedom and connection with nature, and it was extremely strong here. The problems of everyday life disappear and do not matter. It's a feeling that I always long for, and is what inevitably always pulls me back to the outdoors. It makes me want to build a cabin in the middle of the mountains and never return to society.
But, there was also a sense of vulnerability from being in this place, in winter conditions. Every night, my boots froze solid and it was an ordeal to put them on. To thaw them out I walked around in them until they were warm. Trying to sleep with them in my sleeping bag would drive me crazy, so this was preferable to me. On one of the nights I forgot to bring my water bottle into my sleeping bag, and I left it completely full. In the morning when I realized my mistake, I definitely let out some choice swear words. To thaw it out, I had to boil the bottle in my pot, and then repeatedly pour boiling water inside it. It took a while, but eventually I succeeded in thawing it out, and I vowed to never repeat that mistake again.
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Pictured: Talus Lake, rapidly freezing over
When we arrived, the lake was open water. Within a couple days, it was completely frozen over. Although not my first time winter camping, it was my first time experiencing a lake freeze solid before my very eyes. During the night when it froze over, temperatures dropped down to -20c and the lake began to make noises that sounded like they were from a Star Wars movie. It was like someone was firing laser blasters into the frigid night.
Although the noise was a bit unsettling, I eventually fell asleep, but I set my alarm to wake me up in the middle of the night. I took a peak outside my tent, and I could see the Northern Lights. I begrudgingly got dressed and left the warmth of my sleeping bag. The Lights weren't too crazy, but I sat with my camera and watched them for a little while. Experiencing the Aurora up north is always a magical experience, even during the weaker displays. I didn't come away with any portfolio images of this particular evening, but I did snap some for the sake of memories:
After watching it meander across the sky for a while, I returned to my tent and went back to sleep.
Now that the lake was totally frozen over, it made getting our water a bit trickier. We wanted to avoid melting snow as it's a tedious process, so we broke through the ice with a pickaxe to make our own watering hole. If any trip has made me feel like a real Canadian, it was this one!
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For about four days we lucked out with beautiful weather conditions before it began to shift.
Temperatures warmed a bit, but thick clouds and heavy winds rolled in.
On day five, winds were roaring, snow was blowing and we couldn't see any of the mountains around us, not even the one at our lake. It looked bad, so we decided to call our pilot and let him know we were looking to be picked up a day early.
Mother Nature must have been reading our text messages, because she came at us with a vengeance that night. The winds were relentless, my tent unable to stay upright. I thought I was going to blow away. My eyes were closed, but I didn't get a single wink of sleep. Eventually, morning came, and things were a little better, but still not good. Our pilot texted us and told us to let him know when visibility was 700 meters.
So, we spent the day half napping, half watching for openings in the weather. It didn't seem to be improving very much.
But suddenly I could hear something. I opened my tent, and listened again. I swore I could hear the faint sounds of a helicopter or airplane in the distance. Sure enough, a few minutes later, a helicopter suddenly appeared, speeding out of the mist.
We started yelling at each other to wake up and began scrambling to pack.
The pilot landed the helicopter, shut it off and ran to our campsite while wearing only jeans and a light jacket. Everyone was scrambling, packing as fast as we could, and he was helping us. Every minute counted, as unbeknownst to us at the time, there was a severe blizzard warning in effect. Undoubtedly he did not want to end up with a surprise winter camping trip! It was the quickest camp pack-up I've ever seen in my life, and I won't be surprised if it stays that way. We boarded the helicopter, engine roaring to life. It was a welcoming sound.
Although we had to take a detour around some bad weather, we safely arrived back at the Dawson City heliport. We asked our pilot how he knew it was okay to come get us, as we hadn't texted him the green light and he hadn't texted us. He said another pilot happened to fly over the area and gave him an update on the conditions.
Although we had enough extra supplies to spend 10 or more days there, it wouldn't have been ideal and it's safe to say we got pretty lucky!
Would I do it again? Hell yes.
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Thank you for reading.
My adrenalin levels are up just reading this post. It sounds like an amazing (and slightly terrifying) adventure. I can't imagine camping in -20 degrees, even with all the right gear...
And the photos! Wow!! They're incredible! Those mountains look so utterly impenetrable and imposing and the light is superb. Brilliant post Tristan.
-20 is not too bad, especially with a sleeping bag rated for -35 and sleeping pad for -40! But it certainly has its own special challenges, especially in a place where campfires aren't allowed.
Glad you like the photos :) It's hard not to take a good photo of the Ogilvie Mountains. They are out of this world.
Impossible to not like the photos. They're a very special set.
As I live in a country with a pretty boring climate, the idea of owning a sleeping bag that works at -35 degrees is mind-boggling. :)
It is kinda weird to think about. Being able to sleep outside in such cold temperatures feels wrong haha
This sounds absolutely wonderful and terrifying all rolled into one. Sounds like a good story to tell young people when you are an old man, and want to show off how cool you were :)
I kept thinking the Northern Lights photo was moving. Looking at it is like looking through a window.
Wonderful and terrifying sums it up! And that's what I always remind myself of. Type 2 fun always makes for a good story!
What an awesome adventure!
When you used a pick axe to break ice for water it reminded me of Yukon Cornelius from the Rudolph claymation show...maybe because it's Christmas time, I dunno.
Epic photos as well, especially that 2nd one.
OMG YES I love this, hahahaha. I need to watch that again for nostalgia's sake.
This are awesome picturs! What a gerny did you have 😍 love it!
WOW what an adventure. Luckily the pilot came early and picked you guys all up.
These are things to remember forever.
Amazing photos and details in them. 😎 I love the atmosphere you depict.
Thanks for sharing your photos and story about your trip.
Mountain helicopter pilots are a special breed! I was certain there was no way they'd be able to get in... and then he shows up out of nowhere wearing jeans AND helps us pack up! Lol
I believe they must be, especially in those situations. 💪🏻
And then showing up in those clothes… amazing 😎
Spectacular series and landscape!!
Thank you!!
Great images! There is such a haunting beauty to these, I can imagine seeing this in person it sticks with you forever.
It's a very magical and memorable experience!
Thank you :)
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Very impressive and great images.
Absolutely amazing!
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Beautiful pics! Those mountains look like hands reaching up to pluck you from the sky...
Haven't seen too many posts on the Yukon, if at all. Great new stuff to stimulate the senses, and to learn about a new place.
Thanks for sharing this post!
Cheers!
I'm actually surprised not much of the Yukon has shown up on here! Tombstone Park is truly one of Canada's gems. Glad you enjoyed the post :)
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Just gorgeous!
Thank you, glad you like the pics!