Alaska and BC planning for September, need some info

[SeaDawg]

Maybe, just, maybe,  you'll get to go to the Yukon. Perhaps even into Alaska,  before snow falls.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/news/2021/07/16/when-canadian-border-open-vaccinated-americans-may-able-enter-cross-august/7992083002/

[SeaDawg]

Looks like you have a (probable) green light. If you're vaccinated.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/19/world/us-canada-border-opening/index.html

 

[John E Davies]

Yep, we are planning to head up as soon as we can get across, probably at one of the less busy crossings in NE Washington. We plan to take five weeks on the trip starting “about” August 9. 

I am pretty excited, this will be virgin territory, we have explored a bit of southern AB but nothing further north.

John Davies

Spokane WA

[SeaDawg]

Have a great time.

The Yukon is our favorite camping area.

[Mike and Carol]

Sounds like it should be a great trip.  Will be interested in your lessons learned.  We hope to make it to Alaska sometime!  Mike

[John E Davies]

It is still is not definite, the US government has not agreed to opening the border, so we might get INTO Canada, but might not be allowed into Alaska, or back into the other 48 States. I hope this is settled in the next week.

White House won't commit to reopening northern border, despite announcement from Canada

I am not a risk taker. My wife was stranded in New Zealand with my daughter sixteen months ago by Covid, it destroyed their vacation and it was not clear if they would even be allowed to fly home…. I don’t want a repeat of that situation. Though I can think of worse situations than getting stuck in the Yukon in an Ollie. unless it extends into winter.

John Davies

Spokane WA

[SeaDawg]

So, I  read in another thread that you're hoping to leave for Whitehorse next week. That's awesome. 

Whitehorse is a lovely community, and a number of nice campgrounds outside Whitehorse. 

There was (probably  still is) a free dump station at the Petro North if 60, near the Walmart supercenter. Don't remember if it required a fill up, but we found their prices good, anyway. 

Speaking of the Walmart, skip it, as it's pretty small, very crowded,, and poor food selections, and go instead to the Real Canadian Superstore.  It's big, clean, great selection of meats and produce, and reasonable prices, for the Yukon. It's a good stock up spot for the rest of your trip. 

While you're in Whitehorse, check out Alligator's gourmet grilled cheese food truck, on the wharf in downtown.  It's a pretty walk along the park, too. 

Yukoners are big campers, so expect closeby campgrounds to be full, or nearly full, in nice weather, and especially weekends. Yukon territory campgrounds are $12 Cad, cash, with no services, spotless pit toilets, and free firewood. No reservations.  

 

[SeaDawg]

A couple sites that you've probably seen already that are very helpful, and informative. 

https://yukon.ca/en/find-campground-or-recreation-site

https://explorenorthblog.com/?s=+CAmpgrounds

The explorenorth blog is full of great photos and descriptions. 

[LongStride]

@John E Davies, we always carry spray when we are in bear territory.  Lucky me, never had to use it.  All the experts on bear behavior say that you are better off using the spray as opposed to a powerful handgun.  There are two primary reasons for this rationale.  1. easy to deploy quickly  2. it works

A brown bear can cover a lot of ground really, really quick.  Unless you are an experienced big game hunter (accustomed to keeping your cool while being charged by a big mean animal) it is unlikely that you would be able to manage an immediate kill shot with a firearm.  If you are being charged, by the time you get off a shot the bear will be on you in just a few seconds.  Even if he is mortally wounded, he may use his last breath to dispatch you.  

Watch some videos.  I think there are some on U-tube.   You don't need good aim.  Just point it at the bear and push the button.  We did a good deal of research on this before we went fly-fishing in Yellowstone.  There were a number of fatal bear attacks there the year that we went trout fishing on Slough Creek.

We carry the same stuff that the USNPS and Forest Service people carry.  

The big drawback to bear spray is wind direction.  The spray is pretty powerful, but there is a chance you would get a face full and still not deter the bear.  It would need to be a pretty stiff wind though.  We practice with old cans (they have expiration dates) and they really blast out the stuff. 

If allowed by regulations, if I were wandering about the wilderness in Alaska I would carry my 12 ga. rifled slug gun and bear spray.  The spray would be my first choice, and I would only consider using the gun if there was substantial wind in my face.

I am an experienced hunter and I would still consider my odds of survival better with the spray than with the gun in the event of a bear charge.  

[John E Davies]

1 hour ago, LongStride said:

@John E Davies, we always carry spray when we are in bear territory.  Lucky me, never had to use it.  All the experts on bear behavior say that you are better off using the spray as opposed to a powerful handgun.  There are two primary reasons for this rationale.  1. easy to deploy quickly  2. it works 

Thanks, that is good information. We both carry a can when we are outside the trailer in brown bear country, as a primary defense. Though black bears are actually more dangerous, and a mother moose with babies can be a real hazard. We always have carried spray, and the second one is the spare in case you have to use one, leaving you “dry” for the rest of the day. Every member on a hike has to have a can! The firearm is in case the wind is wrong (having capsicum blow back in your face with a predator in front of you is so very VERY bad …. Unbearable pain: How bear spray became a prized weapon for violent protesters). A really strong crosswind will prevent it from reaching the target.

A pistol can be used to fire a warning shot at long distance, into the ground in front of the charging animal, before the second one goes into its “center of fur”. Or to use if all else fails and he is chewing your leg off or dragging a child out of a tent. Or to fire three shots to signal for help when lost, or to harvest a meal. Or to dispatch a rabid coyote. Or to defend against an armed human attacker (USA only!). Or to plink targets….

When hiking in warm weather it rides in an OWB holster, or in a cross-chest holster if I have a pack or coat. I have carried a pistol daily for four decades, where it is legal, and for me it is just another safety tool. Recently I have had to choose a less than ideal smaller caliber, .327 Federal Mag, due to joint pain and neuropathy, but it is still more functional than a sharp stick. The trailer gun is a Henry lever action .44 Mag with bear ammo. I can’t shoot a 12 gauge or .45/70 any more😥

The main reason is that it will make you sleep a whole lot better, every single night, in the wild. This I guarantee. It’s a personal decision about what type, but do not fall for the hype that “you do not need a firearm” in bear country. But it is not a replacement for common sense, survival gear and a satellite communicator.

John Davies

Spokane WA

[LongStride]

John I was by no means condemning firearms or their usefulness. If allowed, I will carry a firearm in the north woods for hunting, survival, and piece of mind.  However, if i came around a corner of a trail while hiking and encountered a mama bear with cubs, I would prefer to have a can of bear spray in my hand.  
 
In my lifetime I have uncomfortably close encounters with bears, moose, bison, rattlesnakes, sharks, barracuda, and even a really mad monkey once (Africa), All of the encounters were sudden and unintentional.  I am still more afraid of humans than any of the animals.
 

 

[Daybooth]

There is a magazine called the Alaska Milepost.  It’s an great guide from points of interest, to last stops etc..  The Columbia Icefield were awesome to see in Banff NP.  You will never forget the trip.  Take tons of pictures.   You will find it hard to come back down to the lower 48.  Enjoy!! 

[SeaDawg]

The Milepost is a good tool, with caveats. Sometimes businesses (gas stations, especially) that were open at time if printing are no longer open.

It's full of ads. Seems to me that advertisers often get special attention in verbiage, whereas many pullouts and state, local, fish and game camping sites get barely a mention, if at all.

That said, we always have one with us, not necessarily a current issue.

[John E Davies]

We made it across the border! What a royal PITA. We had to find a local source (Rite Aid drug store) for Covid tests, that would do a Canada approved one, and also turn it around promptly, because if it is older than 72 hrs when you show up at the border, they will turn you back. We wanted to wait a day or two at least to cross, we knew it would be a zoo the first day (Monday). Tested on Sunday noon, we had to prep completely for “a trip”, either to Canada if negative, or to Montana if positive. We were all packed up and got the good results Tuesday evening. So I ditched my firearms (I decided trying to cross with an approved long gun would be adding fuel to a fire) and Wednesday morning we booked north two hours to the nearest border crossing, getting there an hour before our 72 hour period expired 😳. The agent questioned us meticulously for a full twenty minutes, scrutinized our vaccination and covid info, asked all the “do you have anything to declare” stuff, and then said have a nice trip, adding that as foreign nationals we were being allowed to enter as a courtesy, and were required to mask up in all public spaces, regardless of the local policies, and we could incur a big fine if we were caught maskless. We also had to fill in info at ArriveCAN, upload documents and provide a quarantine plan, in case they did a surprise Covid test and we had to self isolate. That was tricky, we decided that reserving a commercial spot and using that address would probably get us by that hurdle, and it did.

We went as far as Nakusp Municipal CG, a delightful resort townlet in a stunning alpine setting in SE BC. Unfortunately the wildfire smoke was horrible, with ash literally raining down at times. Visibility varied from merely bad to less than half a mile. Our window smoke filters worked most excellently, combined with a floor HEPA filter. None of the locals wore masks, not even for the smoke. Maybe they are used to it?

We spent two nights there, recuperating, then went 330 miles NW to try to escape the worst smoke and the building “heat dome”, which is crippling. We found an ex-KOA CG, with full hookups, so we can run the AC and empty and refill tanks. The owner was ecstatic, we were the first Americans to stop by since March 2020. He gave us a 10% discount, just for that, and he wouldn’t stop talking. 

We are headed up to Prince Rupert and probably White Horse YT, we have four weeks to explore, at the end of that time we have settle down near the southern border, near an urban area, get MORE Covid testing for the US station, then cross when we get negative results. Or quarantine if they are positive. Kind of like Border Russian Roulette. We decided to not attempt Alaska since that would double the number of tests we would have to take… and pass.

It is cool being among the first Americans to visit, we are getting a lot of interested remarks and double takes on the WA license,plates, and at our very first rest break somebody collared my wife to ask about the “cool rig”. I guess Ollies are still pretty darn rare here.

I will be pretty much incommunicado for weeks, If I can, I will try to give a few updates in a new thread, but cell coverage will be nil the further north we get from the mid-point, about Prince George.

John Davies

Spokane WA

 

[SeaDawg]

Congratulations! I'm super happy for you.

Consider a jog east, to avoid the fires, and smoke? Same  travel time, 

[SeaDawg]

Prince George isn't all that interesting,  anyway. Imo 

[John E Davies]

1 hour ago, SeaDawg said:

Congratulations! I'm super happy for you.

Consider a jog east, to avoid the fires, and smoke? Same  travel time, 

Thanks…. Jogging east won’t work, the smoke is generally streaming that way, we need to stay close to the Pacific Coast. I am using the Windy app, it shows wind forecasts for a week, and smoke (PM2) forecasts for the next three days, it is very helpful in planning where not to be. This darn new heat dome is a repeat of the one last month that spiked to nearly 130 degrees F, it is only going to be 105….😳. That is awfully warm for British Columbia, so we want to get out of that area and get into the more moderate marine climates near the ocean, up north. Three days or so in Prince Rupert, whale watching if there are any tours operating. Bears…. oh my.

John Davies

Spokane WA

 

[SeaDawg]

19 hours ago, John E Davies said:

using the Windy app, it shows wind forecasts for a week, and smoke (PM2) forecasts for the next three days, it is very helpful in planning where not to be.

Thanks for that info. 

I downloaded windy, and I'll give it a try.

Safe travels, and enjoy beautiful BC. We have really enjoyed our visits to Prince Rupert. Hope you do, too .

Safe travels.

[SeaDawg]

So, I'm guessing you are taking the Cassiar Highway up to Watson Lake,  and then on to Whitehorse?

It wasn't a great ride in the old days, but it's really pretty, and also pretty desolate. A number of provincial campgrounds along the way, many of them lakeside .

Boya Lake is our very favorite,  especially if you can arrive midweek and can snag a lakeside campsite. Some of the sites up the ridge also offer pretty views,, but lakeside sites are pretty big,, and easy..

No power, no flush toilets. But, nice clean vault toilets. Usually water, but sometimes not. There's a spring down the road somewhere, where those in need filled jugs. We were ok with what we carried.

I'll be following you (jealously). Northern BC and the Yukon are the best parts of our Alaskan trips, with the exception of  visiting my cousin in Denali, and the 50 miles of Richardson Hwy approaching Valdez.