September 11, a date none of us will forget. Josh and I hiked up to a point along today’s route, called Soldiers Hill, it was one of the significant base camps for the military and private contractors that built the Alcan Highway during World War II to give US troops access to the North in the event of a Japanese invasion through Alaska. That was our solemn occasion to reflect on this date.
If the landscape of the past few days was spectacular, today left us overwhelmed. A postcard shot around every corner. We tried to photograph it, but, there is no way a camera could capture the stunning beauty and the magnitude of the vision as you gaze on huge ice capped mountains cloaked in fall colours. The lower landscape was a blanket of golden yellows, flame reds and greens, the fall colours.
The road continued in its decaying form too Haines Junction. It was from Haines Junction where we turned off the Alcan onto the road to Haines. This road has received a huge overhaul, significant money to improve it. I heard the tyres on the RV rejoice as we head out along a ‘perfect’ tarmac, smooth as silk.
We explored Kathleen Lake and the mountain feature of The Kings Throne. See the photo below with Tayla in the foreground. We then continued to explore the route toward Haines, and decided to camp at Million Dollar Falls. This powerful waterfall greeted us with its thunderous roar.
A quarter of the Grizzly population resides in the Yukon, and of that, the majority live around the Klukshu and Takhanne Rivers which run parallel to each other. Million Dollar Falls is on the Takhanne. We were camped in the heart of Grizzly country.
After the whole family checked out the falls, Josh, Tayla and I went down to the river to pan for gold. After diner I went down by myself to do some low light photography. Armed with the bear spray and a keen nervousness, I enjoyed an hour of photography. The interesting thing was, down by the edge of the falls is a narrow path, for those who have jumped the barrier rail, and with the noise of the falls, you’d never hear a Mack Truck come up behind you, let alone a bear. It was a pristine place though. See the photo’s below. Note the Bear Proof caches for campers to store their food in, Bear Safety for the human's food, but those soft sided tents, mmmmm, and there were two of those camping here, Snack Packs for Bears :)
Million Dollar Falls. The Falls location is: N60 06.507 W136 56.812
Weather: Sunshine and rainy spots.
Low: low 40’s High: mid 50’s.
Wildlife: Nothing new.
O/N: N60 06.440 W136 56.745 Million Dollar Falls Camp.
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