A Parting Look at the Dempster

Here are just a few more photos from the Dempster.  Please know that none of them do justice to the beauty, splendor, and vastness of this amazing part of the world.

 

The Finale (The Dempster 2003, Part Four)

Dempster beautiful

It rained again most of the night. The entire truck was covered in muck. Every time we leaned against the running boards, or closed a door, or opened the camper, or touched a handle, we (or our clothes) would add another layer of mud. We began lifting Sam into the back seat to keep her paws and undercarriage clean. Our first order of business In Dawson City will be to wash the truck. 

We left Rock River and drove past Eagle Plains. It was too early to camp, so we drove on, stopping at a pull-off nestled in the boreal forest for the night. 

Again it rained, but the clouds began to clear in the early morning. We drove past Olgavie Ridge, admiring the fall colors. 

We stopped at a favorite campsite just north of the Tombstone visitor center, hoping to see the northern lights like we did in 2018. But it rained again that night. 

Our favorite campsite on the Dempster

We spent our last day on the Dempster just relaxing and enjoying the moment. A raven entered camp, and Sam went nuts.  David finally had to chase it away.

A raven taunts Sam

Chasing raven

Bye, Bye Blackbird

We made the short drive back to Two Moose Lake, and we actually saw two moose. Then we took a nice, long hike along the creek to the bottom of the Tombstone overlook.

 

A moose cow at Two Moose Lake

Tombstone from Valley hike

Another night in our camp spot, and another night of rain. It was bittersweet leaving the Dempster the next morning, but the clouds rolled back, and we were bathed in sunshine on our way out. 

It has been another successful run on the Dempster without losing a tire or having any major issues. We saw amazing animals, met some new friends (like Bill from Vancouver), and witnessed Autumn’s glory. 

We stopped at the entrance sign for a photo with Sam, commemorating our seventh trip up the Dempster. I'm thinking of hanging this photo next to a photo of Roxanne and us on our first trip. It will be a reminder of blessings and amazing moments and answered prayers. 

Commemorating a successful seventh trip up the Dempster.

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Perhaps I should mention just one more time… the Dempster is my favorite road. 

I came... I saw... I put my pooties in the Arctic Ocean

The Border Experience (Dempster 2023, Part Three)

Dempster in Autumn's Glory

We left Inuvik, hoping for sunshine, but found none. At least the roads weren’t so dusty after all the rain. We spied an Arctic Fox, then later a Red Fox hiding in the bush. 

We arrived in Fort McPherson and decided to spend the night at the campground near the Peel River crossing. Fort McPherson began as trading post in 1850 by the Hudson Bay Company.  The town is now mostly indigenous and has a population of about 650.  We drove around town, visiting the Anglican church  Again, it rained most of the night. 

Fort McPherson's Anglican Church

The next morning, we continued our drive through rain and/or heavy clouds. The Yukon/Northwest Territory border was socked in, covered in fog yet again. 

We were at a crawl in the truck, trying not to over drive the road, when we spotted a brown bear off in the ditch. We must have startled him as he grazed tubers on the roadside. He began to run. I stopped the truck, not wanting to frighten him further. He crossed the road in front of us and dashed uphill. Although the camera struggled to focus in the dense fog, I did manage to take this photo of what I affectionately call my spirit bear. 

Brown bear in fog

We camped at Rock River for the night. We had to pass on our favorite campsite because it was so muddy and opted for a lesser-used site covered in moss and grasses that was better (and cleaner) for Sam. 

Trying to un-muddy Sam

The next morning, the clouds began to break. We decided to drive back to the Arctic Circle, hoping to find more wildlife along the way. What we found instead was the Arctic Circle blanketed in Autumn’s glory. Amazing!

Dempster's Arctic Circle in Fall Foliage

A large group of Chinese tourists were at the Circle. They arrived in a dozen vehicles, popped a bottle of champagne, and took dozens of group photos, sometimes holding a Chinese flag. 

Meanwhile, Sam was consumed with locating every Arctic ground squirrel she could find. She is absolutely infatuated with them. 

On the way back to camp that evening, we drove back to the border, hoping to find caribou. Instead we spied two brown bears grazing tubers along the roadside. To say the least, we were thrilled. Brown bears are largely solitary animals. To find two foraging together was amazing. 

We must have watched the pair for several hours. They seemed completely oblivious to us, even though they were grazing only about fifty feet from us. Other vehicles would stop and join us, take a few photos, then head on their way. The bears never seemed to notice. 

It is such a privilege to observe how these creatures forage and interact. At one point, one of the bears must have spied a tasty morsel in the bush. He would raise on his hind legs, then bury himself back in the bush, chasing his prey. We could follow him by the frantically swaying alders in his path. I’m not sure he was ever successful in his hunt. 

We left the bears and returned to camp, feeling blessed and humbled. The next morning we returned to the border and we’re shocked to find the two bears still grazing by the roadside. We watched them for another half hour or so. Sam definitely  earned her bear-watching badge. She just sat in the backseat and quietly absorbed the moment along with us. 

After a while, we drove back to the border. It was still blanketed in fog. We again saw no caribou. One of the elders in Fort McPherson had told us that the younger men had hunted too early, running the caribou back over the mountain. He was obviously disappointed. If the caribou did not return along the Dempster road, it would be much more difficult for the rest of the clan to hunt their winter stores. 

Less than thirty minutes had passed between when we were at the border and when we arrived back at the spot where our two bears were grazing. They were gone. Vanished. Without a trace. David scanned the horizon with his binoculars but saw no sign of them. We felt a small miracle had occurred for us to have seen them and that we were truly blessed to have witnessed it. 

We now head south. Our time on the Dempster is drawing to a close. Just a few more precious days. 

Just Another Little Living Miracle

Arctic Ground Squirrel

Sam has become infatuated with the Arctic ground squirrels.  Several burrow beneath the Arctic Circle signpost on the Dempster Highway, and Sam has introduced herself to them all (on leash, of course). 

The First Nation peoples of Canada call the Arctic ground squirrel “tisk-tisk,” the sound an Arctic ground squirrel makes when it is alarmed. 

The squirrels live in burrows under the ground. They line their nests with grasses to help them keep warm during the winter. On the last day that they enter their burrow for the long winter months, they block the entrance with dirt.

During an Arctic winter, the temperature in the squirrel's burrow can drop below 0° Fahrenheit. Most mammals would die in temperatures that cold, but the Arctic ground squirrel is an amazing little animal. 

In the summer, the Arctic ground squirrel has the same body temperature as humans. Scientific research has proven that during hibernation the squirrel's body temperature drops from 98.6° F to 26.4° F. 

While water freezes at 32° F, somehow, the Arctic ground squirrel doesn’t freeze. This little squirrel reaches the lowest known body temperature of any living mammal. Scientists don't know why the Arctic ground squirrel doesn't freeze solid in such cold temperatures. 

Every so often during the winter, the Arctic ground squirrel wakes up and shivers until his body temperature rises to 70° F. Then it goes back into hibernation. Scientists believe that the squirrels somehow use this method to remove any substances from blood and tissue that would cause ice crystals to form. 

It is a long winter in the Arctic, sometimes lasting six to seven months. During hibernation, the squirrels do not eat or drink. When spring comes in late March or early April, the Arctic ground squirrel comes out of his burrow, proving once again that he’s just another little living miracle. 

Pingos and the Arctic Ocean (The Dempster 2003, Part Two)

David and Sam at the Arctic Ocean

The Dempster Highway was begun in 1959 and completed in 1979. The road from Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk (Tuk) and the Arctic Ocean, however, has only been fully open since 2017. Before then, travelers arrived to Tuk by boat, light plane, or ice road. 

This final section of road from Inuvik to Tuk was difficult to build. The entire base was layered on permafrost. In some areas, the road was elevated dozens of feet with rock and gravel to keep it from sinking or heaving. It is a good road, albeit there are areas of washouts, washboards, heaves, and potholes. Although only 86 miles, it took us almost three hours to drive the distance. 

The majority of the ecosystem between Inuvik and Tuk is alpine tundra, lowland, and marsh. 

View from road to Tuk

Closer to Tuk, the boreal forest succumbs to the permafrost.  The trees grow smaller and smaller and less and less frequent until it appears that there is only one last tree remaining between it and the North Pole. 

Last tree to Tuktoyaktuk

Millions of birds migrate to this area each spring to raise their young. We saw many birds, particularly waterfowl, gathering in the lakes and ponds near Tuk. Overhead, we could see parents making test flights with their fledglings in an attempt to build wing strength before their long trek south. By mid-September, the airways will be filled with their wing beats. 

Swans water for migration near Tuktoyaktuk, Canada

The area surrounding Tuk has been designated as Canada’s Pingo National Monument. Pingos are mounds of ice.  Many have been covered in soil over the years, making them appear like little islands. You can rent a kayak and paddle to them. Today was not that day. 

Pingo near Tuktoyaktuk, Canada

Pingos near Tuktoyaktuk, Canada

We did see a pair of moose cows at a distance.

Two distant moose near Tuktoyaktuk, Canada

Tuk was incorporated as a hamlet in 1970.  Its current population is around 900 people.

View as you enter Tuktoyaktuk, Canada

When we arrived in Tuk, the outside temperature on the truck registered 43 degrees. A gale force wind upwards of 40 miles per hour complimented the cold. To say the least, it was frigid. David and I were wearing our street clothes, sweatshirts, heavy jackets, and raincoats… and we were still shivering. With the wind blowing so stiffly, I didn’t dare try to take a timed photo with the camera on the tripod. 

Water temperatures were around 35 degrees. We had planned to let Sam dive into the Arctic Ocean, but it was so cold we feared we couldn’t dry her quickly enough with that long coat of hers. So she dabbled in the Arctic Ocean… still happy as could be… until she tasted the water. She promptly spit it out. 

We drove around town, passing several churches and the local cemetery.  

Local church in Tuktoyaktuk, Canada

Cemetery with Arctic Ocean in background, Tuktoyaktuk, Canada

Houses built above the Arctic Circle must be able to accommodate the permafrost. They are built on pier and beam structures or otherwise elevated to keep the building from resting directly on the ground. The heat from the house can quickly melt the permafrost, causing the ground to become unstable and the house foundation to shift. Here are a few examples of housing in Tuk. 

Elevated housing to prevent permafrost settling, Tuktoyaktuk, Canada

Tuk has a unique community freezer system called the Ice House. A large hole was dug deep into the permafrost using pick axes and shovels.  A ladder descends nine meters into the permafrost.  There are nineteen rooms in the Ice House, and each family (or extended family) is given a room to store their food…  no electricity needed!  

Just outside of town is the garbage dump. It sits right on the ocean and has been in operation for years with no place else to handle the refuse. It is definitely unsightly, but evidently works for the community. 

We had planned to spend the night in Tuk, but the winds were blowing so hard, and the campground sat inches from the Arctic Ocean… making the wind off the water even more intense and frigid. We made an executive decision to return to Inuvik that same afternoon. It was a good decision… it rained steadily almost all night.