The Beginnings (in a Letter)

* A colleague of mine asked me to write a letter to my former students giving them my first impressions of Whitehorse. It became pretty lengthy and a good way to remember the beginning days of our time in the Yukon.

Dear ICS Students,

 When my husband and I first told people that we had made the decision to move to the Yukon, we were met with some astounded responses. A few remarks included:

“You better buy a truck; that is the only thing people drive up there!”

 “You better start a greenhouse and take up some fruit trees because orange juice up there is $12/Litre! Actually, bring a cow as well because milk will be three times the cost!”

“Snowpants are going to be your new sweatpants”

“Don’t get eaten by a puma or grizzly bear!”

“You better carry bear spray in your back pocket wherever you go!”

“You might as well give me all your summer clothing because you won’t be wearing t-shirts or shorts up there”

“Is that in Alaska?”

“Are you going to live in an igloo?”

“Have fun in Yellowknife!”

  So when Mrs. Mawhinney asked me to write you a letter of my first impression of Whitehorse, I can understand the need for the demystification of the north.

 I’ve never been north of Terrace, BC so I had no idea what comments to believe and what not to. Now that we’ve arrived, I’ve realized that the Yukon is much more civilized than anyone could’ve persuaded me a month ago when the remarks of others were floating through my dreams/nightmares J It is hard to pack for the unexpected and I had a hard time separating with clothes and crockpots and sports equipment that I thought definitely would not be available to us in the north. Well, it is good that I have a wise husband who persuaded me to leave many of our belongings at home because I’ve been proven wrong countless times here (and it would’ve cost us an arm and a leg to ship all my worldly desires here!). I’ve been able to find commodities such as winter gear, orange juice ($3.99/1.25L), ipads, and even dutch delicacies like gouda cheese, dropies, and chocolate hail (difficult to find even in PEI)! Marcel and I can still use our iphones up here although there is no such thing as unlimited internet packages.

 This, of course, is Whitehorse I’m writing about and I have heard rumours of other parts of the Yukon that are a lot more remote and deal with really intense challenges of cold, darkness, and high cost of goods (look up Old Crow, YT for such examples).

 I remember the night before we arrived in Whitehorse. We had been driving already for 6 days (average of 10 hrs a day) from Beamsville, Ontario and had so far just been concentrating on the one day of driving that was in front of us. Now it was Friday night and we had one more sleep before getting the first glimpse of our next hometown. Fortunately, the place we stayed that night was the most relaxing of the trip. I need to take a side-note here and tell you a little about Liard Hot Springs, BC. This excerpt from a BC tourism site sets the scene well:

The hot springs complex is of national ecological significance and is well known for its natural setting in a lush boreal spruce forest. A boardwalk that leads to the hot spring pools passes through a warm water swamp and boreal forest that supports rich and diverse plant communities, as well as mammal and bird species. Watch for moose feeding in the warm water swamps. Due to the lush plant life influenced by the warmth of the springs, the area was originally known as the "Tropical Valley".  

 (http://www.britishcolumbia.com/hotsprings/?id=18)

After a long day of driving up the Alaska Highway, Marcel and I unloaded our bags in a lodge across the street from the provincial park where the hot springs were located. Taking our Coleman lamp and some towels we walked through the park and down a 1.5 km boardwalk through swamp and rich green vegetation. We passed caution signs for moose and bear and were thankful when we started to smell the faint scent of sulphur and see the lighted area surrounding the hot springs. It looked like a thick river and the closer you swam to the source of the spring, the hotter it was. There were even benches in the water to sit on and waterfalls which could pour over your shoulders as a warm massage. The BC website describes it well in saying “Relaxation seeps into your body as you ease into the second largest hot spring in Canada.” It was a reassuring way to begin the last leg of our journey to Whitehorse.

Boardwalk to the Hot Springs 

Liard Hot Springs (stolen from a website because it was dark when we got there)

Lodge we stayed in at Liard Hot Springs

Our first home upon arriving in Whitehorse. It was a backyard greenhouse that the hostel had turned into a private lodging. We stayed here for a couple nights while waiting for our apartment to come available. I was thankful for the mini electric heater and light it came with.

 That night we talked about what to expect the next day. The only picture of a northern town we had was Terrace, BC so we expected it to look similar; a small town in the middle of the mountains with a river running through it. I had researched a bit in advance and knew there were some recognizable stores like Tim Hortons, Canadian Tire, Boston Pizza, and even a Starbucks in town. Somehow these places are comforting when you are away from all that is known to you. I’ve since then found a few local places to spend a cozy, enjoyable morning.

  We approached Whitehorse at about 5 pm PT and commemorated the moment with a picture by both the Yukon and Whitehorse signs respectively. It was warmer than I had anticipated and we didn’t even need jackets that day. The town is in the middle of mountains, but unlike the coastal mountains in Terrace, they resemble more rounded hills (really tall hills) than jagged snow-capped mountains. The Yukon River is narrower in Whitehorse than we expected and there is a beautiful well-lit bridge that separates downtown Whitehorse from our current home in Riverdale. The first scene one sees when entering the capital is framed by the mountains and river and includes the precious S.S. Klondike, a steamer that was used during the gold rush days. The town is rich in gold rush history and shopkeepers use this to their advantage with names like “The Chocolate Claim” (a café), Klondike Kate’s Rib House, and the Chilkoot Inn. There are also several museums in town boasting its historic significance.

 There is one main street with a great bookstore, Fireweed Books, and other tourist shops where you can buy a hiking guide to the Yukon or to Whitehorse and area. We still have yet to purchase those books, but have noticed that there are trails surrounding the town on every side. There were six problem bears shot this year due to a late berry season which caused many of the bears to wander into town looking to fill their bellies. I haven’t seen any bears in the Whitehorse area though. There is a five km trail, the Millennium Trail that loops around the Yukon River that I’ve run a couple times on my own without fear of animal interactions.    

  There is a bus system here that is quite reliable, groceries are reasonably priced (though bananas go bad much quicker), and we haven’t found that we are missing any amenities from back home yet (only people J). We have seen the northern lights twice so far, but I’ve heard that some of you have even seen them in great array in PEI recently! There are deep gorges and emerald green lakes (from the dust particles found in glaciers) as well as mountain-top views and amazing sunsets. The daylight hours are from 8:30 am to 7 pm currently and we will lose five minutes I’m told each day until Christmas.

View on my 5K Millenium Trail Run

View from the SS Klondike

The SS Klondike Steamship

Miles Canyon

  Overall, Whitehorse is a great place to call home. The people are incredibly friendly, outgoing, and many of them have moved here in the last five years which makes it easy to be welcomed into their company since they still remember their own move to the north. It also isn’t a shock to people when we say we moved from PEI because people are from all corners of the world here. It is really neat to hear the stories of their journeys here and what they love about living here. The art scene is also pretty vibrant here. Buildings are covered in murals, the Yukon Arts Center always has events advertised (even a musician from PEI was here recently), and native crafts and handiwork are prominently displayed.

  Well, I’m told we are supposed to get snow today or tomorrow so I’m going to walk around town and take some pictures to accompany this letter so you can see for yourself what the capital of the Yukon is all about!
 

From across the country,

Mrs. Vander Wier

 

 

The main native tribes of Raven and Wolf that are in this area.

Murals everywhere- this is the RBC building

Dance Hall Girls- Picture of the Gold Rush Era

A favourite bookstore

Where I spent much of my time when we were living in the hostel.

 

 

Totem Pole in Robert Service Park

The bridge I walk from Riverdale to downtown Whitehorse (see Klondike in the background)

Sports Editor Extrordinaire

The reason we moved to Whitehorse.