Yukon Gold – In Every Sense!
by Liz Maxted
Our trip was Yukon Gold.
As I have been describing to family and friends what a truly incredible experience we had I began to realize that there was nothing about the trip that I would change – it could not have been bettered. Each friend seems to draw out a different aspect of the trip and enables me to reflect further.
Our adventurous friends want to hear about the river and the scenery – the Yukon slogan here sums it up “ Larger than Life”. The landscape was beautiful but can only really be described in context here to our UK friends in that the country we live in would fit easily into the Yukon which has a population of just 40,000 ( UK is 67.5 million and our relatively small town of Maidenhead has a population of 67,500).
Our other ‘expeditioning’ friends want to know more about the organizational side – the kit, the boats, distances, the logistics etc. This again ranks gold! So much experience and planning from the Canoe North Adventures team make this seem effortless and easy but we know only too well how much has gone in behind the scenes to achieve this. Much appreciated by us.
Foodie friends – well they are speechless when they hear how well we ate! Fresh fruit and vegetables throughout they can hardly believe. I describe the steaks on the campfire and the wonderful curries and it begins to sound like a gastronomic tour! I must admit I have a particular passion for the breakfasts – thank you so much Maddy and Will for your early starts to achieve this.
For our drinking friends ( probably everyone we know!) we see their faces astonished at the concept of happy hour and whisky sours and other cocktails before we even mention the worldwide appetizers that were served.
With those who I know will be particularly interested I share the philosophical aspects of the expedition – the sharing of stories and life experiences around the campfire and the welcoming inspirational First Nation people we met. The heartfelt joy of life at Stepping Stone with Jim and Carole and singing together regardless of creed or belief.
Photo by Daryn Rabb
All of our friends want to hear about the Northern Lights – it has been my dream for decades to see these but how much better it was to not only see them but share them with all our new Canadian friends on that clear night on Driftwood Island.
Tales of the latrine and bear footprints I save for those who think it might all have been just too easy !
It was for us the trip of a lifetime – all a wilderness trip could possibly be and more. Thank you to all at Canoe North Adventures for your hard work and years of experience that made this possible – and especially to Beth for answering so many questions by email as new queries arose.
Maddy and Will were strong positive leaders – both with wonderful smiles and enthusiasm – always doing things behind the scenes to ensure all went well. And Lin, you are an inspirational leader – knowledgeable, practical, passionate with a wonderful sense of humour. Under the leadership of such great guides we have returned to the “ normal /mad” world enriched and with wonderful new friendships.
