arctic
We visited the Canadian Arctic during June-July, 2011. It was a road trip. Five of us started the 11 day trip on a rainy afternoon from Edmonton, Alberta. Our first stop was at Grande Prairie, where we spent the night in a hotel room. We stopped next at Watson Lake, Yukon after a long long drive. We did not get to see much there except for the famous and curious Signpost Forest, a collection of about 70,000 signs! Dawson City, Yukon was our next stop. It took us nearly 13 hours to reach Dawson City. This place gained much importance during the Gold Rush. At one time, the population of Dawson City was 25,000. Now, the Western town houses only 2,500 people!
We proceeded to journey further to Inuvik in the Northwest Territory. We had to drive through the Dempster Highway to reach Inuvik. A 770 km drive on the gravel road seemed longer than it was. Though the posted speed was 90 kmh, at times, we had to drive at half-speed to avoid a flat tire! The bumpy ride was worth every headache though as the scenic beauty of the Dempster was superb! We crossed the Arctic Circle on our way. The sun was high even at 11 pm in Inuvik, and so we did not have any problem in setting up camp.
From Inuvik, a 50 min flight on a small plane deposited us at Tuktoyaktuk, a small hamlet on the shore of Arctic Ocean. Entering the permafrost storage of Tuktoyaktuk and braving an incredible swarm of mosquitoes was an experience to remember. Tuktoyaktuk is the place where you can see the world's second largest Pingo, a mound of earth-covered ice found only in the Arctic regions of the world. After a half day tour to Tuktoyaktuk, we returned back to Inuvik. We spent three days north of the Arctic Circle. I will always remember Inuvik as the place where I experienced "midnight sun" for the first time. It felt so weird to see the sun set, when we returned back from the "land of the midnight sun"!
On our return journey we drank the Sourtoe Cocktail in Dawson City. Drinking Sourtoe Cocktail is a curious ritual of Dawson City. The cocktail is a drink with a preserved human toe in it. The deal is -- the mummified toe must touch your lips while you drink! We even received bravery certificates after having successfully passed the challenge!
Liard Hot-spring is a natural sulfur water spring which has a natural pool to contain the hot water in. It is in the heart of British Columbian "bear country". During our journey we saw 25 bears, including a grizzly family near the Liard Hot-spring area. Very luckily for us, the campground and the hot-spring, was free of bears for the one night we camped there. That allowed us to dip and splash in the hot-pool at 1 am at night!
Hoards of bison, bears galore, swarm of mosquitoes, riding the Dempster, tasting the Sourtoe, not to mention the ever-present sun- all in all, a lifetime full of experiences!
Read MoreWe proceeded to journey further to Inuvik in the Northwest Territory. We had to drive through the Dempster Highway to reach Inuvik. A 770 km drive on the gravel road seemed longer than it was. Though the posted speed was 90 kmh, at times, we had to drive at half-speed to avoid a flat tire! The bumpy ride was worth every headache though as the scenic beauty of the Dempster was superb! We crossed the Arctic Circle on our way. The sun was high even at 11 pm in Inuvik, and so we did not have any problem in setting up camp.
From Inuvik, a 50 min flight on a small plane deposited us at Tuktoyaktuk, a small hamlet on the shore of Arctic Ocean. Entering the permafrost storage of Tuktoyaktuk and braving an incredible swarm of mosquitoes was an experience to remember. Tuktoyaktuk is the place where you can see the world's second largest Pingo, a mound of earth-covered ice found only in the Arctic regions of the world. After a half day tour to Tuktoyaktuk, we returned back to Inuvik. We spent three days north of the Arctic Circle. I will always remember Inuvik as the place where I experienced "midnight sun" for the first time. It felt so weird to see the sun set, when we returned back from the "land of the midnight sun"!
On our return journey we drank the Sourtoe Cocktail in Dawson City. Drinking Sourtoe Cocktail is a curious ritual of Dawson City. The cocktail is a drink with a preserved human toe in it. The deal is -- the mummified toe must touch your lips while you drink! We even received bravery certificates after having successfully passed the challenge!
Liard Hot-spring is a natural sulfur water spring which has a natural pool to contain the hot water in. It is in the heart of British Columbian "bear country". During our journey we saw 25 bears, including a grizzly family near the Liard Hot-spring area. Very luckily for us, the campground and the hot-spring, was free of bears for the one night we camped there. That allowed us to dip and splash in the hot-pool at 1 am at night!
Hoards of bison, bears galore, swarm of mosquitoes, riding the Dempster, tasting the Sourtoe, not to mention the ever-present sun- all in all, a lifetime full of experiences!
