Catch up post from March - trip to Aishihik Lake Yukon

Snowmobile trip from Mount Nansen near Carmacks via the mine road to Champagne Aishihik Frist Nation territory on the very old "road" that used to run to the mine site from Haines. you pass the Buffalo Paddock Cabin en route that is now deeded to the Little Salmon Carmacks First Nation, repairs are being undertaken - easier to do in winter due to boggy ground. Stopped at the old WW II airport site that is now under the ownership of the Champagne Aishihik First Nation. Very low snow year - lots of wolf and bison tracks on the snowmobile trail, medium length day about 120 kms round trip.

Buffalo Paddock on the way out

Part of the Northwest Staging Route, a series of air strip built all the way up to Alaska for the war effort - this site was built in 1941 by the gov of Canada

on the trail back to Mount Nansen, cabin and overflow back at the parking lot

More pix fdrom Dyea and the Chilkoot Trail Outpost in Alaska

while we had a hotel booked in Skagway we opted to eat the cost of it and stay in Dyea at the Chilkoot Trail Outpost - really nice place and amazing owners. http://www.chilkoottrailoutpost.com/. Cabins are immaculate and new. Well worth staying there.

They have an shall we say eclectic variety of "artifacts" laying around in deference to the gold rush days.

And as reminder of one of the growth industries back then, a peek inside a building that was used as a brothel, lol

Over at Dyea / Start of the Chilkoot Trail / Not Skagway

The people out in Dyea are pretty adamant about Dyea being a separate entity. ie it's not Skagway. Regardless it is a unique area, lots of history, being the start of the Chilkoot Trail.

Oolichan were running in the inlet so lots of wildlife around feeding.

The remains of the docks on the Dyea tidal flats. One of the few indications that a town actually existed here and that tens of thousands of sourdoughs started their journey to the 1898 gold fields right from here. Most of the actual town site is simply covered in moss with no trace of structures.