Bonnet Plume

The map shows the general Bonnet Plume river route with the waypoint to the extreme southwest the Alkan Air base.

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20190712 Friday

Friday Alan had left a week prior with all the gear driving to Whitehorse, Yukon Territory. Bill and Lance flew Air Canada from Denver to Vancouver. There was a delay in Vancouver of almost two hours before the flight departed to Whitehorse. Alan killed time in Whitehorse waiting by consuming a pizza at a local bar. He greeted us at baggage claim once our plane landed at 10PM. Bill and Lance enjoyed spectacular mountain view’s and a red sun from forest fires as the plane headed north from Vancouver. We camped a few miles outside of Whitehorse after crossing one of four bridges over the Yukon river. With the sun still lighting the night sky at 11:30PM we pitched the tent near a dirt road and bedded down for our first night in the Yukon.

20190713 Saturday

The sun seemed to have never slept as we awoke shortly after 6AM. Breaking camp and having a quick breakfast, we continued up the dirt road to a communications tower and a trailhead, Grey Mountain Summit trail, Alan new of that afforded us some views of Whitehorse, the Yukon river, and the surrounding region of lakes and haze diminished mountains. The three mile return hiking trail was at timberline along a ridge of ancient rocks. We slipped back into town made phone calls, picked up some last minute supplies and had a donair at the Big Bear Donair restaurant. The next several hours In the truck brought us to Mayo. We made a brief stop at Five Fingers rapid overlook and read the information plaque in a light rain. Alkan Air is located on the Stewart River on the far side of Mayo. Helena greeted us with a smile and a warm welcome showing us about with instructions on where to park, camp, and toilet facilities. The skies were gradually clearing as Peter, paddler going down the Snake river, gregariously started talking to us. He and Nancy were all that was left of a larger group in which every one else canceled out. The dating couple, Nancy from North of Toronto and Peter from New Brunswick, we’re doing their first canoe trip together. Alan made Bill and I a terrific steak, potato, and corn-on-the-cob dinner finished off with a strawberry cheesecake. After some debates about Trump started by Nancy and general river story telling we crawled into the sack.

20190714 Sunday - day 1

Alan graced us with breakfast burritos for a second delicious meal. The bugs weren’t bad as generally hazy blue skies implied a good flying day. We said our goodbyes and took pictures of Peter and Nancy as they took off. We finalized loose packing and took the seats out of Bill’s boat so we could next Alan’s for the flight. Alkan air weighed our stuff. We then all gathered at the plane to load the canoes first. Alan’s boat was placed inside Bill’s, nested, and the two strapped to the outside of the plane. Well not quite. The rocker on Alan’s boat entailed the pilot, Chris, tighten down so hard on the straps it started to buckle Bill’s boat and the two were still floppy and not secure. We tried putting Alan’s boat inside the plane but the straw of the boat was longer than the straw of the plane so there was no chance of a fit. Chris headed up to the office to talk about the issue. Bill suggested we try strapping down his canoe first and then Bill’s strapped separately but still nesting the two boats. While the office looked for an unknown solution, Chris was game to try. Low and behold it worked! We piled the rest of the gear in and managed to leave on time at noon for Bonnet Plume Lake. The one hour flight took us past burned zones with scattered hot spots. We slid just above the tops of ridges and mountains along the way. Chris flew past the lake so that he could land the plane into the wind. That gave us a view of the Bonnet Plume river both up and downstream before he gracefully landed on the lake. It turns out there is an outfitters lodge on the north side of the lake about a mile from where we were dropped off and camped for the first night. Before we ended for the day though, we hiked up a small mount on the northwest corner of the confluence between the Bonnet Plume and drainage for the lake. It was a couple of miles return and 800ft of elevation. It required a short paddle across the lake and battling our way through willows. Near the lake and running parallel to it we came across a game super trail; well trodden it had moose and canine tracks among others. Bill was the master at spotting big game. He spotted a male caribou with a big rack. The animal barely moved for 45 minutes or so we could observe it. Bill also pointed out a moose cow in some tall willows. She had her eyes and ears on us most of the time. We made our way back to camp, had dehydrated meals, and were chased into the tents by a light rain.

20190715 Monday - day 2

This day started out beautifully. The sun shone itself often through a mixed cloud cover warming us. The mosquitos weren’t even a footnote. The lake was mirror calm. Bill decided to fish and very quickly caught a foot long greyling and then after a few more casts wrestled in a lake trout. We loaded up the canoe for the first time this trip and paddled off the lake down the small effluent toward the Bonnet Plume river. The water was crystal clear with abundant greylings and lake trout under the boat. We happened upon two adult ducks and 14 ducklings. The birds had white bands at the base of their bills, golden rings around their eyes a dark rusty body with white strips 2/3rds down their wings. The adults kept trying to draw us off while the ducklings continued to paddle downstream in front of us. We eventually passed the ducklings with them only a dozen feet away. And then the water joined the Bonnet Plume. We encountered another bird with ducklings. The river was braided here requiring some guess work on which was the best channel. The boat dragged over several places. Alan and Bill and Lance had to get out and drag the boats on a couple of occasions. Then as we approached the rock slide area.we rounded a corner and headed into our first major rapid. The river is low presenting many submerged and protruding rocks. We didn’t pull over to scout. In trying to avoid some big rocks we moved river right and then couldn’t move the loaded boat quickly enough back to the left and with only 10 inches needed the bow struck the big rock straight on. Our first day, our first rapid, and we’d serious damaged the front of the boat, If Bill felt angry or sad, or frustrated, he didn’t exhibit it outwardly. We scouted the next couple of stretches scrapping rocks in the low water, spinning ourselves at one point yet recovering and completing the rapids successfully. We hadn’t swam, but we definitely damaged the boat. We decided to pull over just past the rock slide to work on repairs for a day. The mosquitos redeemed themselves sending us donning our mosquito jackets. And the rain set in. Alan got a late start pitching his tent as he was spending time on setting up the electric bear fence. His tent got flooded. The events of the day seemed to put a little damper on the spirits. Alan is ready to get the rapids behind us to focus on the side trips. Hopefully tomorrow morning will bring clear skies and a chance to start fresh again.

20190716 Tuesday - day 3

There wasn’t a sun shining this morning. It was cloudy but dry. Lance had an early cup of coffee and oatmeal. We sat under the wing taking life slowly waiting for the clouds to break and things to dry out. Toward 9:30 we moved Bill’s canoe under the wing to start the repair process. Very shortly after, the rain started. A 30% chance rain started. It poured off the wing inspiring Alan to catch it in a container. We sat there chatting arms crossed to hold a faint chill and waited. We waited over three hours and the rain finally started to subside. And then it stopped. We went to work the canoe doctor, Alan, to patch the front of Bill’s boat. Alan had brought some fiberglass and epoxy for light patches. He masterfully did a field repair with nurses Bill and Lance aiding. That task done, we hiked up to Aquamarine Lake in the heart of the rock slide on the eastern side of the valley. By now the sky was blue and only mosquitos filled it. The hike was short over undulating Raindeer moss covered ground with odd termite mounds of ancient rock debris. The lake itself was stunning shades of blue looking of a coral reef. The water was so sparkling clear only a breeze creating waves obstructed the view of the bottom. Bill and Lance went for brief chilly swims for a much desired bath. Alan took pictures and explored the immediate region in the meantime. A slow casual walk back with chipmunk and unknamed bird sightings brought us back to camp. Bill and Lance made a quick scout of the rapid to be run in the morning. The evening finished dramatically different from the morning with a warm sun, dried out equipment, and a patched canoe.

20190717 Wednesday - day 4

Bill and Lance slept in until 6:45 this morning, the latest yet! Alan’s alarm went off at 6:15, but he relaxed till Bill started rummaging under the wing. We began the steady process of breakfast, breaking camp, and loading the boats. This always seems to take 2-3 hours. What a day! One couldn’t see a cloud in the sky. The smoke seen in Whitehorse and Mayo previously wasn’t present. The tent and wing were damp. The tent dried, but we put the wing away wet. We pulled away from the river’s edge about 10AM. The river has a steady gradient with class I to II on this stretch. We stopped for lunch at clear creek entering from river left adding about thirty percent more water to the Bonnet Plume. We’d been averaging about five miles per hour. The stop fit in with the upcoming class V rapids less than a mile ahead. We scouted the first set of major rapids. Bill and Lance lined a hundred yards of a section with some short drops and tight turns to a spot above a larger drop. Bill and Lance all did a portage of another hundred yards. Al portages his barrels to lighten the boat and then ran the rapid. He rated it a III+ at best. Bill and Lance discussed it during dinner and both thought we could have run the section after the lining in hind sight. Climbing back into the reloaded boats we went around the right hand turn and eddied out above the real class V rapid. Here the river cascades dramatically down a few steps as it enters a narrow canyon with cliff walls. Al suggested doing a short portage of two hundred yards to a spot where the boats could be reloaded and launched. The next spot to put the boats in the water is at least a quarter mile down river. We took his suggestion and paddled out of the canyon through class II-III rapids. The two portages had consumed the afternoon and we had all run out of water in the sunny weather and exertions. We pulled over on a sand bar island with the feeling of a good days paddle.

20190718 Thursday - day 5

The routine is setting in. We are up at 7AM, coffee (Bill and Lance), hot chocolate (Alan), breakfast, break camp, load the boats, and paddle off. River bank parting was at 9:30AM. Leaving our private island sand bar the river was a relaxing paddle with class I-II rapids scattered in. There was one class II rapid loaded with rocks involving tight turns that Bill and Lance snaked through cleanly. We eddied out river right above some rapids with loads of boulders and churning water. Scouting it we established a line for the big boat. Alan ran the first part following that line and pulled over to watch Bill and Lance. The latter two in the tandem boat ran it to plan. The next section was the trickiest requiring a peel out from the right bank then hugging the left bank before dropping over a pour over. Alan found the current catching his boat to the right and had to make a quick correction. The tandem boat followed with a rolling of the boat up river during the peel out that was quickly recovered. They made the drop and eddied our cleanly on the right executing the run as planned and not taking on much water despite a couple of big waves. We exited the section back into class I-II water. A lunch stop on river left with a small stream coming in was just in time for Bill to spot what looked like an adolescent moose lopping down river left with it’s head oddly down. We continued on puntil deciding to camp at the confluence of Goz Creek and the Bonnet Plume after about 12 miles. Lance did some laundry. Bill and Lance took a bath in Goz Creek and we settled down for the late afternoon and evening. The skies had been blue and clear until starting to camp around 3:30PM. It was hot as we started setting up camp, but Thunderheads developed with some light sprinkles.

20190719 Friday - day 6

We rose this morning and we’re on the river in record time, 9AM. WE’d decided the previous night to push the 21 miles as the crow flies to reach the last portage point. This would enable us to avoid loading and unloading the boats multiple times in one day. The run was basically class I-I+. We saw four Redheaded Mercanzers (sp). As we paddled they flew down river twice trying to get away from us before circling back over land to go back up stream. We saw Bald Eagle during a stop for Bill to fish and Al to change out his map. Al spotted two separate Black bear tracks headed up river at this location. Bill didn’t get a nibble. Continuing on we stopped again near Gunsight mountain where two unnamed creeks emptied into the Bonnet Plume almost across from each other. Al commented later the the size of the creeks were surprisingly small for the magnitude of the valleys the emerged from. We had lunch here. This set us up for the last push to the class V rapids, portage, and campsite for the day. We eddied out river left just above the class III rapid and scouted down to the clearly class V rapid; Al suggested it could be a class VI. The afternoon thunderheads were building and a few rain drops fell with threatening skies. We all hauled our gear the quarter mile portage up a hill and then back down to immediate below the class V rapid. Al paddled his empty boat through the class III rapid to just above the class V rapid. He made it look easy as he paused just above the III shelf river center to pick the best place to slide down the ledge. We enjoyed the sandy campsite tucked between steeply dipping siltstone beds adjacent to and creating the V rapid. The sun set behind mountain peaks further downstream to the northwest around 10 PM though the evening light lingered on.

20190720 Saturday - day 7

It was a more casual pace this morning. The sun was slow to arrive at camp because of the valley wall. It was partly cloudy with pleasant temperatures and very few insects. Loading the tandem boat was tricky due to rock formations and deep pool. Bill and Lance worked methodically with dry suits on just in case one of them slipped into the river. We shoved off and went just over a quarter mile before pulling over against a small rock wall on river left with a slight current to scout. Bill classed the rapid a II where references gave it a III. Alan ran it first with Bill and Lance watching. The water made a left hand drop with some cross river standing waves. Alan eddied out on the right at the corner, paddled back up river into the fast current, and the did a right hand peel out reaching far down river just before making the drop. Bill and Lance followed. They made the eddy out, but to protect the injured bow, Lance planted his paddle against the cliff face river right and the blade snapped. Bill asked if Lance wanted to continue with half a paddle. He declined, we swapped out the paddle the driving upstream into the current did a peel out. Lance didn’t hold the paddle in the water long enough and one of the standing waves tried to roll the boat upstream. They managed to stabilize the the canoe and made the drop cleanly after that. There was nothing more than class I rapids till our take out. We ran down paste Kohse Creek a number of miles stopping on a well established island splitting the river and had lunch. We pulled off the river on the right just as Corn creek entered the Bonnet Plume. Camps was made here on a sandy and gravely area interspersed with willow and drift would. This area had water running over it earlier in the runoff. There were both moose and bear tracks in the soft soil where we pitched camp. An attempt was made to set the wing but abandoned in the strong wind blowing up river. A shorted lived rain storm sent us scurrying into the tents.

20190721 Sunday - day 8

Today we climbed to the top of a point on a ridge overlooking the river. The climb was 3000ft starting out in a damp forest of twenty for pine trees and a mixture of willows and other bushes often on a carpet of spongy ground cover. The mosquitos made small clouds about our heads though fortunately the weren’t biting aggressively. Once we rose above timberline and started up the ridge, the insects abated. The entire climb up the ridge was on a rock that Bill described as walking on broken glass. The rocks were slivered and extremely sharp. One didn’t want to touch it with your hand for fear of getting a laceration. It took us about three hours to reach the summit. From here the ridge line dropped down then rosing up and down a couple more times before rising sharply to a peak much higher several miles distant. We relaxed there away from the bugs enjoying the sun, the lack of wind, and the spectacular views. The top was somewhat dried tundra twenty feet in diameter. Alan continued on along the ridge about a mile hoping to see Pinquicula Lake. Bill and Lance met him part of the way as he came back and the threee of us followed some random animal tracks down some glass shard shale slopes. We eventually encountered willows, then ten scattered foot trees with some wills and everything carpeted in spongy ground cover. Bill and Lance ate hand fulls of Huckleberries and all three of us soaked our feet in the crystal clear bluish Corn Creek. The final leg out was down the Corn to our camp. Along the way we saw four large piles of bear scat from very fresh to a week old all dyed red by the red berries the bears had eaten. We saw bear tracks and announced our presents on several occasions just in the case the bear was still nearby. We found camp intact and windy.

201907222 Monday - day 9

We woke to a beautiful clear sunny day with a pleasant temperature. After breakfast Bill collapsed the tent and packed it by himself. We loaded the boat heading for Faichild Lake. The Bonnet Plume on this stretch was a class I with splits upon splits. Sometimes it felt like a roll of the dice as to whether we’d picked the channel least like to become too shallow for the canoe. Bill and Lance did fairly well, Alan had to exit his boat once. The wind was a major issue. It was blowing up river against from the moment we started out and be come increasingly stronger during the day. Alan had to work extra hard. We past the Gillespie gauging station just prior to where the Gillespie Creek dumped into the river. The station had a cable trolley with the cable marked by some red cones hanging from the wires. This part of the river has banks of broken short cliffs with trees growing along the edge. Bill said it reminded him of areas of Boundary Waters. We stopped for an early lunch at the confluence of Gillespie Creek. The views all around us were spectacular. The day was still crystal clear. Alan climbed on top of a fifteen foot boulder to get a better picture and noticed some ancient fossils remains. The were layered and arched shaped. We arrived at the deteriorating guide cabins just upstream from the creek flowing out of Frederick Lake just before 3PM after covering 26 miles. After setting up camp, Bill went fishing catching four Greyling. Lance did some laundry and a tiny exploring. He found a large patch of ground height raspberries. Alan read. We had dinner, waded from our island campsite to the main land, made a quick visit of the cabins and the headed out on a trail for Faichild Lake. The lake was reported to be 3km one way. We soon found ourselves on the creek coming from Frederick Lake and not on the correct trail. We walked, crossed small tributaries and bushwhacked up creek for 45 minutes. We found the trail where it crossed the creek, but by this time we decided to head back to camp. So we started back on the very over grown trail. Finally it seemed to be going the wrong direction so we bushwhacked again for a spell before finding another over grown trail - which could have been the one we’d been on. We climbed over fallen trees and pushed back willows as we made it back to he cabins. Bill took a bath in the river and Alan settled back into his book. We noted that the fires in the region must have flared up again because the air became very hazing and visibility was dramatically reduced.

201907223 Tuesday - day 10

There were differing assumptions about the days activity. Alan had the understanding that Bill and Lance would be hiking up to Fairchild Lake. Bill was under the impression that we were paddling to the next destination. So in a moment of quick decision making we shifted into breaking camp and loading canoes. The skies were very hazy presumable from fire smoke elsewhere. The river was running more turbid. The bottom was not visible in water depths where it was yesterday. River splits kept coming. Alan took us on one that continued to split down to a creek size winding it’s way through a forest of stunted trees on each bank. The river twisted and turned seeming to circle back on itself. The wind blew up river, but it wasn’t debilitating. We stopped for lunch at the BPO (Bonnet Plume Outfitters?) outfitters community of cabins. There were about eight cabins, a fire ring with nice benches around it, a deck precariously overlooking the river, and a couple of flags flying. Bill and Alan went into one of the cabins. Bill commented hat it looked like whoever was there left in a hurry based on the way things were strewn about. There was a picture of two men pinned to the door with a locke of long blond hair wrapped around the pin. Continuing on we past a place near the confluence with Slats creek where the bank and rocks on river left where shades of orange; presumable from something coming down a side creek. Shortly after passing this there was impressive rumbling thunder and it started to rain. We saw a couple of ravens and likely a bald eagle. It continued to rain until we arrived at Rapitan Creek. Supposedly there is a good campsite here, but we didn’t find it. We scouted a couple of spots and settled on a third one slightly down river from the confluence with the Rapitan creek. The rain and wind subsided as the late evening set in. We’d paddled thirty miles today. Bill took a walk but was driven back by mosquitos so he turned to fishing instead.

201907224 Wednesday - day 11

Mosquitos stood menacingly on the tent bug netting as we woke. No rush was needed as we only planned to go about 14 miles as the crow flies to our next campsite. The skies were shockingly clear after the haze of yesterday. And the river had turned a aqua green with maybe four feet of visibility. Bill and Lance loaded the boat with the skirt on for the first time ever. That saved the step of restringing the skirt. Alan wore his wet top finding it far more comfortable for the paddling conditions. We weren’t paddling long long when the up river wind began to blow. No significant sights or events tool place by the time we stopped on river left for lunch. Not far from the stopping point We spotted a Herring Seagull that swung overhead of us. Then right after that with the gull still above us, Alan shouts, ‘bear!’, and pointed to river left. Immediately the animal looked up a short distance from the river’s edge in the tall willows, paused for a moment and then took off running lost from sight almost instantly. It was an exceptional large brown animal. Later Alan wondered if it wasn’t a grizzly. We found a nice campsite on river right at a good stepping off point for a hike to Margaret Lake tomorrow. The campsite was next to a five foot high beaver dam recently worked on. The area had numerous trails where the beavers had dragged willow branches they’d cut to the beaver pond. Strawberry plants that ran for hundreds of feet offered up perfectly rip small berries to enjoy eating. There were some ground level ripe raspberries as well. We observed caribou, wolf and bear tracks in the soft mud adjacent to where the tents were pitched. A pile of dry bear scat accompanied bear tracks. The afternoon was hot until the thunderheads built bringing lighting and a very delicate rain. Sitting under the wing, we took in the evening and waved off the occasional mosquito. Suddenly Bill said, ‘I see a beaver.’ Sure enough, there was a beaver trying to make it’s way up the small stream from the river to the dam. It was trying to figure out if we were a threat as it swam back and forth, sniffing, diving, and finally slapping the water with it’s tail multiple times before swimming off down river. Bill went fishing, unsuccessfully, and when returning spotted three beavers swimming in the beaver pond and climbing on a bank to eat leaves. There appeared to be two adults and a young beaver.

201907225 Thursday - day 12

We climbed the steep 75 foot high embankment above the beaver pond and bushwhacked the half mile to Margaret Lake. Working our way a short distance along the heavily wooded lake edge we came across an area with raspberry bushes, trees cut down with a chainsaw and ... three metal boats and two small outboard motors secured on land. About this time two Loones making calls swam over to check on us. The got within about forty yards, became quiet and then dove under surfacing further out on the lake. Returning our attention to the area, fish lures were hanging from a tree and scattered about on the ground. There were a few paddles, gas tanks and other boat related paraphernalia under one of the boats. We slide the five man flat bottom boat nearest the lake into the water and mounted two oars. With a delicate rain falling we paddled slowly onto the lake while Bill cast out a lure. Bill didn’t receive any strikes. As the clouds started to descend lower Alan implied we needed to head back, so Lance turned the boat around and rowed us back to shore as the rain fell in earnest. We left the boat and paddles as we’d found them. There was a trail marked with marked tree that lead back to a point high on the embankment directly above the beaver dam and our camp. The hike back with the wet brush soaked our lower legs and for Bill and Lance soaked shoes, soaks, and pants thoroughly. The rain continued as we had lunch and drank warm fluids under the wing before retreating to tents. Later in the evening the three beavers were observed adding branches to the dam next to our camp.

201907226 Friday - day 13

We took our time this morning rising and packing to dry out things from yesterday’s steady rain. A twin engine aircraft banked low over the river as it headed up river. Paddles were dipping the water at 11:30AM. The distance on the river was only four miles. Alan spotted a nice sandy spot adjacent to the mountain we planned on climbing the next day. Bill spied half a moose rack in a drying up side branch of the river under a couple of feet of water. It had been there a spell based on the algae growing on it. The day shaped up to be a mixture of sun and clouds and wind. There was fog in the morning as the sun warmed the wet soil causing the water to evaporate. Sufficient sun shone to dry almost everything thoroughly during the afternoon. We found another extensive strawberry patch and took the time to ingest some.

201907227 Saturday - day 14

Today was a planned layover day with the objective to hike up one of the last mountains before heading out onto the broad basin. There was a mixture of high and low clouds but the top of our peak was clear. Heading out at 8:30AM it was very quickly a steep climb over the soft tundra of raindeer moss and other assorted spongy plants. At the top the skies gradually cleared to give us extensive views. The clouds remained dark up river but not threatening. We spent the next four hours on a sub peak looking for wildlife. Alan spotted some Dahl sheep east across the river about eight miles away on a rocky mountainside. They just white specks in his spotting scope. The return to camp was under sunny skies with scattered clouds and a light breeze. Bill and Lance did a quick bath in a side channel. The in shone as we had a quiet evening next to the river. A float plane passed by in the distance evidently headed to Taco Bar, then passed back after about an hour.

201907228 Sunday - day 15

It sprinkled in the wee hours of the morning waking each of us and giving us thoughts of packing and paddling in the rain. Fortuitously, it was just a passing cloud and in the morning there was barely a hint of the moisture that had fallen. We found ourselves on the river making over seven miles per hour! It only took us two and a half hours to travel 20 miles to our campsite for the evening. Bill commented how he enjoyed watching the rocks on the river bottom fly by as seen from the canoe through the clear water. We were sprinkled on briefly. Our first stop to check the site as a place for the night was an in and out. The mosquitos were thick and aggressive. A site in the open away from vegetation had some sand surrounded by river stones and manageable insects. We spent the afternoon under heavily cloudy skies reading.

20190729 Monday - day 16

The morning was cool made more so by a steady breeze blowing up river across the sandy gravel plain where camp was located. Tents and the wing were a tiny bit wet from the moisture yesterday and perhaps a short sprinkle during the night. So we took our time to let things dry in the clouded sun. The river was equally as fast to the previous day, but was very braided creating a rather torturous route. We focused on higher water channels and didn’t take the extreme left channels in an attempt to set us up for a possibly hike into Chappie Lake. After some discussions and tries to get back to the left side of the braided river plain, we decided to head down to Noisy Creek and fly out a day early. Alan contacted Alkan Air using his Inreach device and confirmed their availability. We pitched camp on. Small island just down from the confluence with Noisy creek for a more mosquito free location. We’re learning that sand and gravel bars away from growth and with a breeze have minimal biting insects. It ended up being a long paddle day as we arrived after 4PM. The weather improved nicely over the day. This evening the sun streams light through scattered clouds.

20190730 Tuesday - day 17

Another day rises on the river. We went through our usual morning routine of breakfast and breaking camp. Alan seemed to shift into a faster mode and was soon on the river. Bill and Lance scrambled a bit to catch up. The next number of miles on the Bonnet Plume was an expertises in selecting the braided channel with what appeared to be the least number of sweepers. The lower Bonnet Plume often looks kid like a flood disaster area with full size trees scattered over large areas of gravel. The scene was intensified as the river approached the Peel River. Bill made the comment that we wanted to take the widest berth possible from the piles of log jams and water rushing through upended tree roots. Alan commented hitting one of these large sweepers would be destructive. We navigated our way back and forth at speeds over 10 mph and then without fanfare and some quizzically looks amongst ourselves, we found ourselves on the Peel River. The Peel River is a large river often several hundred yards across. A few miles downstream from the confluence we passed into a canyon of beautiful almost cliff banks of dramatically faulted and folded black shale rock. There were a few small water seeps turning the cliff green with growth. The river was fast moving with occasional boils though most of the time just smooth water. We passed through one area a couple hundred meters long of standing and something’s conflicting one to two foot waves; that was the most challenging stretch of water. We stopped for lunch and were lightly rained on. Arriving at the place we’d picked for a campsite, we vetoed it, went around the curve of the river, and found a nice sandy and gravel site free of bugs. The sun came out and we settled in after paddling just over thirty miles. BothBill and Alan made comments related to the fact that we have not seen another person outside of our group since we said goodbye to the pilot.

20190731 Wednesday - day 18

Just another morning accept that today we awoke not on the Bonnet Plume river, but the Peel River. We anticipated a short day as the distance to Taco Bar, our final destination, was roughly only nine miles as the crow flies. Yet the Peel had plenty of twists and shortly after we’d past the confluence of the Snake entering the Peel we had paddled 17 miles. There on river left was a small buoy and the sign saying ‘Taco Bar’. We took a group photo and another hundreds yards further we stopped near a drum of aviation fuel and nearby a few gallons of gas and a boxed outboard motor someone had delivered there. It had UPS prominently marked on the box which we found humorous. We pitched camp and enjoyed clear skies and a warm sun on our last night on the river.

20190801 Thursday - day 19

Lance got up in the wee hours of the morning to wee and Hurd the sound of a boat being dragged onto the gravel shore. Another group was just arriving. We later found out they the guides of a group that had come part of the way down the Snake river and then been helicoptered out before reaching Taco Bar. Alan got out of bed before 6AM to send a weather report at our location to Alkan air for our pickup. We gathered our equipment on the shore. The plane flown by Adam arrived at 8:15AM. Once loaded, Adam asked one of the guides of the other group to hold the plane tail just long enough for us to slip out of the shallow water. Adam with Lance in the co-pilot seat turned the plane down river and in a short distance we were airborne heading back to Mayo. The route took us over many of the places we’d passed by on the river. Once in Mayo we transferred gear to the truck. We enjoyed our first meal of good food that wasn’t dehydrated in almost three weeks at the only restaurant in Mayo that looked liked it doubled as a bar and party place. We drove the Whitehorse where the hotels were booked so we pitched the tent in a local campground, enjoyed a warm shower, ate a nice dinner, did laundry, shared a celebratory class of Canadian wine, and hit the pillows.

20190802 Friday - day 20

Our second showers after coming off the water, we had fine breakfasts at the Burnt Toast Cafe in Whitehorse on 2nd street. Alan service the trick and camper and we purchased food for the next few days at Save On. Driving to Haines Junction we enjoyed lunch at a busy restaurant a block off the main road. Then it was onto the Kluane visitor center north of Haines Junction. We scanned the mountain side looking for Dahl sheep using the available spotting scopes. We hiked part of the Sheep trail for views of the valley and ? glacier. We drove south to cross into the USA and Alaska. The campsite we found was excellent in tall rain forest pines next to a small green lake outside of Haines called Mosquito lake. Fortunately the mosquitos were few. I grilled the chicken breasts while Alan made fried potatoes and steamed broccoli. It actually gets dark at night here presenting seeing challenges we have not had to deal with on our trip till now.

20190803 Saturday - day 21

Alan made us scrambled eggs and sausage for rolling into ‘flats’ (tortillas) for breakfast. We stopped at a couple places on the drive into Haines to try and see Bald Eagles. Bill spotted a single bird far across the braided river bed. Bill and Lance grabbed coffees in Haines while Alan grabbed some wine. We drove through town out to the car ferry terminal and found out that the strike is over, but that the first ferry isn’t operating until Tuesday afternoon. That won’t work with Bill and Lance’s departing flight from Whitehorse so we’ll have to retrace our steps back to Whitehorse. As compensation, we took the Haines to Skagway Fast Ferry (HSFF) to spend a few hours in Skagway returning back to Haines on the 6PM ferry. Dinner was at the Fireweed restaurant. Accommodations were difficult. After a few dead ends, we ended up toward the state park at a private RV and tent campground complete with showers. It was another very long day. He tent was barely pitched and it was soon dark. Here was no lingering light as on the river much further north.

20190804 Sunday - day 22

Alan made us breakfast burritos again this morning. Then it was a short drive up the fjord to the river where a ‘weir’ is installed to have someone count the salmon as they swim up river. There were no bears and plenty of people fishing in waders. Back to Haines we went to enjoy a cup of coffee and pastry at the Rusty??. Driving back toward Haines Junction we stopped about 40 miles from Haines to camp just off the road above timberline with spectacular views of peaks and glaciers across the valley. We made a nice dinner together of steak, grilled brussel sprouts, and a salad. The sky cleared to solid blue as the summer sun skimmed along the mountain ridge line.