Wind/Peel Rivers - Yukon

[rpg51]

This won't be a detailed trip report - there are plenty out there on the internets regarding this trip. A group of us did a shortish - two week - trip on the Wind and Peel Rivers in the Peel River Watershed (Yukon) this past summer. It was one heck of a trip. Spectacular scenery. Great group dynamics. Everything went well. I think some other forum members have paddled this river and others in the Peel River Watershed. The watershed is facing some real dangers from development interests. Big fight going on the save the peel. There are very few areas on earth as special as the Peel River Watershed.

Here is a video of the flight into the put in, (Mayo, Yukon to McLusky Lake) - not our actual flight but it is the exact same flight we enjoyed this summer. It gives you a sense of the area. Be sure to have the volume up or headphones on.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-STuoSepUOs.

Also, you all might enjoy a sampling of pictures that one of our trip mates has up on his web site. John is a professional photographer and he always seems to get some good shots.

http://www.lazenbyphoto.com/wind-river-yukon/.

If anyone is interested in a trip in this area don't hesitate to get in touch. I believe we have a forum member here who lives in Whitehorse which is the closest substantial town. Cool town by the way. We met up with a couple from Whitehorse while on the trip. They joined up with us and we got along famously and became fast friends. They invited us to their home in Whitehorse after the trip for a moose roast and some beers. Great people. Much safer paddling in a group of six then four (our group size) or two (their group size).

 

[Canotrouge]

Cool pic... Martin the pilot is a friend, so are Mike and Heather. I worked for Mike for 5 years doing trees!! Great people! We were supposed to go on the wind this coming summer, but lack of fund will take us somewhere else less expensive!! Plus I would have preferred the Hart my self... But let's not get onto that!

 

[yellowcanoe]

Loved the video and had to show it to hubby. He was sick on the flight from Mayo to Duo Lakes for the Snake and slept through the entire flight.... He never sleeps in a car or plane!

 

[rpg51]

Cool pic... Martin the pilot is a friend, so are Mike and Heather. I worked for Mike for 5 years doing trees!! Great people! We were supposed to go on the wind this coming summer, but lack of fund will take us somewhere else less expensive!! Plus I would have preferred the Hart my self... But let's not get onto that!

Wow, small world. We really enjoyed Mike and Heather. Be sure to say Hi from Rob if u see them.

 

[Canotrouge]

Wow, small world. We really enjoyed Mike and Heather. Be sure to say Hi from Rob if u see them.

I will, I see Mike quite often...

 

[rpg51]

What is the Hart like?

 

[Canotrouge]

Less travelled, a bit more to it than the wind and the snake... Supposed to be quite nice!! Less travelled was my goal!

 

[rpg51]

It is true that the Wind - and some others in the watershed - are traveled quite a bit. We saw only one other group, (also a group from Whitehorse), while we were on the Wind. Still, the danger of hordes of red necked bi-peds was a fear of mine when we planned this trip. We are not looking for crowds of people, quite the opposite.

The Hart is attractive to me as well. At age 65 I am the youngest in our group. That gives us some pause when we select rivers. I think it is be unwise for us to paddle wilderness rivers with a lot of difficult whitewater and/or long portages at this point in our lives. Long and wild trips are fine, but trips with lot of difficult whitewater, and trips with long difficult portages, are probably best left for the younger crowd. Also, while some of us are very experienced paddling in whitewater, some of us are not. It is important to pick trips that fit your group. We spend a lot of time finding the right rivers for the particular group we have put together. Finally, our main goal on these trips is being in wild country, not paddling whitewater. We can paddle whitewater all we want in New England in empty boats with help a cell phone call away.

Where does the Hart fit on the scale as far as difficult whitewater and long portages?

The most difficult part of the Wind is the little stream at the start that brings you from McClusky to the Wind. My guess is that it is about 2-3 miles long. When we were on the river it was very cold and pushy water with zero eddies and lots of blow downs and sweepers at every turn. It was a very scary little piece of water that challenged us right off the bat in a major way. Mike and Heather put in a little later than us and we had not yet met up when they paddled this stretch. They brought dry suits for this stretch and they told us they pretty much just waded the entire way down it. It was a difficult thing because it was impossible to line it and it was impossible to avoid contact with sweepers and such. Very tight, very fast, very congested. Dangerous water really. We were relieved when we made it to the confluence with the Wind.

The rest of the river, including the Peel canyon, was a piece of cake. I was anticipating the canyon on the Peel with some trepidation all trip long. I was stressing out about it actually. But, in the end it was a gorgeous canyon and not difficult to paddle at our water level. I know some folks have had trouble in this canyon but I suspect the water levels were higher when they were on the river. There is one spot where the water all moves in a long wave train down into a canyon wall river right. You can see it on sat images that are available. It is intimidating to look at. Portaging around it is a major deal. But, at our water level, which I would describe as medium, it is not a problem at all as long as you have someone in each boat who is reasonably skillful. My partner was a 71 year old friend on his very first canoe trip. He is one tough hombre and very fit for his age. Still, he had literally never paddled a canoe in moving water and I was teaching him how to paddle on the way down the river. That was worrying me a bit on this trip and made me pretty darn conservative about paddling decisions. I wanted to make sure he made it home to his lovely wife in one piece and that he had a good first paddling experience. Still, we made it just fine with a big margin for error. It is a gorgeous canyon. A terrific end to the trip. As far as scenery goes, I'd say it is pretty darn hard to find a more beautiful canoe trip.

There is some chance this may have been my last trip in the north. I hope not. The north has wormed its way into my soul. There is something very spiritual about the north. I could go on and on about it. Still, If it turns out to be my last up there, I will be content. I have some special memories for sure. I feel very fortunate that I was able to pull off the three trips I have done up there. It is not a small undertaking to put the right group of people together, pick the right river, and pull all the logistics together to do these trip up north.

 

[dogbrain]

Nice photos and story. Thanks for sharing. Mark

 

[Odyssey]

Stunning photos of a beautiful backcountry. Thanks rpg. I'll also look for the trip log.

 

[Canotrouge]

It is true that the Wind - and some others in the watershed - are traveled quite a bit. We saw only one other group, (also a group from Whitehorse), while we were on the Wind. Still, the danger of hordes of red necked bi-peds was a fear of mine when we planned this trip. We are not looking for crowds of people, quite the opposite.

The Hart is attractive to me as well. At age 65 I am the youngest in our group. That gives us some pause when we select rivers. I think it is be unwise for us to paddle wilderness rivers with a lot of difficult whitewater and/or long portages at this point in our lives. Long and wild trips are fine, but trips with lot of difficult whitewater, and trips with long difficult portages, are probably best left for the younger crowd. Also, while some of us are very experienced paddling in whitewater, some of us are not. It is important to pick trips that fit your group. We spend a lot of time finding the right rivers for the particular group we have put together. Finally, our main goal on these trips is being in wild country, not paddling whitewater. We can paddle whitewater all we want in New England in empty boats with help a cell phone call away.

Where does the Hart fit on the scale as far as difficult whitewater and long portages?

The most difficult part of the Wind is the little stream at the start that brings you from McClusky to the Wind. My guess is that it is about 2-3 miles long. When we were on the river it was very cold and pushy water with zero eddies and lots of blow downs and sweepers at every turn. It was a very scary little piece of water that challenged us right off the bat in a major way. Mike and Heather put in a little later than us and we had not yet met up when they paddled this stretch. They brought dry suits for this stretch and they told us they pretty much just waded the entire way down it. It was a difficult thing because it was impossible to line it and it was impossible to avoid contact with sweepers and such. Very tight, very fast, very congested. Dangerous water really. We were relieved when we made it to the confluence with the Wind.

The rest of the river, including the Peel canyon, was a piece of cake. I was anticipating the canyon on the Peel with some trepidation all trip long. I was stressing out about it actually. But, in the end it was a gorgeous canyon and not difficult to paddle at our water level. I know some folks have had trouble in this canyon but I suspect the water levels were higher when they were on the river. There is one spot where the water all moves in a long wave train down into a canyon wall river right. You can see it on sat images that are available. It is intimidating to look at. Portaging around it is a major deal. But, at our water level, which I would describe as medium, it is not a problem at all as long as you have someone in each boat who is reasonably skillful. My partner was a 71 year old friend on his very first canoe trip. He is one tough hombre and very fit for his age. Still, he had literally never paddled a canoe in moving water and I was teaching him how to paddle on the way down the river. That was worrying me a bit on this trip and made me pretty darn conservative about paddling decisions. I wanted to make sure he made it home to his lovely wife in one piece and that he had a good first paddling experience. Still, we made it just fine with a big margin for error. It is a gorgeous canyon. A terrific end to the trip. As far as scenery goes, I'd say it is pretty darn hard to find a more beautiful canoe trip.

There is some chance this may have been my last trip in the north. I hope not. The north has wormed its way into my soul. There is something very spiritual about the north. I could go on and on about it. Still, If it turns out to be my last up there, I will be content. I have some special memories for sure. I feel very fortunate that I was able to pull off the three trips I have done up there. It is not a small undertaking to put the right group of people together, pick the right river, and pull all the logistics together to do these trip up north.

You are a smart man!! The wind is certainly the most spectacular of the 4 from what I heard, I never been rich enough to make a trip up there yet. So I won't comment on the difficulties comparison of the four. I don't think the Hart is crazy, People say it goes like this, BonetPlume, Snake and Wind... They don't ever mention the Hart lol... As for the Peel canyon, there is Aberdeen canyon bellow the Hart on the Peel but above they other 3 rivers, that canyon is said untunable, so parties get p/u above it, cause it is some sort of 8 km portage....


Anyway, life is not all about ww, but for me it is about not seing other people and the trace of these people... It is getting quite bad up here, people come and go and you know they were here and there. The leave no trace approach is not well established enough!

Hope you can make it back in the north!

 

[yellowcanoe]

The trouble with the Snake is that taking pictures was quite hard.. The upper reaches are all whitewater though not hard ( one or two class3) but require your attention to the river.. While your eyes want to go to the mountains..

Doubtful we will go back at our advanced age.. The Yukon R is fine for us. As I don't see people everyday at home it matters not that there are people on the river.

 

[Canotrouge]

The trouble with the Snake is that taking pictures was quite hard.. The upper reaches are all whitewater though not hard ( one or two class3) but require your attention to the river.. While your eyes want to go to the mountains..

Doubtful we will go back at our advanced age.. The Yukon R is fine for us. As I don't see people everyday at home it matters not that there are people on the river.

Most "locals" go on the snake wind and hart for the hiking... Paddling is mainly a mean to get to the hiking... Weird I know lol!

The Yukon is a wonderful river, especially the 30 mile section and the lake. I really enjoy the Teslin, but even more the big salmon.

We don't really know where we will go this year. I would like to do the Black Stone but there is a 2-3 days upstream tracking and I don't think the rest of our small family group will want that! Maybe an august trip for a sheep hunt!

 

[Alan Gage]

That looks and sounds like a great trip with some great people. Beautiful scenery.

Alan

 

[rpg51]

As for the Peel canyon, there is Aberdeen canyon bellow the Hart on the Peel but above they other 3 rivers, that canyon is said untunable, so parties get p/u above it, cause it is some sort of 8 km portage....

Anyway, life is not all about ww, but for me it is about not seing other people and the trace of these people... It is getting quite bad up here, people come and go and you know they were here and there. The leave no trace approach is not well established enough!

Hope you can make it back in the north!

I will take a more specific look at the Hart. We would need to pulled out above Aberdeen Canyon for sure.

I am also going to take a look at some rivers in Alaska and maybe consider going back to the Thelon for a second experience there. Great wildlife there.

 

[Canotrouge]

I will take a more specific look at the Hart. We would need to pulled out above Aberdeen Canyon for sure.

I am also going to take a look at some rivers in Alaska and maybe consider going back to the Thelon for a second experience there. Great wildlife there.

Friends of mine spent 2 months last summer going from Yellow Knife to the Thelon, via te lake and a few other rivers and portages!! They had a blast!.

 

[Pringles]

Oh.

Those pictures. Wow.

I love the ones that show the clarity of the water, with the canoe looking like it's self-levitating.

I live in a stunning and incredible place, and now I want to go there. That must have been a wonderful trip. Thanks for sharing.

 

[rpg51]

Friends of mine spent 2 months last summer going from Yellow Knife to the Thelon, via te lake and a few other rivers and portages!! They had a blast!.

I know folks who have done the same. Teachers with the summer off. In my case it seems I either have money or time, never both, mostly neither.

I'm going to start looking at other trips up north so if the opportunity presents itself I have a few ideas. I'm looking for remote 2-3 week trips with no significant portages and little whitewater. I would like to get north of the arctic circle if possible, but something up near the circle for sure. Good wildlife.

The Thelon meets my criteria - but I have already done that trip and something new would be best. Although, it would be fun to bring some folks up there who have never seen the barrenlands. The Thelon is expensive if you don't have the summer off like your friends did. But if you do it that way its not bad at all. I believe there are commercial flights out of Baker Lake. That is a very long trip however. Half way across the continent. Not in the cards for me.

The other trip I have done that I absolutely loved is the Horton. Gorgeous country. The paddling is easy except for a series of canyons in the middle of the trip which can be a bit of a test, one area in particular. But it is all doable with some thought putting together a combination of lining and short carries and short paddles. A portage out of the canyon would be a multi-day affair scrambling around jack strawed spruce for many miles. Something to avoid for sure. The logistics involve two long float plane flights so the cost is high.

In some ways I do envy folks who seem to find a way to do a major northern trip every summer. On the other hand, you have to take what you get and make the best of it. I feel very very fortunate that I have been able to do a few trips up there.

 

[rpg51]

I forgot to mention one thing. The Wind has wonderful and accessible hiking. For a good chunk of the trip you are right in the mountains and the views are spectacular. I made a point of dropping weight and getting myself somewhat fit for this trip so that I could enjoy the hiking. It was a big part of the trip. I could easily see flying into that area just for a multi-day hiking experience if you are into that sort of thing. The aviation service that is available is Black Sheep Aviation. We were very happy with them. Also great people. Confidence inspiring which is a good thing flying around and through those mountains.

 

[yellowcanoe]

Same goes for the Snake.. Very good hiking.. same aviation service