Biking Alaska – Snag Junction to Pine Lake
Our time in the Yukon was most memorable due to the large amounts of rain we encountered. The warm weather we encountered near Fairbanks seemed like the distant past.
Fortunately, many campgrounds in the Yukon have shelters with giant wood stoves in them, with precut wood in covered bins nearby. Thank you Canada. These saved our butts. No matter how wet and cold we got during the day we knew exactly how many miles we had to cover until we had the chance of being warm and dry again.
Another challenging aspect of this time were a couple of 15K stretches of roadwork where the pavement was replaced with loose gravel. You were forced to bike on the narrow section than had been compacted by car tires and cars speeding by in the other direction would shoot rocks towards you on occasion.
During one such stretch of construction when it started pouring down rain and we were forced to run unto the woods for cover for the first time. A decent-sized spruce tree provides surprisingly good shelter, and we were to use this technique several more times during the tour.
Is it normally that rainy in the Yukon early July, or was it unseasonably? It’s amazing how different things look when the sun comes out. I think Alaska might not be in my touring future. Cold and wet is a hard combination. Love the bear and rainbow picture.
IN THE YUKON, ANYTHING IS NORMAL
Sulock. I just came across your blog, linked from Al Parker’s site. I can’t believe I hadn’t seen it before. My impression: dude, you’re an inspiration! Until we meet again …
Thank you Hilary for the kind words.
Dr. Bardsley I assure you the feeling is mutual.