There’s solo mountain free-climbing, hang-gliding, bull-fighting and croc-wrasslin’.
And then there are those “soft” or so-called “luxury” adventures…
I took my first real canoe trip down the Big Salmon River in the late fall of 1980. Didn’t have a clue what i was doing. I didn’t know the river, or have a clear expectation of the weather i could expect. So it was a bit of a shock when I noticed the first snowflakes eddying down and the whiteness piling up on the shores. Another interesting point was the discovery of the giant woodpiles blocking the river and the feeling of being bounced off this log and that as i drifted through the only channel among them. I had the time of my life!!
Two weeks alone in the boreal doesn’t appeal to everyone though. There are those who appreciate being able to chat around the fire late into the night, rehashing the day’s moments on the river, enjoying the feeling of a tummy full of chef-prepared yumminess, appreciating the fact that their only duty in camp is to make it to the comfort of a prepared wall tent for the night’s sleep in an established camp. And this is the trip Nisutlin Outfitting is offering for the first time this year. A simpler, softer adventure, one which offers only the best bits of a true wilderness canoe trip, and eliminates some of the challenges and concerns a solo trip can present.
One trouble with canoe tripping, ( if there even is one ) is that the best times to see wildlife are early in the morning and late in the evening. This coincides perfectly with breaking camp and setting up camp! In other words, at the very times wildlife is most likely to be on the river you are clattering around breaking camp, having a second cup of coffee. And later, at sundown, when you pull in to shore to make camp, you’ve just missed the second best time to watch that moose wading in the river. This explains why some paddlers are disappointed in the shortage of wildlife sightings. The heavy forest conceals resting wildlife and paddlers are hanging around in camp when critters stroll down to the river for a drink in the evening.
Thankfully, there is a solution! Imagine the luxury of paddling into a well configured camp with a hot meal and a nice fire waiting each night after the sun has gone down! Imagine having no extra weight in the canoe, and no need to break camp in the morning!
This year Nisutlin Outfitting is introducing a new trip, which includes accompaniment by boat, guide and camp cook. The boat is able to carry your extra gear in addition to everything required to make your trip comfortable and enjoyable, a true holiday, away from the cares of daily life! With no other concerns other than paddling to the next camp, you are free to enjoy the scenery, photograph the wildlife, catch a few fish, or just chat your way on downriver, toes dangling in the river…
We’ll be travelling together down the Teslin River which flows from Johnson’s crossing at the foot of Teslin Lake and makes it’s way to the confluence of the Yukon River at the old port of Hootilinqua where the steamships used to dock on their way up and down the Yukon between Dawson City and Whitehorse. On the way it snakes through a mountainous region with the Big Salmon range on the right. The scenery is fantastic all the way, the river wide and forgiving, and wildlife sightings are inevitable, a great way to spend ten days! The supply boat will leapfrog the group each day and prepare the next camp while you enjoy the stillness and the beauty.
Learn new techniques of fire-making, get to know the wild edibles, catch and prepare a fish for your evening meal, pick up some new survival skills.
As an added bonus, halfway through the trip we’ll be getting a visit from the air, with Alpine Aviation providing a one hour float plane trip so you get a birdseye view of the Teslin River and surrounding landscape.
Pick up at the Whitehorse International Airport together with return to Whitehorse, along with all meals, is included with this trip. Our goal is to provide a relaxed, enjoyable and thrilling trip for your Yukon experience.
Minimum number for this trip is four, with the maximum currently set at eight. Perhaps your group would like to connect a bit better with a summertime wilderness trip in the Yukon. As the old fishing guide once said, “drop me a line sometime!”
Nisutlin Outfitting 