We drove from southern Canada to the Yukon in order to get people, gear, and a truck to Squirrel Camp. Half of the crew left from Ontario, with the other half joining in Edmonton. The best part of the trip started once we reached the Rocky Mountains and, later, the St. Elias Mountains that are visible from Squirrel Camp. Judging by the empty roads, tourists don’t consider winter the best time to drive through this part of the country. Although the roads can definitely be tricky at this time of year, we think the mountains were incredibly beautiful completely covered in snow.

One highlight of the trip was all the great wildlife sightings along the way. In the forests of Alberta, we saw white-tailed and mule deer. As we passed through the Rocky Mountains and into the Yukon, we saw caribou, wood bison, and moose. The wood bison grazed on the sides of the roads, using their foreheads to plough wide paths through the snow. Even when we didn’t see bison, the huge tracks made it obvious where they spent their time. The bison also occasionally stood on the roads, boldly watching us as we drove past! The caribou herds would also stand on the road, but would throw their heads back to jog off the highway and into the forest as we approached. Moose were less numerous, but we spotted a few easily loping through chest-deep snow on their gangly legs or browsing on the banks of frozen rivers.

Along the way, we stopped at the Liard Hot Springs. The changing rooms at the hot springs are unheated, so getting changed into a bathing suit is an adventure in itself when it’s -30C! The changing room floor was caked in frost and the boardwalk to the springs was covered in snow. However, sitting in a natural hot tub while our breath condensed into ice on our hair and while the trees were draped in frost was a wonderful experience, and it was definitely worth braving the cold. Afterward, exiting the hot springs required quick reflexes in order to get through the -30C air to dry off in the unheated changing room before hiking back to the truck.

We stopped at a few other landmarks along our journey, such as the giant beaver statue in Beaverlodge, Alberta. We also visited the signpost forest in Watson Lake, Yukon, and found a sign posted by previous people from Squirrel Camp.

We came to the conclusion that there are not enough picnic facilities open during the winter, and as a result we spent several lunches eating sandwiches which we made in the cramped back seat. These experiences definitely made the trip memorable, but we were excited when we finally made it to Squirrel Camp.