Confessions of a Yukon Greenhorn
Essay by Liz Hardwick, NOLS Instructor |
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I came to the Yukon for a NOLS course because I wanted
to experience bigger things. I found lots of big adventure
in the Yukon — no trails to hike on, no signs,
and no established camps. In the Yukon, we hiked for
24 days without seeing anyone — there wasn’t
anyone else to see. Quite possibly, we were walking
in places where no other person had ever walked before.
© Chris Hatton |
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Coming to Whitehorse, where NOLS
Yukon is located, was itself an experience. Growing
up Canadian and in a canoe, I’d always had dreams
about the north. When I got off the plane and saw beat-up
canoes on the top of every other vehicle, I had the
profound sense that I was coming home.
© Rich Brame |
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One day we hiked on a ridge line,
in the rain and sleet, getting funny looks from the
Dall sheep who we saw around every outcrop. We got
lost and cold and miserable and finally found our way
to the right spot, gleefully sliding down the scree
to our camp. There was some discussion as to whether
this was called “screeing.” Is ‘to
scree’ actually a verb?
© Chris Hatton |
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