In August of 2004, the experienced scouts in Troop 230 went to the Yukon,
traveling more than 1500 miles. They visited the gold rush towns of
Dawson City, and Whitehorse, and then followed the gold trail along the Yukon
River. We canoed nearly 200 miles of the mighty Yukon, and explored the
true wilderness of the Canadian outback. Most of all, we had a
good time, and saw a lot of things that can never be
forgotten. View these images, and enjoy
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In Troop 230, we live the
adventure every month of every year.
The car trip took us through the burn area, where we saw first hand what a forest fire can do to a wilderness area. Passing through Chicken, Alaska, it was on to Dawson City, a rough neck town from the dawn of the gold rush, still exciting in some ways. The scouts seemed to have fun at every rest stop, finding hills to climb and games to play. Finally, we arrived in Dawson City, and there we visited some museums, ate ice cream, and stopped for a taste of the "Sourtoe", a concoction made from the finest water in all the land. Some say there is none better, and who can argue? At almost $5 a glass, just tasting it made for a lifetime memory.
The Yukon is a pristine river near Whitehorse, and the section after Lake Lebarge is beautiful and absolutely exquisite. It rushes along, moving us at 7mph even if we didn't paddle. It was a tremendous experience and a real thrill in every since of the word.
The scouts in Troop 230 love the water, and this trip was no exception. We took advantage of the warm days, and went swimming during lunch breaks, afternoon rest stops, and at almost every campsite. There were some really cool diving spots, where the water was deep and safe and that was oh-so-hot.
Like any trip, it is the personalities of the individuals that
make it the great experience that it is. This trip too was no
exception, and together we worked hard, discovered that the limits we thought we
had weren't really limits at all. We pushed hard, paddled long hours, and
cooked, tented, and camped together.
The key to this trip, like every scout trip in the troop, is the parents that are willing and able to donate their time to make an event of this magnitude happen. Luckily, we were blessed to have six parents able to go on this adventure, and without their support the trip would otherwise not have been possible.
On this trip, like most of our trips, we usually spent some time each evening enjoying the scout spirit that comes with a campfire. We had some great fires, with lots of songs and skits and good times too, and all in all they helped to make the trip the very special event that it was.
Finally,
when it was OVER, and we were done paddling and ready to relax, we did it in
style. After we came off the river, we camped tourist style at
Takhini Hot Springs, and it was really w-o-n-d-e-r-f-u-l..................
Hot Springs "Virtual Reality"
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