Last Sail of the Year: A Daddy 'n' Daughter Adventure

After our original plans to visit friends in Fort Liard fell through, I decided to make the best of the situation and declare a Daddy 'n' Daughter Sailing Adventure. The plan was to take Jade, who is now over-the-hill on the path to becoming a five-year-old and spend four days exploring the far reaches of Lake Laberge.

The season for sailing is rapidly coming to an end. Ice has formed on the calmer creeks and ponds and snow keeps falling from the sky. The days are short and the nights are cold. It would surely be an adventure, indeed.

The trip started off well enough. Fawn and I (Fawn especially) spent a couple of nights preparing Jade's keto meals. Jade and I kicked off the trip with a hearty cold lunch each.



It was a gorgeous fall day, although there wasn't much wind to sail by. Nonetheless, Jade made me run the sails up a couple of times. It wasn't because she thought there was enough wind (she knew there wasn't), it was because she knew that sailing time meant story time. I won't tell stories when the outboard is running - it's just too hard to speak over the engine and wind and splashing water.

Eventually we gave up on the wind and motored slowly down the lake. I wanted to find a nice place to spend the night while the light was still good. We slipped by limestone cliffs and rocky beaches and mysterious caves.

Jade cried. She missed her Mama. She missed her sister. She wanted to go home. This was not what our sailing adventure was supposed to be. It was supposed to be fun! Adventurous! Pleasantly memorable! Not traumatizing! Definitely not traumatizing!

When we came to a long stretch of beach, Jade asked if she could throw some rocks into the water. We pulled up and tied off, enjoying the warmth of the fall sun on the dark, sand and gravel beach. We had fun on that beach. She's won't be homesick after this, I thought.





The day was getting long and, although the wind was starting to pick up, it was time to find a sheltered harbour for the night. Lake Laberge can really kick up and it doesn't take long for that to happen.

We stopped at another beach that was sheltered from the predominantly south winds and somewhat sheltered from a possible north wind. We spent a little time exploring the shoreline, taking in the views and discovering smooth pieces of beach glass.



As interesting as the beach was, the rocky outcrops at the end of the beach was even more fun. We started by passing through a small, hidden canyon that acted as a gate to a section of shoreline that hid a small, wave-eroded cave.



From there we followed a cleft in the rocks to the top of the bluffs to take in the view of the lake.




Back into the boat for supper and a couple of bedtime stories and it was time for bed. But Jade just wanted to go home to see her sister. Now.

I explained that we couldn't and, after after crawling under the blankets, reading a few more stories, and having a few giggles, Jade drifted off, happily, to sleep.

The night was chilly, but we were snug and warm under piles of blankets and comforters. Unfortunately, in spite of our snugness, Jade's nose started running like a faucet halfway through the night. She was coming down with a cold and coming down with it fast.



Our adventure was as good as over.



With Jade holed up in the cabin, I bundled up and went out into the cockpit. We had been sailing up and down Lake Laberge all summer long and still hadn't seen the end of the lake. I was determined to see it. The wind was perfect for a sailing run down to the end but I was pushing my luck as it was. Instead, I concocted a plan to motor down one side and back up the other. Jade was in agreement with this plan.



At the end of the lake, I brought the boat around to head back up the other side. The sun rose over the mountains and we were bathed in sunlight. For a brief moment I felt the warmth creeping through my many layers - and then the wind picked up. I could hear it roaring in my ears like a freight train. I worked our way back across the lake and into the shadows again, where the limestone cliffs offered shelter from the strong south wind. I hopped from little bay to little bay most of the way back up.

When it came time to cross the lake again, the wind had been screaming and kicking up a good spray for over an hour. The waves were several feet high and close together. Under power, the boat would, occasionally, ramp off the waves. I was getting soaked by the spray.



(These pictures were taken on a different trip, but give a close approximation of what it was like. Thanks for taking them, Tammy Beese!)

I peeked into the cabin to see how Jade was doing. I was worried that she was getting banged around.

She smiled a huge smile from under an incredibly runny nose.

"Jade," I asked, "Are you OK?"

"When you go off the waves again," she replied, grinning, "I might say HOLEY MOLEY! HOLEY MOLEY!"

Yeah, so the trip was cut short - and there were some bumps along the way - but it turned out to be a fun and memorable adventure after all.

Not bad for the last sail of the season.

Livingston Trail, I Presume?

Ever since I flew over the area on a Ross River-bound flight, I've wanted to hike into Lime Peak and Thomas "Tommy" Lake. Thar be caves in that thar limestone mountain!


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On a hot, hot, calm day while my parents were visiting, we motored the sailboat across Lake Laberge to do a bit of hiking and exploring in that general direction.


Fawn lugged Halia around and I carried Jade. Both children were very happy with this arrangement.

Did I mention that it was very hot?

Just a short time into our hike, we paused near a shallow pond where little frogs were scrambling to get off of the trail. I caught one and gave it to Jade to hold. It makes me so proud that she took it without a moment's hesitation and handled it carefully before we returned it to the trail. Frogs feel so cool! I just can't understand why some people get all squeamish at the idea of touching one.


Our path soon connected with the Livingston Trail. Livingston was a gold mining community, now abandoned, and the Livingston Trail was the overland route that people used to get there. We followed the trail toward my hoped-for destination.



Really, we didn't get very far down the trail. It was hot (did I mention that already?) and we underestimated our water requirements. The trees, also experiencing water supply problems, are pre-maturely yellow this year.

Mount Laurier

We ended our hike near a nice little beaver pond. While drinking water from a beaver pond is not recommended, paddling in the water to cool off is just fine.

I saw this cool, tiny plant at the beaver pond. What the heck is it?!

With supper time rapidly approaching, it was time to get the kids back to the boat.


Jade and I charged on ahead, with Jade giggling her head off as I bounced down the hills. She spotted these tracks (as did I) and knew exactly what they were.

These ones were a little harder for her to identify.


We never came close to Lime Peak or Tommy Lake, but it was still a nice hike for such a hot afternoon. I was pleased to see that a light wind had picked up on Lake Laberge and, when we finally made it to the shore, I gave myself a thorough rinse in the clear, refreshing lake water.



As we fed the kids their meals and prepared to head back to the other side of the lake, we were greeted by someone who could get to Lime Peak with the greatest of ease.



But I'll save the flying for my next blog entry...

An Evening Sail

Wow, am I ever behind on my blog entries! I'm just taking too many pictures, I guess!

Here are some shots from an evening sail with Jason on Lake Laberge. The wind was perfect for a reach across the lake followed by a downwind run.










The nights are definitely getting shorter so it's going to get harder and harder to do these evening sails. Weekend and moonlight sails will have to do! :D

Sailing Atlin Lake - Day Four (Sloko Island to Teresa Island Campsite) and Day Five (Back to Atlin)

Like some sort of crazy time warp, the morning dawned calm, warm, and still. My dad, who spent a small fortune on a fishing license, took the rod down the inlet and started casting. He figures he spent a dollar a cast, catching breakfast on the last of those casts.

Fishing in the still of the morning.

Taking my dad's catch to be cleaned.

Poached fish for breakfast.

As we packed up camp, Jade and Halia (and I) hiked over to the next bay. There, we watched birds and squirrels and threw rocks into the water.

Later, we took the canoe for a little paddle.  It was our first canoe trip as a whole family.


Mid-morning by the time we were ready to go, I was excited to see that the wind was already picking up.  Finally, we'd get some good sailing in!

See the low-lying rocks in the water?  I wouldn't ever suspect that those were there in higher water.  No wonder Atlin Lake has a reputation for surprises!

The wind teased and taunted, freshening one moment and dying off the next. I motored slowly under sail, hoping to reach an area with a steady breeze. When we found wind I was was always elated, but it would always die off almost as quickly as we found it.


Eventually, the wind died off completely - at least where we were. Looking to the far Eastern side of the lake, I could see large waves and whitecaps. There was nary a ripple of water where we were (where the wind had been blowing in the opposite direction).

We dropped our sails and began motoring, in search of a nice spot for a shore lunch.

Cathedral Mountain.

A look back at the glacier.

Finding a nice bay, we pulled in and feasted on a spaghetti lunch.



While we ate, the wind picked up again and this time it was committed to blowing. Coming from the south, it was perfect for a run up the lake - which is exactly where we wanted to go.




The wind was strong and we made good time, averaging between 10-11 km/h. Fawn took over the helm and I crawled into the V-berth for a little nap with Jade. As the afternoon wore on, the wind got stronger and gustier and the waves larger and larger. Although exciting, it was with some relief when we pulled into the sheltered bay on Teresa Island.


The long, sandy beach was just about perfect with its ample supply of driftwood for cooking in the firebox, shelter from the wind, and lovely evening sum. I cooked dinner with some assistance from Halia.  After supper, it was time for a little exploring.






It was an early start the next morning. I had to get back to Whitehorse for an afternoon meeting. After a very full day, we all crawled into bed.



The next morning was wet and rainy. We packed quickly, planning to eat our breakfast onboard. We had to wake Jade up. For some reason, she woke up several times through the night. It might have been because of this fellow, who we found under the tent near where Jade had been sleeping.


The trip from the bay to Atlin went by quickly, with just enough time for me to eat my breakfast. We unloaded the boat and loaded the van, took the boat out of the water and prepped it for trailering back to Whitehorse.





It's true what they say about Atlin Lake when you ask those who know what you should see. "How much time have you got?" is the appropriate response.

And the appropriate answer to that question isn't "How much time do I need?" The appropriate answer to that question is "Never enough."