July 30th-Aug 14th 1538 miles for the trip.

I’d like to start off by saying that I didn’t cry. That being said I had one hell of a week and sitting in the Moose creek lodge staring into a cup of coffee, crying felt like a very reasonable option. Since leaving Dawson city I’d had a string of miserable nights. First the overcrowded RV park in Dawson was jam-packed with children that treated the entire campground as their personal gymnasium. (all hours of the day)  I did not sleep well.

The second rough night I was camping next to gravel lake when at 2 am I heard a person walking around my tent. When I opened my tent to investigate he hurried into the darkness without saying a word. I did not sleep well.

On the third night I was up late on rodent patrol.  Within 15 minutes of arriving at camp a squirrel had already climbed onto my bike and was frantically licking the handle bars.  No amount of cursing, rock throwing, or water bottle squirting would deter the varmint from licking his plate clean.  Later that night I woke regularly to the sound of a mouse running up the mesh of my tent. Back and forth he went between the rain fly and the mesh.  I did not sleep well.

When I woke in the following morning the rain had begun and I was slow to exit my tent.  When I finally did, I made my way to the campgrounds bearhang where I’d hung my smellys the night before.  To my surprise my bag wasn’t where I’d left it. Someone had unclipped the cable, lowered the bag from the pole, and taken it!  I was dumbfounded, I searched every campsite in the campground and looked through every trash can.  I couldn’t believe it, someone had stolen my stuff. It wasn’t food that they had gotten away with it ended up being much worse.  My entire cook set including; pot, stove, cup, spoon, gas, and my knife.  My first aid kit including; fire starters, lighter, medicine, and water purification tablets. They even took my damn toothbrush.  I’d be without warm food, clean teeth, and most importantly hot coffee for the next 5 days! Dicks!!!

I struggled coming to terms with the fact that someone would do such a thing to another traveler.  I packed my gear and took a short ride to a nearby lodge, and there I sat staring into cup after cup of warm coffee, trying to recover from the violation.

The theft kicked off what would turn into the most difficult week of the trip, so far. I struggled daily trying to get back into my routine. Uninspired and battling a headwind on a daily basis, I limped into Whitehorse, the capital of the Yukon.  Here in Whitehorse I’ve been able to replace the majority of my missing gear, and catch up on the coffee consumption that I missed out on over the last week.

The other side of the Yukon

While I had a difficult time bouncing back from the theft it is important to highlight some of the other things that happened during this past week.

In Dawson City a couple bought me a beer, only because they felt bad that earlier in the day their RV had left me in a cloud of dust as they passed.

At Moose Creek Lodge upon hearing about the theft a gentleman gave me a small ziplock bag.  In it was a swiss army knife, fire starters, and some delicious mixed berry granola bars.

Pulling into Pelly Crossing campground after a day of rain, a couple from New Zealand offered me the use of their camp stove, and their pot, and their spoon. They also set aside a corner in the camp shelter, so that I could set up my tent out of the rain.

Along the Klondike Highway a gentleman on his way home from work stopped and offered me a banana.  It was delicious!

Oh Yeah, and I crossed the Canadian border and the 1000 mile mark for the trip!

Camping at Twin Lakes Campground

Old Roadhouse

Looking down at Five Finger Rapids on the Yukon river.

Five Finger Rapids

Cold dinners until Whitehorse

This was my replacement kitchen for 5 days.

Ferry at Dawson City. End of the Top of the World Highway.

Yukon

Top of the World Highway border crossing into Canada.

1000 miles down!