Words: Emy McLeod

Photos: Emy McLeod &
Matt Larsson Clifford

Emy McLeod

The challenges of the Yukon

In the heart of the wilderness, meandering through vast forest-covered mountains and valleys, gaining flow and widening gracefully yet contrasting so vividly with the landscape, I’d describe my feelings in one word – surreal. This is the Yukon River.

A traditional route to paddle is from Whitehorse to Dawson City – a 715km journey that passes many historic sites of interest dating back to the Gold Rush of 1898. Abandoned settlements with their many artefacts remain for you to explore, including wrecks of sunken sternwheelers and old cabins left to return to forest overgrowth.  As you progress along the Yukon, wild camping on the river banks, amongst the tree lines, and on the sandbars – keep an eye out for moose, bald eagles, beavers, and bears, all commonly spotted in the valleys of the Yukon.

I became involved in the expedition by answering a social post of the director of Sweden Outdoors Coaching and founder of Expedition Limitless Matt Larsson-Clifford. He sought a second guide to lead a charity expedition of 15 novice paddlers on the 715km stretch from Whitehorse to Dawson City. Following a few Google meets and phone calls, I headed to the Yukon, where I have wanted to paddle and explore for years! The team I would be guiding was raising funds for Manx Mencamp – a charity based on the Isle of Man. The charity aims to improve opportunities for the Learning Disability Community.

Prior to going to the Yukon, the team had very few paddling skills. Some had never even been in a canoe, and some had never wild camped before, which added even more to their personal challenges. Eleven nights in the Yukon region and paddling 80km+ on some days was always going to be challenging for the group, and so it turned out. The paddling of the Yukon River presents little of a challenge for an experienced paddler.

However, the large group and fast flows on a wide river forces decision-making to be made much sooner, or you may risk missing the eddies you want for camps.  With any expedition that involves paddling on a lake, wind becomes a factor, and two days of headwinds on Lake Laberge could have really set us back on our timeline. However, in terms of rapids, these are minimal in number. The main event on the section Whitehorse – Dawson is Five Fingers Rapids after Carmacks (now only four fingers due to one of the blocks being taken out by an ice float in a previous snow melt). There is a choice of lines, but the go-to line on the river right provides a safe, clean line with a gentle wave train.

Concerned about bears
The lack of skill wasn’t a huge concern as this could be developed over the first few days – it was more how the fatigue would affect the group as we were paddling long distances combined with the wild camping and the feeling of being very remote. Bears were high on the concerns of the group, but I would say I could paddle faster and run faster than most, so I was safe!  We always carried bear spray with us; fortunately, we never needed to use it.

Sadly, we saw no bears on the trip, which was disappointing, but there is always next time! At the campsites, we would check for paw prints and evidence of bears before setting up for the night, ensuring we were always camping upwind in the cooking area and keeping nothing with any scent in the tents. We saw bear, wolf, and moose prints along the river and claw marks on the trees.

We left Whitehorse around midday on day one with the boats loaded up with bags, barrels and a large amount of trail mix.  There was a positive energy within the group, lots of excitement, and a high level of nerves as the reality hit for a few individuals that they were actually doing this!  The first leg had us on gentle flowing water down to an island at the south end of Lake Laberge. The usual zigging and zagging of novice paddlers was evident but soon became less noticeable after receiving handy hints and tips for steering the canoes.  We had ospreys flying above us – they were much bigger than the ospreys I see back in Scotland.

Displays of seal launching from a number of beavers from the banks were also commonplace. As we approached the first camp, it started to rain.  We got shelters up; a group was tasked with collecting firewood, another with setting up tents and a third with prepping out the first dinner cooked on an open fire.

A small exploration around the camp area to see if any animals had been present earlier found wolf paw prints on the sand but no sign of bears. Remembering to carry bear spray and call out, “Hey bear” would soon become second nature to the group.

Very choppy water
The forecast for day two was strong headwinds, which was not ideal for Lake Laberge. The 57km long lake gave us our first real challenge. With continual white horses and very choppy water, the group struggled to make distance into the headwinds, so we made the call to pull off the water, set up a shelter, start a fire and wait out the weather. When the winds dropped, we rafted and crossed at the south end of Lake Laberge over to the east shore. This was a challenging paddle.

The constant bailing of the boats and pushing hard to make the needed distance took its toll on the group morale.  The weather broke in the late afternoon, rafts separated, and we paddled into camp in the sunshine! A picture-perfect view of what canoeing in Canada should be like was our reward as we ate dinner, swam in the lake and sat around the fire, resting our bodies after the day’s hard push. I couldn’t help but compare it to Force 6 winds on Loch Ness – only with much better views!

Thirty-Mile River
Having had strong headwinds on day two, it was only fitting for the group to experience tailwinds to finish the rest of Lake Laberge. Force 5 pushing into Force 6 tailwinds was on the spicy side, with it picking up rapidly. With nearly no experience, paddling in these conditions was challenging for the group, Matt and I, to manage. However, with regular stops on the leeward side of the headlands, we made significant progress and were at the end of the lake by the afternoon. The following section, ‘Thirty-Mile River’, is known for being the most scenic section of the trip, which is unquestionably true.

The water colour was a stunning teal shade, the river hosting large sweeping bends and high cliffs with hoodoos (rock features) pillaring each side of the river bank. We made camp on the North side of a small island. Setting up camp was smooth, with the group getting used to the equipment, collecting firewood and cooking meals on an open fire.

What could have been a disaster for the group occurred with one of the boats being blown into the river by a strong gust of wind, but it was swiftly rescued and towed back upstream to camp with only a kneeling mat being sacrificed to the river gods. From then on, the boats were triple-checked and securely tied each night at camp. That night, we saw our first moose of the trip grazing on the shoreline, which was not too far from where we had our dinner.

The Teslin joined the river on day four following the journey through the 30-mile section, which had lived up to its reputation of being the nicest part of the river. Hootalignua, an old settlement established during the Goldrush and Sternwheeler trade years, marks the meeting of the Teslin with the Yukon River. A marker of the past lives of the river, notice boards, and artefacts are still present here, along with a number of newer buildings that can be used as camping shelters if you choose to stop here for the night. Our camp was further downstream at Big Woody Eddy, a campsite within the tree line.

Introducing bushcraft
The river’s teal colour was lost after the joining with the Teslin. The flow also increased; now, a silty brown sedimented river was our path. That night at camp, we introduced bushcraft to the group using tools Matt had brought with him, and we started carving out wooden spoons from Poplar and Aspen foraged timber. This was a memorable evening, with the group in high spirits, having paddled a long distance, set up a great camp and now in the routine of boiling water, keeping the fire ticking over and enjoying human conversations. Seeing others feel the joy and contentment I find and seek in the wilderness – food, shelter, water and warmth – is simple.

Meandering its way north, the Yukon River passes through the town of Carmacks, where we stopped for a top-up of basic supplies and took a long break for the group to rest up and attend to blisters, sore backs and sleepy heads. The campsite here is an official camp area with facilities where the group was pleased to shower and give their kit a clean in readiness for the next six days of paddling! It felt strange to be in an area where water was available on tap, and if you wanted, you could get a phone signal.

Five Finger Rapids
With the group refuelled, we continued north, swiftly coming to one of the main events on the river, Five Finger Rapids, changing the characteristics of the river. It was a bit of an anti-climax water-wise as it was a straightforward wave train. I’m not sure what I was expecting, as having watched Ray Goodwin’s videos of this, I was fully aware it wasn’t a challenging, fast-flowing rapid, and the team made it down easily, having gained fairly efficient paddling skills.

The river widens the further north you paddle, with many tributaries from the Yukon Territory joining the river so, increasing the flow. Moose and bald eagles were spotted on the riverbank, but there were still no sightings of any bears – only paw prints. We stopped after the River Pelly joined at Fort Selkirk, where we met with First Nation people who spoke about the land and how life used to be through to the present day. If you paddle the Yukon, a stop at Fort Selkirk is a must; visit the museum and speak with the people here. You will feel a strong connection to the river and its history here.

An electrical storm and torrential rain hit us over the last few days of paddling, but as cliched as it sounds, it didn’t dampen the spirits! Getting into camp, setting up shelters and getting the fire going had become a well-oiled machine. Everyone knew their roles, and we supported each other throughout the challenging moments. There is something relaxing about hearing the sound of rain against the outer of the tent, but then reality returns with the need to get up and pack the wet tent away, and it quickly becomes less relaxing than it was first.

Journey’s end
We reached Dawson City – our journey’s end – on the 12th day of paddling, having completed our 715km canoe expedition. It was a bit strange being back in civilization, I could have quite easily continued on the river all the way to the sea. We stayed at a guesthouse for a night before driving back to Whitehorse. Dawson City is a quirky place; if you have been, you will know what I mean; if you haven’t, you have to experience it!

The sourtoe drink was done by all the team – drinking a dram of not so nice whisky with someone’s toe in it – why wouldn’t you do it?! It’s a ‘must do’ when stopping in Dawson City. Having a celebratory meal out that was not cooked over a campfire was a great way to toast the expedition and talk about the experience.

The achievement of the Expedition Limitless 2024 team has been incredible, I am so proud of what they have done and gained from it. It shouldn’t be considered an easy challenge; it certainly wasn’t for the group. Photos don’t always show the down parts of a trip, the tears, the pushing through the personal breaking points, etc. I think I speak for everyone when I say it was a very special trip for them, but more importantly to them, the fundraising for the charity has been outstanding.

One hundred per cent (100%) of all the money raised goes directly to the chosen charity. The costs of going on the expedition were either covered by corporate sponsors or self-funded, allowing every penny raised to help others through Manx Mencamp. The total raised so far is more than £120K, and with several smaller events still to take place, this sum will increase. This is an outstanding achievement.

Commercial guided trips
I loved guiding the Yukon River. It was fantastic to be guiding alongside Matt Larsson-Clifford. We gelled from the beginning, and we already have plans in place for offering commercial guided trips to the Yukon from 2026 onwards. I am looking forward to returning to Canada and exploring more of the rivers out there. I seek the remoteness, the quietness, and the connections with the rivers and lands of the Yukon.

A massive thank you must be given to the companies that sponsored and supported the expedition. The main sponsor was Palm Equipment, which kitted out every participant with cags, dry trousers, buoyancy aids, and expedition dry bags. Thanks also to Zurich, Mountain Equipment, and all the individual team sponsors for their contributions.

For info on the 2026 Yukon Expeditions
Website: https://www.outdoorscoaching.se

Facebook: Emy McLeod / EM Paddlesports Coaching & Guiding
Instagram: @emy.mcleod @empaddlesports @swedenoutdoorscoaching @palmequipment