----- Original Message ----- 
From: Bill Maloney
To: David Saum http://www.infiltec.com/gold/yukon/
Sent: Tuesday, May 21, 2002 11:29 AM
Subject: RE: Yukon

> David:  We tend to unload everything that has food or food odor on it
> and leave just miscellaneous stuff in the canoes.  We have everything in
> dry bags and so it is easy to take it in and out.  It is the same issue
> about bears tearing the canoe moorings loose.  You do not want to leave
> things like your foul weather gear in the canoe and find it and the
> canoe gone in the morning.
> 
> We NEVER camp in the woods where there would be trees to hang things up
> in.  Too much risk of a grizzly or moose walking up on the camp without
> knowing in advance that we are there.  We camp in sandbar islands (If
> they look permanent and are not likely to be flooded by an increase in
> flows during the night) or hunt for an open beach.  We sometimes look
> for an hour plus before finding the right camp site, so we start looking
> at around 5 pm, often using the map to spot upcoming islands that are
> promising.
> 
> We have never had a problem with the humans.  The people traveling the
> river tend to be pretty cool.  I would, as mentioned, generally stay
> away from camping around local settlements and if I had to do so, I
> would watch my gear carefully.
> 
> We just shop REI for the usual name brand freeze dried stuff.  No
> particular brand stands out.  There are a couple of stores in Whitehorse
> that sell freeze dried and I recall the prices not being too bad
> (especially with the exchange rate).
> 
> You can fish the Yukon until you get down near (I think) Carmax where
> the first glacier fed tributary comes in and makes the Yukon very muddy.
> After that the feeder streams are the only option.  We found the
> grayling fishing spotty.  The best fishing was side sloughs and channels
> for Northern Pike, which fight a lot and are very tasty. DON'T COOK FISH
> AROUND YOUR TENTS OR THE CAMP.  GO DOWN THE BEACH A WAY.  We used a
> small metal grill to cook fish and afterwards tied a rope to it and
> threw it in the river for the night to hide the scent.  A wire leader is
> mandatory due to the teeth on those things. I used small swimming
> Rapalas and chrome spoons.  Check the fishing tackle stores in
> Whitehorse for local knowledge.
>   
> You can filter Yukon water until the glacier silt shows up, and then you
> need to reload at the feeder streams.  Watch your map to make sure you
> are positioned to stop at a good flowing feeder stream regardless of the
> side of the Yukon it might be on.  In a pinch you can use one of the
> lightweight folding buckets (very handy) to draw silty Yukon water and
> let it sit for a bit so the silt settles out. We use the medium size
> water filter units and always have one or two extras stowed in different
> places in the bags and canoes so if the group loses one, we have
> backups.
> 
> The temperatures in Fairbanks sound about right.  We found the weather
> quite nice, with afternoon thunderstorms and an occasional day of
> overcast with rain showers to be the norm. We have heard of people who
> have had a week of rain and clouds at a time, so be ready.
> 
> To reinforce one point, make sure you have read the guide books and
> talked to locals about how to travel Lake LaBarge.  It is dangerous at
> times.  Usually the advice is to stay near the right side as you go down
> the lake so you can duck into a cove if the wind comes up.
> 
> Good luck!