The West is the Best

The inspiring nature of the north provides an opportunity to reach far beyond my traditional understanding of things into a place which provides sanctuary and a little bit of adventure. 

Humbling thoughts teach me that my adventure is considered to be the way of life for many people who reside in this part of the country. 

The drive to Beaver Creek from Whitehorse was no less than spectacular.  Our travels brought us down a historical pathway which contained both geological and cultural history which I was increasingly inspired by. 

One of our first stops was at Canyon Creek, just off the Alaska highway.  Until the the discovery of cultural material at the Little John site in Beaver Creek, Canyon Creek was the oldest archaeological site in Canada.  It is not an extravagant place in form, however its function indicates that over 7,000 years ago, people were using the cliffs and terraces for hunting and camping at a time when glaciers were not long receded from this landscape.

Further down the road we passed through Haynes Junction, which left me wondering about the formation and development of mountains .  The Alaska Highway between Haynes Junction and Beaver Creek is bordered by the Kluane mountain ranges to the west and the Ruby mountain range to the east - both within a short distance from each other.  The age of the mountains I am not certain, however their distinctiveness is apparent at first glance. 

The Kluane mountains are tall rocky mammoths with soaring jagged tips covered with ice fields and thousands of years of snow.  The Ruby mountain ranges on the other hand seem to be rounded by time, and are completely covered in trees, with no snow or ice on their peaks.    It may be their age, it may be their distinct paths through ice ages long past, but none the less, their contrast was a distinctively memorable experience. 

Further down our trail, we rested at Lu'an Man - Big Whitefish Lake, where ancient glaciers in the Kluane mountain range produce cool air currents which sweep down and lower the air temperature by several degrees.  It was quite the wake-up call as I got out of the van in my flip flops and shorts - from a sweet little cat nap at that - to the shock of freezing cold air.   On our drive further down the highway, there were remnants of ice forms still resting on the rivers which had not yet broken from the winter freeze. 

At Asi Keyi - My Grandfather's land; we stopped at the Kluane River Valley to take in the breathtaking sights.  I was intrigued to learn that this river had in the past had flowed in the opposite direction.  An interesting side note on the direction of flowing rivers: some communities in the past interpreted direction of travel by the flow of water.  For example, if they were traveling "down" to such and such a place, down was in reference to the flow of water - even if said geographical location was "up" in reference to our north/south interpretation of direction.   I had a little chuckle as I imagined the confusion people would have had in expressing their direction of travel after the water changed its course- when going "down" to grandmas house soon became going "up" to grandmas house. 

As we drove into Beaver Creek, the welcome sign indicated that we were entering the most westerly community in Canada! With a population of less than 100 people, I was not surprised to see that the people I have met carry an aura of stability and understanding which must stem from a deep connection to the land and the people with which they reside. 

I imagine that this connection, in many cases stems from a basic need to survive.  With permafrost in some places only centimeters from the surface of the ground, and winter months which last much longer than the short summer months, an understanding of the land and its resources is a vital life-skill. 

Passing through town on the way to the Little John site, I couldn't help but notice that there was not a grocery store to be found.  People rely on the resources which the earth and their friends make available to them on a seasonal basis in order to be successful and productive members of their community. 

Survival is certainly not hampered by the permafrost left by many years of long winter months. As we have seen with the archaeological evidence at Little John, people have been coming to this area of our country to hunt and process tools and meat for over 10,000 years.  

At Little John we have the most spectacular view.  Resting on a ridge looking south out over  the Mirror Creek Valley, sub arctic tundra extends out towards three mountain ranges resting within the Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge, in Alaska.  Aside from the slow steady drone of mosquitoes, it is truly the most enchanting place I could possibly hope to pass my time this summer. 

We have only just broken ground on our excavation units, with several bottle caps, a valve stem cover and a snippit of film to catalogue as of yet.  But we have high hopes, that as we dig a little deeper into the earth, our work in the field this season will bring further clues which will further the development and understanding of this land and its people.