Derek Jennings
North to Alaska via the Circle Line

Experience an account of 40 days
on a bicycle from Vancouver across
the Arctic Circle to Anchorage

Engineer Creek – Dempster Highway

Woke to the sound of light rain. Got away at 8.15am and the first 50km was alongside the Ogilvie River; quite flat with high rocky mountains close either side. But the ‘Plains’ were to come and the road rose from the river: quite steep for about 5 miles. Then followed a snaking, dipping, winding, ascending road over the high plains, a rocky bumpy road through wilderness country.

Met Carl Alchorn from Calgary on his own mountain bike adventure, travelling from INUVIK to South America. I noticed that he was well clothed against mossie attacks; “I don\’t think he will keep them out” – they bore through anything.

I fought every inch of the Dempster today, hoping to reach ‘Eagle Plains’ (105 miles), sometimes thinking it was a hopeless task. Stopped briefly three times for food but was attacked by the ‘mossies’ each time so I had to get ‘ON MY BIKE’ to escape. Meal 1 – Salami sandwiches, Meal 2 – cold baked beans and dry bread, Meal 3 – a ‘Snicker’ and a bottle of beer; given to me by the two guys from Oregon, when I saw them returning from INUVIK. After climbing the last final metre at 8.40pm, arrived at Eagle Plains 371kms (231 miles) since the start of the Dempster. EXHAUSTED!!

It turns out to be a modern motel complex, known as an ‘Oasis in the Wilderness’. I managed to get a meal in the motel, and a wash in their restroom and am writing this diary in the lobby (out of the way of the ‘bugs’) before they close. A spoke broke again this afternoon so a repair is necessary, but not tonight! It is the Motel campground for me after a challenging day!

Eagle Plains

Didn’t get much sleep, the bug irritation bothered me all night and a look outside the tent after a cereal breakfast revealed a mist and driving rain. It prevented me from seeing the motel which was only 200 yards away so there was no chance of moving for a while! Took the opportunity to get a few things done. After toast and coffee in the Motel, replaced a broken spoke and cleaned and lubricated the bike; the skies began to break while I did this.

At 10.30am I left on black muddy roads and within yards the bike was covered again! After descending for about 5 minutes I had a sudden shock; realising my rain jacket was still hanging in the Motel entrance lobby. I turned round to climb all the way back ‘UP’, but decided against it, I’ll take a chance and pick it up on my way back!. The road weaved, climbed and fell all the morning on very loose black shale. It was exhausting. High winds swept the moorland country catching my left side, it was very cold!

Suddenly “there it was!” at the roadside, a notice to tell me I had reached the “Arctic Circle”. Took some pictures to record the moment, feeling thankful that back at Klondike River Lodge I had made the decision to attempt it. After a roadside lunch, I headed on; my pace got slower and slower and all hopes of reaching Fort McPherson that day faded.

A truck driver stopped and spoke to me around 6pm and told me there was a campground just over the hill (the hill happened to be the Pass through the Richardson Mountains!). He also said there was a Highways maintenance camp 3 or 4 miles further. On reaching the campground I found it was just picnic tables on a black mountainside – no other facility – not even water! so went on to the Highways depot which was more like 6-7 miles. Looked around for someone, hoping I could stay the night – no one around but the premises were open. Made my way to the lone site caravan and made myself at home. Had a wash and dinner – tuna fish sandwiches, then made myself coffee, wondering of course, if at any time someone was going to walk in and confront me. I did some bike maintenance (replaced 3 broken spokes and oiled the chain). Settled down to write the diary and wait!

Todays ride was difficult, it began with a long climb which I took to be ‘Rat Pass’. The loose shale and steep hills were tiring: somebody said the road was good from Eagle Plains! – “RUBBISH!” I used my two bottom gears extensively today and got the feeling again (like yesterday) that I was having to fight my way along the Dempster inch by inch. It seemed harder than all those earlier days on clay coloured ribbons, winding through stunted, fir clad hills. Today there was hardly a tree to be seen. Another pass over the Richardson Mountains was long and steep and now I’m not sure which one is ‘Rat Pass’?

At midnight (still daylight!) Walter Herba, the camp overseer arrived, annoyed of course to find me trespassing, but he didn’t turn me away. After a while he gave me a beer and offered me a bed for the night. The site caravan turned out to be a trailer home, 3 bedrooms, bathroom, lounge, complete with video and radio transmitter. Slept well till 9am (the North West Territory time went on 1 hour).

14km North of the Yukon – NWT Border

Boy! did it blow during the night?, the trailer roof rattled like blazes! It sounded like hurricane force winds – was I glad I didn’t have to spend a night in the tent! Walter said the two wrecks I’d seen yesterday were blown off the road by the high winds some weeks ago. The water and heating systems running on and off all night added to the racket but in spite of all this I slept well.

Walter cooked a bacon and egg breakfast and we had quite a friendly chat, telling me about his job, the area, and his life. He told me it was Calcium Chloride they spread to lay dust on the roads. Took pictures and left at 10.45.

Climbing through the gorge it was like climbing a ‘staircase’; opening out onto moorland country again and eventually descending to the Peel River. Crossing was by ferry and on the other side rain had made the road muddy and slippery. Unfortunately an Information bureau I passed, was closed, I’ve left a note asking to be sent a certificate for crossing the Arctic Circle, that a notice says is available. On now to Fort McPherson, an Indian community 2 miles off the highway, hoping to get a meal. Took a picture of The Lost Patrol memorial (commemorating a historic North West Mounted Police rescue bid) and shot off to Arctic Red River at 5pm.

Very warm now, I’ve already ridden in a long sleeve top and shorts but now down to short sleeves. The road is flatter, rising gently with rain later and then a puncture having covered 45km of fifty seven I’d hoped for. The repair didn’t take too long and arrived at the confluence of McKenzie and Arctic Red Rivers at 8.30pm. Messed about sorting out the ferry and found out that the grocery in Red River didn’t open until tomorrow. Once across the river I started out for INUVIK and sought a camp spot. Someone on the ferry gave me food and with what I have left I might make INUVIK tomorrow without getting too hungry. Midnight now “and so to bed.” The mossies were bad today!

Arctic Red River – Dempster Highway

Woke to the sun streaming into the front of the tent, very warm. Surprised to find it was 8.10am, which meant that after breakfast of cereal and the milk left over from suppertime I got moving at 9.15am.

The first 45 miles was on a flat gravel road through a stunted growth of trees and shrubs. Tundra land, alive with plant life. What should have been an easy ride turned out to be quite exhausting!, along a never ending, never changing, perfectly straight road. Stopped and doused myself with repellent while I ate the food I’d been given on the boat the night before. By 1 o’clock a build up of cloud ahead signalled rain!, which I eventually ran into – and those muddy roads again! Later a few hills appeared and the last 25 miles into INUVIK became a grovel. The bike squeaked and groaned with every pedal thrust, and I, caked with mud, did likewise! But Inuvik finally came and the last four miles were on a paved road.

A cab driver stopped to take a picture of me, he seemed to be as excited as I was at my arrival and told me how to find Happy Valley Campground. It was there I cleaned myself, (and the bike!) speaking to many people. Journalist Ken Faris took photo’s on my arrival. Everybody’s conversation here is about the Dempster and are amazed that I have ridden it on a bicycle! A military truck had stopped twenty miles before the town asking if they could help, and the guy I spoke to on the ferry last night stopped 15 miles before and gave me a Coke and a do’nut. I drunk the coke, saved the can for an arrival photo, then promptly forgot it!

So another challenge is completed successfully in spite of my earlier doubts along the route. Attended an information talk on site tonight at 8.30, then went for a victory meal at the ‘Eskimo Inn’. It’s a bit pricey here, but tonight who cares? Took a couple of pictures of the downtown area after 11.35pm, still brilliant sunshine! The automatic camera exposure setting is F8. Diary written and so to bed! 12.45am.

Inuvik – Happy Valley Campground

Slept until 8.45am after still being awake at 2.45am, nobody seems to get going around here until about 10am. Spent the morning nosing around town, posting cards to family and friends, looking for gifts, and searching for Frank Pilak the North West Territories tourism agent. The Yukon agent had told me to contact him for a possible lift back down the Dempster. There is no other overland route from here that will enable me to continue my journey to Anchorage. I also did a taped interview on local radio and then met Chris Rosati (a resident) who had befriended Paul Claxton. He’s offered to let me stay the night! This place is incredible!, every few yards I’m stopping and speaking to people I’ve met on the Dempster over the last few days, or am approached by inquisitors eager to find out about this strange travelling bike rider in town!

I eventually heard from Frank Pilak, he told me a lift back down the Dempster to Klondike River Lodge is possible. “Be outside the Eskimo Inn in the morning” he said. Rang Helen and returned to Happy Valley campground to change a tyre, mend some tubes, pack the tent and eventually off to Chris’s place, where by another stroke of luck! I got myself a shower. So everything is working out fine, I’ve got myself a bed for the night, a lift back to the Junction tomorrow and a spot on Radio Inuvik in the morning before I leave.

Took a few pictures today of the unusual aspects of Inuvik, (some brought about by the permafrost situation that prevails here). Surface pipework, stilted houses, an 84 year old Eskimo ‘Big Jim Rogers’ with a skidoo! and a church built in the shape of an igloo!

Inuvik North of the Arctic Circle

Woke by Chris at 7am, a quick breakfast and down to the radio station for a short live interview; then along to the Eskimo Inn. Outside there was a coach for 13 Japanese travel agents on a fact finding mission of the N.W. Territories and the Yukon. Tony Carson the Yukon tourism agent was also back on the scene with Frank Pilak, Earl Shermack, manager of the Eskimo Inn and a C.P. Air rep. from Japan. I was invited to go with them all to the Klondike, but before leaving we were given a slide show primarily for the benefit of the Japanese. It was away by 10.30 and back down the Dempster; as a tourist this time!

Arrived at the “Oasis in the Wilderness” and got to share a room with Tony and Steve (the coach driver). Nice steak meal at the end of an incredible day! I even posed for photographs this morning for a group of American tourists outside the Eskimo Inn – “I wonder how much longer my luck is going to hold out?” I even walked into the entrance lobby here and found my rain jacket still hanging there. Picked up the Arctic Circle certificate at the Information bureau today. The Yukon time went back 1 hour again.

Eagle Plains (2nd time)

Woke this morning to the solitary croak of the old crow, common in this area, and made ready for another days coach ride down the Dempster. Left at 9am after I had joined the tour party for breakfast. It was a pretty uneventful journey compared to the previous week, I did see a cow moose and two calves at a roadside lake and passed all the old familiar places I’d seen before, got to Klondike River Lodge at 3pm.

I was lost for words to explain to Tony how grateful I was for his hospitality and generosity. I’d got quite attached to the group over 2 days, even had a couple of them taking pictures of me assembling the bicycle outside the coach as they were ready to drive off to Dawson City.

For me it was back to bike riding along the Klondike Highway heading for Dawson. First a meal in the truck stop cafe to set me up!, left at 4.15pm after waiting for rain to stop. That made the roads a bit sticky and at 6.30 I reached ‘Bonanza Creek’, heart of the Klondike Gold Rush only to find the Japanese there – buying souvenirs! Decided to take a short detour to explore the remains of the search for gold spread 14 miles along the Creek, terminating at No.4 Dredge – still used until 1966. Rode into Dawson at 10pm and on to the ferry over the Yukon River to the Territorial campsite, did some research for tomorrows programme, then off to bed 11.30pm.

Dawson City

Waited at the ferry 11 ⁄2 hours this morning to be taken back across the river to Dawson and it was a full day trying to fit everything in. First a call at the P.O. to collect a letter I expected from Helen, read that over breakfast, thrilled about that! Managed to sort out my finances – they have a bank here now! no longer do you get your GOLD findings weighed in the ‘Assay Office’.

Took pictures all day long and visited all the places of interest, this place doesn’t seem to have changed much since the Gold Rush days with its dirt roads and boardwalks; the Palace Grand theatre giving nightly shows with the Can-Can girls; and nearby Diamond Tooth Gerties gambling hall.

I met Tony Carson and the Jap guys and learned they’d taken off to fly to Whitehorse last night but blew an engine in mid-air and turned back!! Did a taped interview for Dawson local radio and then armed with the information from the Visitor Centre explored Dawson. Talking to people during the day who were enquiring how far I\’d ridden the bike? I once again bumped into Ken Hunter who was surprised to find ‘I HAD’ made it. In the evening I enjoyed the local entertainment – ‘would I see Ken in Gerties?’ I wondered. The day brightened and as it progressed it turned warm, but I had been quite cold on the campground last night, so I decided to hide myself in Dawson tonight in the grounds of St Pauls church 12.30am.