Fort Selkirk - Dawson City
13.06.2011
Nadja & Markus from Switzerland also arrived in Fort Selkirk in the afternoon. Jörg and Nadine & Alex followed later.
Selkirk is one of my favorite places on the Yukon River. Fort Selkirk was originally located at the mouth of the Pelly River, but was moved to its present location in 1852 due to the risk of flooding in spring. Fort Selkirk was built in 1852 by Robert Campbell.
After being “plundered” by the Chilkat Indians, the site remained abandoned until 1889. In 1889, Arthur Harper opened a trading post in Selkirk. In 1898, the town became the headquarters of the Canadian troops stationed in the Yukon Territory.
The construction of the road link to Dawson City (around 1950) spelled the end for Selkirk. The fort is one of the most important and best-preserved historical sites in the Yukon! The first traces of human settlement in this area date back some 10,000 years. It is located in the heart of the traditional territories of the First Nation. It was one of the main meeting places of the Selkirk people and the Chilkat Tlingit from the coast, who came there to trade. Other Northern Tutchone tribes and Han tribes also came to Selkirk to trade.
It's nice to see the place slowly returning to its former glory. The First Nation People and the Yukon Government are doing their best to preserve this place!
It was a lovely evening with lots of good conversation.
© Copyright by Ch. Breier
Selkirk is one of my favorite places on the Yukon River.
© Copyright by Ch. Breier
My Rejka tent and the Wechsel Moskito Dome in Selkirk.
© Copyright by Ch. Breier
How beautiful it is without rain....
© Copyright by Ch. Breier
However, my NOAA weather satellite system is not showing me anything good ...
© Copyright by Ch. Breier
A large low-pressure area is approaching, which means a lot of rain again in the coming days!
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14.06.2011
We said goodbye to Nadja & Markus in the early afternoon as they continued on towards Dawson City. We stay in Fort Selkirk for about 2 more days.
The weather is unstable, sometimes sunny, sometimes rainy.
15.06.2011
Another rest day in Fort Selkirk.
16.06.2011
Jörg drove on towards Dawson City early in the morning.
I left at around 13:00. I said goodbye to Nadine and Alex and then set off towards Dawson City in a good mood...
A few kilometers after Fort Selkirk I knew an island with eagles incubating their young in a nest. As I came around the bend, I saw the parents sitting on tree trunks and took a few photos with my telephoto lens. Behind me, I could already hear the log pile, but thought nothing of it as it was still some distance away from me.
Normally not a problem, but with my new Nautiraid 540 it was.
I tried to turn to the right, with the rudder all the way in and with the help of paddle strokes, but nothing happened, and the boat stayed straight. I paddled with all my strength against the current but couldn't keep it up for long. I didn't manage to steer the boat to the right, and I was inevitably pushed into the log pile.
The boat slid alongside a tree trunk, and it tore the solar panel out of its mooring, breaking one of the D-rings.
I tried desperately to free myself from this situation, but in vain, the water pressure was too strong!
The boat was pressed against the tree trunks and what I thought was impossible happened, I capsized.
I was completely underwater and couldn't free myself from the foot control, I was stuck and swallowed a lot of water, just a few seconds longer underwater and I would have drowned...
The branches were hitting me in the face, and I grabbed my camera and threw it into the boat.
Finally, it seemed like an eternity, I managed to free myself and saw my boat floating down the Yukon.
I swam after the boat with the last of my strength and after about 10 minutes I managed to catch up with it, but I was so weakened that I could no longer hold on.
The boat drifted away again without me. Thank goodness it got stuck in a shallow area by an island, and I was just able to swim there.
Completely exhausted, I collapsed on the boat. After a while, I pulled myself together again and, shivering, emptied the boat with my cup, which took some time.
Everything was wet! My camera, my papers, my money, my electronics...
The GPS was also faulty because a branch had smashed the windshield so that water could run in.
I can tell you that I have never come so close to drowning in my 21 years of expeditions. I must have had a guardian angel to protect me....
About 2 hours later, Nadine & Alex came by in their canoe. I paddled towards them.
They immediately gave me a cup of hot cocoa, which was good because I was still in my wet clothes and couldn't unpack my boat to look for dry clothes.
I put on my jacket and spray deck and together with the two of them we floated down the Yukon River.
The weather deteriorated, it started to rain, and the wind got stronger and came from the front, which made paddling more difficult.
At around 22:00 we finally reached Selwin. Three Englishmen who were also in Fort Selkirk had already set up camp there. They first gave me two large sips of rum...
We set up our tents, and I was finally able to put on some dry clothes. We cooked some noodles and slowly life came back to me!
From now on, I should celebrate this day, June 16th, as my second birthday, because I couldn't have survived it, only my many years of outdoor experience and pure luck or a guardian angel saved me from drowning, and I am NOT exaggerating!
This damn boat has now put me in dire straits for the second time and almost cost me my life this time!
How Nautiraid can build such a boat with such a non-functioning steering system and knowingly send me on such a trip with it is beyond me!
Anyone who drives the boat in high waves or on a fast-flowing river should realize immediately that the boat cannot be steered properly.
In calm water this is certainly not a problem, but on expeditions and in less than ideal conditions like here on the Yukon River....
I will now end my 2011 expedition halfway through, i.e. after the Yukon Flats on the Dalton Hwy, as it would be irresponsible to continue to the coast with this boat.
THANK YOU NAUTIRAID!
I am prepared to take a certain amount of risk on my trips, but I am not a suicidal person!
I lost a lot of equipment when I capsized!
© Copyright by Ch. Breier
My NOAA weather satellite system was right of course, it's raining cats and dogs again...
© Copyright by Ch. Breier
Finally arrived in Selwin, I am still slightly in shock, only now I realize how close it was...
17.06.2011
We set off towards Dawson City around midday, after about 5 km we saw Jörg's camp and stopped. As we had enough time, we stayed here today. I told Jörg about my accident, he doesn't understand Nautiraid either. His old Grand Raid 520 reacts immediately with the large rudder blade, why Nautiraid uses such a small rudder blade for sea kayaks on my new Grand Raid 540 is incomprehensible. It is not even possible to simply replace it with a larger one
© Copyright by Ch. Breier
We met Jörg shortly after Selwin.
18.06.2011
Jörg drove on towards Dawson City this morning. Nadine Alex and I are staying on the island.
I have cleared out my boat and let it dry. The weather is great today, finally no more rain, and we baked pancakes and bread.
Many things in my boat are completely soaked, and some equipment is missing.
I still can't believe how close I came to death...
We sat around the fire in the evening and talked a lot.
19.06.2011
Rain, rain, rain, a really lousy day today, low clouds and drizzle.
We got up late and spent the day cooking dinner. In the afternoon a couple from Belgium & France came by, they want to look for morels on the White River for the next few weeks, dry them and then sell them. These mushrooms bring a lot of money in the city!
It has been raining all day, really frustrating, everything is damp. To make matters worse, the tiny little NoSeeUm flies are now on the move, biting you all the time. Really a modest year...
© Copyright by Ch. Breier
Camping with Nadine & Alex is great fun...
20.06.2011
I dried and packed my tent as best I could. Another couple from Vancouver came by today, they are paddling from Minto to Dawson City.
In the early afternoon, I said goodbye to Nadine & Alex and set off in the direction of Dawson City.
I passed Coffee Creek, which is now back in private hands, a gold mining company has bought up Coffee Creek and of course there are now no trespassing signs.
I also passed Kirkman Creek as it was already 9pm, and I didn't see anyone there and didn't want to wake anyone up.
Stewart Island is now completely empty, the island is being eroded further and further by the Yukon River, what a pity.
At White River, I had just enough light for a photo. Good that I at least still have the little Pentax W90!
After the 60-Mile River I set up camp on an island, it's 5:40, I paddled all night and made about 160 km. My GPS has failed again, the moisture in the housing is causing problems.
I'm exhausted, and to make matters worse I have a very nasty cold, probably from the long swim after capsizing in the Log pile.
I've taken a broad-spectrum antibiotic and hope it works! I feel really miserable...
© Copyright by Ch. Breier
The White River Delta
© Copyright by Ch. Breier
I am not feeling well at all...
© Copyright by Ch. Breier
Finally, I can set up camp on an island opposite the 60Mile River, about 20 km from Dawson City.
21.06.2011
© Copyright by Ch. Breier
© Copyright by Ch. Breier
I was able to repair my GPS device!
22.06.2011
I haven't slept much, my head feels like it's going to burst. However, the sore throat is almost gone, and my nose is clear from time to time. I used almost a whole roll of toilet paper to clean my nose during the night. There was a lot of really thick dark green mucus coming out of my nose. I would really like to stop taking these tablets, but I'm afraid that the cold will come back...
Around 7:30, the couple from Vancouver paddled past, they had camped on the front part of the island and wanted to paddle to Dawson City as quickly as possible.
I'm totally groggy and feel absolutely weak. I can barely stand on my feet.
I can't even think about eating, I've only eaten a few granola bars over the last few days...
I'll take another of these Hammer tablets today, it's probably going to be another very uncomfortable night...
© Copyright by Ch. Breier
I feel sick to my stomach, but thank God the broad-spectrum antibiotic is working!
What I didn't know at the time was that I had almost died for the second time on this trip!
Without the broad-spectrum antibiotic, I would have simply fallen asleep and never woken up again, because it was a nasty pneumonia!
It wasn't my time yet...
23.06.2011
I haven't slept much all night again, but the tablets have worked very well!
However, I hardly have the strength to make myself something to eat, haven't eaten anything for 3 days now and feel very weak. I spent the whole day dozing in the tent...
I was so damn thirsty, but didn't have the strength to crawl the 2 meters to the Yukon...
Towards evening, Nadine and Alex came by, but they saw me far too late to paddle over to my side. We arranged to meet tomorrow on an island just outside Dawson City. Spent another very restless night!
© Copyright by Ch. Breier
24.06.2011
It rained all night again, I had to take my tent down wet. I barely had the strength to pack my gear, I was so weak...
Paddling caused me some difficulties as I hadn't eaten anything for the last few days.
After a few hours I saw Nadine & Alex on an island and to their left was Jörg in his folding boat.
We paddled together for a while and saw a moose cow with two calves.
Nadine and Alex stopped to take a short break. Jörg and I carried on. We set up camp on the island just before Dawson City. Nadine and Alex arrived a few hours later. We cooked together in bright sunshine, finally a day without rain showers.
When we arrived in Dawson City, we had to take our boats to the hostel, which turned out to be a very, very sweaty affair! Afterward, we were all exhausted and soaked with sweat...
We set up our tents and took the ferry across to Dawson City. There, at a campground, we took a long shower and were finally able to wash our really smelly clothes! Afterward we had a coffee and then went to the Chinese restaurant and had an excellent meal.
After 22:00 we went to the Pitt. There was a French Canadian band playing that was very unusual. Jörg also came by, his wife had arrived in Dawson City today and was still very tired from the flight and the long drive from Whitehorse to Dawson City and had already gone to bed!
We drove back over to the hostel at around 1am, but there was no chance of sleeping.
Other hostel guests kept us awake until 7 a.m., very nice...
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Only those who risk going too far, will discover how far they can go!
Expedition in the USA, Alaska & Canada, Scandinavia with folding boat, motorboat, catamaran, motorcycle, off-road vehicle, bicycle ...
