Tombstone Territorial Park: Part II

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Tombstone Territorial Park, Yukon: Part II

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Prospector Mountain Range with Seven Million Dollar Mountain Range behind, Tombstone Territorial Park, Mix Hart/16

 

I believe one hasn’t fully lived on Earth until one has visited Tombstone. It should be on everyone’s bucket list. Words and pictures cannot capture the wild beauty, pristine Arctic air, the sounds of Arctic birds that gently call throughout the 24h days and the delicious woodsy, floral, and slightly spicy scent of the tundra in the morning air.

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Panorama of Prospector, Seven Million Dollar Mountain Ranges,Tombstone Territorial Park, Mix Hart/16

 

We quickly got used to the 24h of bright sunlight—sleeping in a 2 person backcountry tent left us no choice! Night and day became dictated by the weather and our fatigue rather than light and dark. We became familiar with the Arctic weather; it was rather predictable with short, cool showers passing through the mountain ranges late morning and early evening. Late afternoons were often sunny and very warm (dare I say hot). It felt too hot to sit in the sun and I’d cool down by wading into the North Klondike. The North Klondike is COLD and anything above the knees might induce instant hypothermia!

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“Panning” for gold in the North Klondike, behind our tent site, with our camp dishes,Tombstone Territorial Park, Mix Hart/16

We did a lot of hiking in Tombstone: up high mountains (gaining approximately 800m on some summits) and also along the North Klondike River. We camped right beside North Klondike River and were lulled to sleep by its rushing waters each night.

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Morning tea on the bank of the North Klondike River, Tombstone Territorial Park, Mix Hart/16

 

Every turn of the Dempster reveals an entirely new and unique vista that demands veneration. Within Tombstone Park there are areas of past glaciation and also areas of Beringia (where the last ice age missed). Many of the plant species in Beringia survived the ice age and exist no where else on earth. The area has been home to Canada’s first peoples for 8000 +years.

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Peter hiking along the North klondike River looking at all the brightly coloured stones, Tombstone Territorial Park, Mix Hart/16
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Exploring North Klondike River–I found a small, fossilized dinosaur bone in the creek, Tombstone Territorial Park, Yukon, Mix Hart/16
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Mushroom-my guess is that it’s a King Bolete but perhaps my ecologist rellies will know for sure? North Klondike River Bank, Tombstone territorial Park, Mix Hart/16
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Exploring the tundra on the banks of the North Klondike River, Tombstone territorial Park, Yukon, Mix Hart/16
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Peter, near North klondike River, Tombstone Territorial Park, Yukon, Mix Hart/16
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Yukon Goldenweed–found no where else on earth! Tombstone Territorial Park, Mix Hart/16
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Hiking near North Klondike River, Tombstone Terrotiral Park, Mix Hart/16
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North Klondike River hike, Tombstone Territorial Park, Mix Hart/16
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Summit of Goldenside Mnt, Prospector Range, Tombstone Territorial Park, Mix Hart/16
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Tundra with a dwarf raspberry, Goldenside Mnt, Prospector Range, Tombstone Territorial Park, Mix Hart/16
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Peter, on his ascent of Goldenside Mnt, Prospector Range with the Tombstone Range behind him, Tombstone Territorial Park, Mix Hart/16
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Summit of Goldenside Mountain, Prospector Range, Tombstone Territorial Park, Mix Hart/16

The sun is this amazingly bright at 9 PM in the evening—about the time this pic was taken. 

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Peter @Summit of Goldenside Mountain, Prospector Range, Tombstone Territorial Park, Mix Hart/16
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We discovered this adorable marmot living at the summit of Goldenside Mountain, Prospector Range, Tombstone Territorial Park, Mix Hart/16
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Booty view of adorable marmot living at the summit of Goldensides Mountain, Prospector Range, Tombstone Territorial Park, Mix Hart/16
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Summit of Goldenside Mountain, Prospector Range, Tombstone Territorial Park, Mix Hart/16
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My favourite Yukon flower: Capitate Valerian, Goldenside Mountain, Prospector Range, Tombstone Territorial Park, Mix Hart/16
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Descending Goldeside Mountain.
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A close up of the decent: notice the iconic Tombstone Mountain, framed in the top centre of the picture–the mountain range was named for this one impressive mountain.
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A most spectacular way to spend an evening: hiking in Tombstone; with 24 hour sunlight we could safely go on a hike at any hour without headlamps! Summit of Goldenside Mountain, Prospector Range, Tombstone Territorial Park, Mix Hart/16

 

We gave a Swiss woman, Suzanne, and her teenage daughter, Jessica, a lift to the trailhead. Later, Suzanne ran into us at the campsite outhouse . She invited us for a glass of wine in her camper. It was kinda cool meeting new friends for a glass of wine, in the back of a camper, in the middle of the Arctic!

For more about Tombstone, check out Tombstone Territorial Park, Yukon: Part I

My Arctic adventure is thanks, in part, to the Canada Council For the Arts—I received a grant to return to the Arctic to gather information for my next novel

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