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Laughing spirits of the ancient Hann and Gwich'in people can be heard echoing across the northern Canadian wilderness between Dawson City and Fort McPherson. They're laughing at all the snowmobilers who have unsuccessfully tried to retrace the 475-mile ancient trading route of Gwich'in and Hann people. Many have tried, but none have succeeded. They've either turned back or found easier trails. The route is so barren and desolate that even Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) quit patrolling it on dog sleds fifty years ago.
The mystique of the territory and history behind the route has lured RCMP Corporal Peter Greenlaw and 12 others, including seven civilians, to attempt to complete the 950-mile round trip trek on nine Polaris Indy Wide Traks and three dog sleds. Greenlaw says he was hauling snowmobiles in his truck near the route when he first thought of taking the trip. "I was the original idiot," he laughs. "I was stationed at Dawson City for four years so I, being a history buff, became interested in retracing the trail. I think a lot of the incentive comes from old-timers telling me that snowmobilers can't do it. I have to prove them wrong. Even if we get stuck every 10 feet and have to constantly pull our sleds out of the deep snow we'll prove them wrong."
The mission to prove nay-sayers wrong began when a large group of about 20 snowmobiling enthusiasts met in 1990 to discuss planning stages. By 1993, the crew dwindled to a die-hard group of 13, after it completed a trial trip under conditions similar to what Greenlaw expects to encounter. "There's a big difference from riding 50 miles on hard trail, having lunch and going back, and going 500 miles from town where there's no phone, no civilization and you can't go home," says the corporal. "A lot of guys thought it was a great idea until we started putting up and taking down tents in -40° C temperatures. When you're cold, it's not as much fun as if you're in a livingroom planning the trip. We were striving for a dozen people, but we had to scramble a bit to get them."
The Centennial Patrol, named because the expedition also celebrates the 100th anniversary of the RCMP in the Yukon in 1995, spent the last two years retracing approximately 80 percent of the original route in order to verify its historical accuracy. Greenlaw is confident the crew is on the right track. "The early trail reports and maps were found to be accurate and most helpful. The previously reported obstacles along the way still remain and in most cases we were able to locate the old hand cut trails that bypass the problems," he adds. "Our reconnaissance this year, together with our efforts last year, have provided firsthand knowledge and experience of 80 percent of the route. The most difficult portions of the route have now been covered."
Dogs and mushers (drivers) were not exempt from preparing for the expedition. Corporal Doug Harris, one of two RCMP drivers, says conditioning even regular sled dogs is critical. "We're training the dogs right now," he explains. "I like to have at least 1,000 training miles going into it. I've raced these dogs for three or four years and one thing you have to get them used to is eating on the trail." Obstacles include cold water overflow which may freeze on the dogs' legs and bad weather that may delay the dogs' meal times. "If we get pinned down by bad weather it doesn't bother the snowmobiles because they don't have to eat, but our dogs don't stop eating. We have to push on to the next food cache and wait out the weather there."
RCMP's association with the route began 90 years ago when a patrol led by Constable H. G. Mapley successfully drove dogs and supplies from Dawson City, Yukon, to Fort McPherson, Northwest Territories, and back again in three months. During the gold rush the Mounties patrolled the route for gold mining towns experiencing high rates of death. Included in these expeditions is the "Lost Patrol," the most famous patrol, which left Dawson City for Fort McPherson 84 years ago but never returned. The last successful retrace of the original route was made fifty years ago by Inspector Forrest to mark the 40th anniversary of Mapley's patrol. The Centennial Patrol is scheduled to begin its historic trip Feb. 26, 1995 and the group hopes to complete it by March 25.
In addition to making history the modern patrol, led by Inspector B. D. Kutryk., will take history with it. Maps drawn by the original Mounties were found to be accurate by Greenlaw and will be used. Guides of Gwich'in and Hann decent will also help lead the group. Peter Nagano, a member of the Dawson First Nation (Hann people) will ride one of the nine snowmobiles. Fred Blake, a member of the Fort McPherson First Nation (Gwich'in people) will drive dogs with two members of the RCMP. Blake is the grandson of one of the original guides employed by the North West Mounted Police on early patrols. A third member of the group, Constable Karen Olito, is the only woman going along and the first female to participate in a Mountie patrol.
Although Olito isn't treated any differently than the rest of the group, she says she had a personal urging to prove herself during the two-week trail run last year. "When I first heard of the trip I found it interesting and challenging," she states. "Before the two-week trial run I was nervous that I wouldn't live up to the expectations of the others because I didn't have as much sledding experience. When we got out there I realized that they got stuck too. Every time I got stuck, I got out, and I made the whole trip so I guess I did O.K." The female Mountie proved herself in other ways including chopping wood, getting water, setting up camp and even sharing a tent with two men. "I knew I had to share a tent with the guys, but I didn't have a problem with it and neither did they," she adds. "I was given my privacy and they were given theirs."
As old history repeats itself and new history is made, the group will combine the experience of the past with technology of the present to make the excursion safer and more enjoyable. For example, Greenlaw says the crew will take salmon, moose and rice on the trip because they are known for being high in nutrients and providing necessary energy. He adds that the group also had a dietitian figure that each member of patrol will burn an average of 9,000 to 12,000 calories per day. "Weight is critical," he says. "You have to keep a bare minimum of food, but calories of course count. On our last (preliminary) trip each person lost an average of eight to 14 pounds. We burned up many calories just trying to stay warm." Another way technology will mingle with experience is found in the fact that the snowmobiles will lead the dog team by a day. According to Greenlaw that's because the dogs can better complete the 50-mile daily jaunts if the trail is packed. "Snowmobiles leave a soft trail," he says. "Depending on how much moisture is in the air, the trail may take an hour or whole day to harden."
Unlike the original dog sled patrols which left Dawson City in January to avoid traveling across the ice during the winter thaw, the Centennial patrol will avoid the thaw by completing the trip in one-third the time. At fifty miles per day, the dogs will not be overworked and the sledders will have plenty of sunlight to set up camp.
Harris says there are two other notable differences between the dog teams of today and yesteryear. The current teams will have a dozen dogs which weigh about 55 pounds each, but patrols of the past used four or five dogs that weighed almost 100 pounds each. "They might have made eight or 10 miles per day because they had to hunt and live off the land," says the musher. "I've raced in races where we've run 100 miles in 12 hours. It's easy if the dogs are conditioned."
Although the crew was taught valuable lessons from past patrols, they also learned much from firsthand experiences had during its second trial run, February 28-March 12. Like Mapley did 90 years earlier, Greenlaw kept a daily log of events and findings. Gathered information was analyzed and conclusions were drawn. The patrol's conclusions will be discussed at the end of the following entries.
Monday, Feb. 28: The usual first day confusion was experienced, (the straw for the dog teams ending up with the snowmachines). Some effort was made to sort out who was pulling what boggan and to get people into a routine. -30 C and clear at 22:00 hrs. Northern lights are out in full force tonight in colours of pink, green and purple.
Wednesday, March 2: Extreme overflow conditions encountered, over 40 centimeters deep in places. Trail breakers forced off creek and cut a path through the bush. As they pioneered their way, they found signs of an old trail, stumps cut with axes, trees limed on the side, etc. By using the old markers as a guide the main overflow on the first six miles of the creek was avoided… Only two hours required to put up camp tonight, members improving on the routine.
Sunday, March 6: Harlan Inkster, relief pilot of a light aircraft on skis brought with him a dozen donuts, a case of coke, fresh apples and bananas and a new high frequency radio… Main party, traveling behind the trail breakers found humour in coming upon coke, donuts and fruit sitting on the ice several hundred miles from nowhere.
Among other findings, the party concluded that bush experience is as important as snowmachine experience; smaller, more frequent resupply caches should replace the two larger ones; food should be dropped about a week before the crew arrives at a designated dropping point so the wolverines don't try to open the drums; and the food should be chained to the trees so the bears don't play with the barrels, pushing them around and making them difficult to find. Harris noted that the dog sled drivers will wear knee-high gators to keep their wind pants dry. He claims that the crew had a problem drying three pairs of pants in the tent and gators will be much easier to dry.
Despite the patrol's years of preparation, unknown circumstances are certain to challenge its progress. In theory, the trip to Fort McPherson should take 10 days, but as Greenlaw notes, "You lose two days due to weather. When it starts to snow the world just disappears. You can't see anything." The variety of terrain- everything from hot-spring fed, open creeks with gravel bottoms and major rivers with ice ridges several meters high, to heavily timbered bush and open tundra- makes travel difficult.
Crossing three mountain passes with deep snow will also be a challenge, according to Greenlaw. "In some places the powder will be so deep that if you get off your machine, you're gone." Over all, the corporal says his biggest fear is falling in the water. "Even though it's 30 or 40 degrees Celsius below zero, there is a lot of thermal activity which means there's a lot of open water. If you fall in at 30 or 40 below it's not much fun." Civilian Wayne Huffman also found crossing the water to be dangerous, but in a different way. He says thermal activity causes water to come through the ice, mix with the snow and create a slushy overflow that can trap the sledders. "The overflow is similar to a slushy that you get a 7 Eleven. You can't predict it until you encounter it. You have to get out of it as soon as possible," he adds. What happens is it slows you to the point of stopping. In some cases you break through the ice."
Past experiences of the civilians in addition to those of the RCMP will make conquering trials easier. Huffman has made numerous long trips on snowmobile, but considers this to be especially unique because of the history associated with it. In 1986 he completed a 1,000-mile trip from Whitehorse to Fairbanks. His reason for taking such trips is simple. "Some people prefer the Hilton and a hot tub," he says. "We prefer the outdoors."
Before the Centennial Patrol hits the trail, chores and equipment will be divided among participants. Inspector Kutryk, for example, will be first in command and in charge of carrying medical supplies and firearms. Greenlaw will be second in command and will be responsible for logistics, operations, trail breaking, the video camera and the 35mm camera. Others on the patrol are Constable Pat Maleness, Martin Allen (Civilian), Mike Blumenschein (Civilian), Jim Thompson (Civilian), Peter Nagano (Civilian), Constable Olito, Wayne Huffman (Civilian), Joe Harrison, Sergeant Brian Gudmundson, Corporal Doug Harris and Frederick Blake (Civilian). Responsibilities divided among the rest include, trail breaking, assisting with photography, and carrying a RCMP radio, a high frequency radio, chain saws, axes, tents, stoves, maps, snow shoes, emergency landing strips, fuel, injection oil, lighting, tent poles, boggans, spare parts, tools, first aid kit, slush fund, helmet radios, batteries, food, dog food, dog booties, dog harness and straw for the dogs.
"The camaraderie shared is something that money can't buy," says Huffman. "You have to experience it. Because this is a trip a few dare to make it's kind of a feather in the cap of outdoor trips we've done in the past."