Walking Around Canada

Continuing from my previous 'walking' post I finally reached Inuvik, NWT  on 2 Jan 2012.
Overnite Expresss to Flat Creek at bottom of Demster Highway
To Dawson City, 40 K's. Very cold as arrived 18 Feb 2012. [Pedometer slow] Total Dist. 10,495K's
29 Feb 2012. 8th Anniv. of Walking around Canada
Arrive Alaska Border on 'Top of the World Hwy' 3 Apr. 107K's
Arrive Tetlin Jct, 7 May 2012, 108K's
Arrive Beaver Creek, YK, 31 May 2012, 80K's [Pedometer appears to have warmed up, actually a new one]
Arrived Destruction Bay, 31 July 2012, 203K's.  Total dist to date 10,993K's

Now heading to Haines Jct, 107K's where we spent a night on our 'actual' trip. Then on to Whitehorse

War of 1812

I have been on a virtual walk since 1 March 2004 when I left St. John's NFLD. I am about 70 K's short of Inuvik, NWT on the Demster Hwy.
So I am taking two new walkers under my 'wing' as we walk towards the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812, 18 June 1812. First will be 'Walking with Joseph' He is my gr gr grandfather, Joseph Stanzel, who according to the family story was in Napoleon's army before coming to Canada. He will be walking around Europe and his adventures will be posted in December, February and April. Second will be 'Walking with Andrew'. He is Sgt. Andrew Spearman of the 100th Regiment [99th Reg't after Feb 1816] and will be walking with his Regiment during their stay in Canada. His adventures will be posted in January, March and May.
All posts will be on/near 18th of each month
Joseph's posts will cover the years 1806 ,the year it is estimated that he was conscripted into Napoleon's Army, until 1812.
Andrew's posts will cover the years 1805, the year his regiment had its traumatic voyage to Canada, until 1812. Each post will be in 2 year 'steps'
Posts for both during the years 1812-1814 will cover events in both theatres as we walk thru the calender
There may be posts about the first of each month dealing with points of interest about the war

Walking Around Canada

To-day is 29 Sept 2011 and I have been negligent about posting my virtual walk. Since crossing into the North West territories [18 July] I travelled along the Dempster Hwy, all gravel,reaching Midway Lake. There was a huge music fest underway.[44k] Next we crossed the Peel River [74k, 25 Aug] by cable ferry. B was driving and had a bumpy drive up onto the ferry. The river was higher than normal and they had to build up the ramp so it wasn't hard packed. 51K's back the road descended 853 meters out of the mountains. A spectacular view. On 3 Sept I reached Fort McPherson [86k]
In the real world B and I spent 2 weeks in Yellowknife with a trip into Little Doctor Lake, 1 to 6 Aug 2011, where we spent 6 days in a lodge on the lake with no one around. Closest civilation was Fort Simpson, a 40 minute flight away by float plane. On our way back to civilization we made a stop at Virginia Falls, a real spectacular sight [twice as high as Niagara Falls]. Word is that we have completed or sojourns into the [no appropriate adjective exists]northern parts of Canada

Walking Around Canada

Last Thurs 16 June 2011, I crossed the artic circle on my virtual walk heading for Inuvik, NWT.
I have been on this walk since 1 March 2004 in St. John's NFLD. When I reach Inuvik I will backtrack to Flat Falls and head west to Dawson City and loop thru Alaska back to Whitehorse.

Walking around Canada

On my walk around canada I reached Eagle Plains on 26 May which is about the halfway point on the Dempster Hwy to Inuvik. I was physically there in early august 2010. Expect to be at the article circle this week. The picture on my Facebook is of me at the sign indicating article circle
66 degrees and 33' 14/6/11

Walking Around Canada

Chapman lake, the largest on the trip is at 116.0K and at 120.3K we pass the northern boundry of Tombstone park. On 5 Dec 2010 we actually drive down a runway, at 124.4K- no parking or stopping allowed. There are two runways, used when they built the highway, now for emergencies. The Dempster now follows Engineer Creek down to the Ogilvie R. starting 168.3 to 237K, here on 29 Dec. On 14 Jan 2011 reached Engineer Creek Campground and Sapper Hill at 193.8K. If we ever go back we will use these campgrounds? At 195.0 K we cross Engineer Creek bridge and the Ogilvie R. watershed. William Ogilvie, after who all the 'Ogilvie' features are named, was a surveyor sent to the area to determine the 141st meridian, border between Yukon and Alaska in 1887. On 11 Feb at 237.0K we drive down an airstrip, no parking or stopping, that was used in construction of the highway. Now for emergencies.
On 17 Feb we start up Seven mile hill to reach the 300m high Eagle plain plateau
On 24 Feb we reach the Ogilvie-Peel viewpoint at 259.0K. Great view! these rivers flow into the Mackenzie basin. On the road to the richardson mts [9 mar 2011]

Walking Around Canada

On Saturday 27 Nov I reached 'Twp Moose Lake' on my virtual walk up the Dempster Hwy. At 71.5k we entered Tombstone park, where there is a very new, impressive Interpretive centre. This centre explains the cultural and natural history of the Park. Also near by is a Campground which is 1,034M ASL. By taking advantage of all the facilities here, one will be better able to make the most of your Dempster journey
Glaciation and Beringia. [Beringia is an ice free area [the most recent ice age started 3 million years ago and changes in climate caused sea levels to drop and the Bering Strait became a grassy plain] from Stewart Crossing, YK , across Alaska to what is now Siberia] The Dempster Hwy. passes mostly thru Beringia.
At 74Km we reach the Tombstone Range Viewpoint [a prominent peak 2,193M is 20Km in the distance. At 80Km we reach North Fork Pass summit 1,400M ASL which is the highast point on the Dempster. It is the first [of three] times we cross the continental divide, where rivers to the north flow into the Beaufort Sea via the Mackenzie River system, and rivers to the south are part of the Yukon River watershed that flows into the Bering Sea. As one drives northward, the landscape shows less and less evidence of glacial action.
At 90.5K we enter the Blackstone Uplands which stretch from North Fork pass to Chapman Lake and beyond. This area is the richest area on the Dempster for bird life.
At Km 102.6 we reach Two Moose Lake.[ On our trip back we actually saw two moose in the lake, a mother and her young one]

Driving the Dempster Hwy

As we drive up the Dempster following the North Klondike River the peaks of the Ogilvie Mountains can be seen in the distance [km 10.5]. Antimony Mountain, 2,040 Meters high, can be seen and it is 30 K away.
At km 20.0 the North Klondike Range comes into view west of the hwy. They lead to the rugged Tombstone Range whose mts were glaciated. The morains, also called glacial drift, were transported out of the mts by ice and runoff.
At km 38.7 high up in the mts to the west you can see sign of glaciers that cloake these mts 12,000 yrs ago. these features are on mts till tombstone campground at km 71.5.
At km 50.5 we reach the southern boundry of Tombstone Territorial Park. Established in 1999, the park protects 2,100 sq.Ks of the Ogilvie Mts and Blackstone Uplands. The road thru the park is 70 Ks long.
At km 66.0 [virtual walk here on Sat 13 Nov 2010] to the east is another feature known as 'rock glaciers'. It originates in a bowl of the mountain and this tongue of rock fragments moved much like a glacier but it is composed of rocks and only has a core of ice.

Walking around Canada

On Fri. 22 Oct 2010 I reached Flat Creek which is located on the Klondike Hwy, 40 K's east of Dawson City, Yukon Territory in Canada. My wife and I spent 18 glorious days in the Yukon this summer from 28 Jul til 14 Aug. travelling from Whitehorse to Inuvik, NWT. So again I passed myself twice on my virtual walk around Canada, for the 3rd and 4th time.
I am now walking up the Dempster Hwy which is a gravel road and 731 K's to Inuvik.
There is pavement for about the first 6 K's and just after that we reached the North Fork ditch.
For about 60 years this ditch channelled water to a hydro electric plant 25 K's west. The hydro was used to run the massive gold dredges near Dawson City. There is one on display near the original gold calim on Bonanza creek. The Dempster Hwy is named after a RCMP officer who used this route when travelling from Dawson to Ft. McPherson. Construction of the hwy started in 1959 and was completed to Inuvik in 1979
This ditch is at mileage 6.4k reached 25 Oct

Walking Around Canada

On 3 Dec 2009 I reached Dawson Creek, BC, which is Mile 0 [Zero]
on the Alaska Highway. I will now head north on my virtual walk to Inuvik
a distance of 2,626 K's.
Stay tuned.

Walking Around Canada

On 28 Aug 2009 I reached Prince George, BC on my virtual walk around Canada.
I am next heading to Dawson Creek "Mile Zero" on Alaska Highway, a distance of
329 K's
For a complete list of stops along the way since I left St. John's NFLD
1 March 2004 see my earliest post this blog 28 Nov 2008

Walking Around Canada

Last Saturday, 1 Aug. 2009, I passed thru Vanderhof, BC on my way to Prince George, BC. For a complete listing of my virtual journey from St. John's, NFLD see my first post this blog.
Due to summer holidays my other activities have slowed to a crawl

Walking Around Canada

On 25th June I passed thru Burns Lake walking towards Prince George, BC
Next Vanderhoof 128Ks'

Walking Around Canada

On Thurs. 4th June I passed thru Houston, BC, eastbound towards Prince George, BC,
having covered 8,162K's since leaving St. John's NFLD. on my virtual walk 1st Mar. 2004

Walking Around Canada

Yesterday, 28 February 2009, I completed 5 years of Walking around Canada. I was eastbound on Hwy 16, 20 K's west of Terrace, BC between Prince Rupert, BC and Prince George, BC. I started my walk on 1 March 2004 at St. John's, Newfoundland NOTE Refer to first entry on my blog for a detailed progress report of my walk

Walking Around Canada

28 November 2008
Walking around Canada. Started in St. John's Nfld, 1 March 2004. Nil K's logged for Ferry trips.
Somewhere on Trans Canada Hwy in Nfld I actually met myself on my virtual walk.
Moncton, NB, 1,415 Ks 15 Apr 2005
Montreal, Qu, 2,464Ks 18 Dec 2005
Cochrane, On 3,390Ks 14 Jun 2006
Winnipeg, MB 4,800Ks 21 Jan 2007
Calgary, AB 6,143Ks 21 Oct 2007
Victoria, BC 7,228Ks 16 Aug 2008 Again met myself on virtual walk
Comox, BC 7,456Ks 18 Oct 2008 Toured around town as I lived here 1974 - 1982
Woss, BC 7,642 Ks 13 Dec 2008
Port Hardy, BC [Overnite Ferry trip to Prince Rupert]
Prince Rupert, BC 7,742 K's 12/13 Jan 2009
Terrace, BC, 7,889 K's 8 March 2009
South Hazelton, BC 8,029 K's 27 Apr 2008
Houston, BC