The highlight of my summer was definitely our incredible two week canoe trip down the Teslin and Yukon Rivers.  Unlike last year’s trip, this time Chelsea and I had some company – both our dads (Doug and Jim) came along for the ride, and Chelsea’s brother Shawn & his friend Sarah joined us for the second half.  As much as we enjoy each other’s company, it was a nice change to have some other people around to mix things up (and allow more options for the evening card games!).  One of the best parts for me was being able to share such an awesome trip with my dad, who’s the main reason I’m into all this outdoorsy nature stuff to begin with.  Thanks everyone for helping pack the trip with so many unforgettable moments!  =)

Since it’s taken me such a long time to put together this post (I’ve been busy, get off my back!), I’ll skip the nitty gritty details and stick to some of the more memorable moments.  If you’re interested in the practical details on the trip, I stuck those at the end.  So, with no further doo-doo, I present to you "Stories from the River".  Enjoy!
~ Mandrew

Who needs bear spray when you’ve got Mandrew Musk™?
One morning before we’d all gotten up, Doug was lying awake in his tent when he heard something moving around beside him.  He peeked out and saw a black bear sniffing about.  Not wanting to alarm anyone (or the bear) he quietly watched as it made its way around our camp and over to our tent.  Just as it reached us I happened to rip out a nice loud fart, startling the bear and causing it to flee for its life.  Yup, I've got skills.

Yes they are real, and we have seen them!  There is a story for the more manly in here too, don't worry.  It involves criminals and crocodiles... !

During our trip along the Rio Napo from Coca to Iquitos our first stop was in a tiny town called Nuevo Rocafuerte, the place to find a local guide to take you on a trip into Yasuni National Park (without having to pay the crazy prices quoted by travel agencies in Coca).

We met Roni Cox while walking around Nuevo Rocafuerte (NR) after only ten minutes.  He pulled his motorcycle over to us and asked (in Spanish, of course) if we wanted a guide (himself) to Yasuni National Park.  While that is exactly what we were looking for and he seemed super cool, we weren’t too quick to accept.  We had been reading a few too many horror stories about people going into the jungle with fake “guides” who essentially take people down the river to their friend’s place and rob and/or murder them.  I don’t think any of these stories came directly from NR, but after the weirdo motorbike robber encounter in Coca, we've been a bit more on our toes.  We told him that we were actually looking for Frederico (a guide that a Park Ranger recommended to us) but we would consider his offer and come by his house later that day to let him know.  We knew that there was a College in town (down the only street) that trains guides so we went there and asked if they knew Roni.  They sure did and said that he was great. 

Within a few hours we managed to meet a couple of solo travellers, María-José from Chile and Rodrigo from Argentina, who were also looking to go into the park and after some consideration the four of us decided to go for it!

Roni turned out to be a great guide, very enthusiastic and funny.  The four of us had a blast riding in the smaller lancha (boat with outboard motor) through the Yasuni River and into a large lagoon called Jatuncocha (Quecha for "large lake").  We spent 3 days and 2 nights in the park, hiking for a few hours each day, learning about the plants and birds, watching the pink river dolphins breaching in the river (SO COOL!!), and fishing for piranhas before dark.  After eating dinner and playing a couple rounds of cards (ninety-nine, or noventa y nueve en Español), we took the lancha out to do some caiman watching!  We really didn’t have too much chill time, always on the go and keeping watch for some rare creatures!  Mandrew had a great time snapping photos of birds as we passed by - he said it was a lot like the video game "Pokemon Snap" or something ... On the last day we did end up seeing the giant river otters, which was a great bonus! 

When we got back to NR we parted ways with María-José and Rodrigo, sadly as they were a lot of fun, and started looking into plans to get further down the river, eventually to Iquitos in Peru which we have been told can take anywhere from 3-11 days on a barca (cargo boat).  We had been hearing rumours that there would be one leaving from Pantoja (the first small town on the Peruvian side of the border) on Saturday or Sunday (it was Wednesday at this point).  It's always a bit hard to tell with this kind of info in these small, isolated towns - we actually thought near the end that we may have somehow started this rumour ourselves - so really weren’t too confident.  At any rate, we'd had enough of NR and decided to make our way across the border and into Pantoja to try our luck.

"Six days, 228 miles, a close grizzly encounter, way too much sun, an incredible thunderstorm, and a constant feeling of awe - this was a trip we'll both remember for a lifetime."

The last couple weeks with my parents have been a blast, trying to make the most of their time in Costa Rica.  While we had a great time showing them around and going on a variety of day adventures, their visit also came with some new challenges for Chelsea and I – namely finding the best cheap red wine for my mom and an appropriate substitute for my dad’s usual “blue drinks” (VEX electric lemonade vodka coolers).  Their visit also meant a nice change for us – a couple weeks of eating better food, staying in fancy-schmancy rental properties (with hot showers, hooray!), and the experience of Costa Rican driving with our rental car.

The first week we stayed at a condo in Playas Del Coco, about an hours’ drive south of Tamarindo.  The guy who drove us into town introduced the place as “a drinking town with a fishing problem” and we quickly saw why.  The main part of town was a stretch of road packed with restaurants and bars, each with large signs boasting their “happy hour” deals.  One bar on the far end of the beach had a “wall of fame”, showcasing their current record-holders for the most beers drank in a single day – one of whom we were told was a ninety pound Canadian chica who slammed back 30 or more beers and still managed to head out to go dancing afterward.  Way to represent!  The main beach at Coco was packed with fishermen and their rigs, as well as local kids playing football (soccer) and random dogs running amuck.  

We spent a few days relaxing at Playa del Coco and a couple of the neighboring beaches, at each new location sampling their Pina Colada in Chelsea’s extensive search for the very best.  My dad and I also managed to pack in a morning of ocean fishing, which was a nice treat.  Our boat was followed by a couple pods of spotted dolphins, and we managed to catch (although we did very little of the actual fishing part) a beautiful mahi-mahi, which took us a few meals to eat our share of.  We also spent an afternoon relaxing and surfing at Playa Grande (thanks Christie & Sebsters for the recommendation!) which was by far the highlight of the week for us.  The waves were perfect for learning and we all (except for the mimsy) had some success catching some gnarly surf (but limited success in picking up on the surfer lingo).  

Although Playas del Coco was not exactly the nicest beach or town we’ve seen so far, it was great to spend the week relaxing, eating, drinking, playing cards and catching up with the parents.

The next week we spent at an awesome rental house in Neuvo Arenal, which was recommended to us by April’s parents (thanks Janice & Gord!).  The house was gorgeous, complete with two king-size beds, an extra bedroom, four washrooms, a swimming pool, beautiful garden & terrace, and fully-stocked kitchen (with a blender for mastering our Pina Colada skills).  We did a lot of driving around to check out the sights, which were incredible.  We spent an afternoon hiking around Arenal Volcano, during which my mom impressed us all with her rock-hopping skills.  We awoke every morning to howling monkeys (which to us sound more like pissed-off dinosaurs than monkeys), though we didn’t see any until our drive back to the airport on the final day.

The two weeks flew right by, and we were sad to see my parents off.  We also can’t believe it’s already December – it will be tough for us to be away from our families over Christmas.

Some of the highlights of the last couple weeks:

-       exploring random dirt roads in our rental golf cart

-       feeding the mocking-jays at Playa Ocotal

-       Scuba diving at Playas del Coco and experiencing the intense chill of the thermoclines

-       catching mad curls at Playa Grande in Tamarindo

-       fishing for mahi-mahi at Playas del Coco

-       searching for the best pina colada, and finally achieving perfection for ourselves

-       hiking through the jungle around Arenal Volcano

-       relaxing in the hot springs river near La Fortuna

-       driving along a random gravel road and spotting spider monkeys

-       playing lots of card games and learning a new game together (All Fours)

-       horseback riding around the hills near Nuevo Arenal



Thanks again, Mimsy & Pimsy, for coming to see us!  Hope to see you in Africa next year!  =)

Pura Vida,
Mandrew & Chelsea

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We spent the last few days revisiting Haines, Alaska to enjoy the pink salmon run.  The obvious goal was to catch some salmon, although fishing in Haines comes with the added bonus of breathtaking scenery and the incredible spectacle that the salmon run attracts (eagles, seals, grizzly bears, fisherman and, of course, tourists). 

The life of a salmon is a pretty intriguing thing.  Pink salmon hatch during the winter and soon after make their way to the ocean where they spend 18 months feeding on plankton, small fish, crustaceans & squid. Once they've eaten their last meal, they make the epic journey back upriver, drop off their eggs & sperm, and then ... die.  
For whatever reason, pink salmon are shiny and silver-coloured while living in the ocean, but once they start their sex death journey they turn pink and the males develop a large hump on their back and a hooked upper jaw.  Seriously, I'm not making this up.

What I find really interesting is the way the salmon affect their environment.  By feeding like crazy in the ocean and then dying in their freshwater spawning grounds, the fish transport an incredible amount of nutrients upriver.  This is extremely important to the surrounding wildlife (bears, eagles, etc.) as well as the plant life that grows along the river.  Cue the Lion King's "Circle of Life" - naaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa, sequenyaaaaaaaaaa, mamameeeeeecheeewawaaaaa....

The fishing itself is quite different from any other fishing I'd experienced.  Because they're no longer interested in eating once they've begun their journey back upriver (one track mind?), it's pretty tough to convince them to bite your lure.  You can either use a lure that resembles roe (fish eggs) drifting along the bottom of the river in the hope that an altruistic salmon will take it in its mouth and try to secure it to the riverbed, or you can cast & reel with a shiny lure in an attempt to annoy a fish into biting it.  We went with the latter strategy and had decent luck, though we still caught many more fish "by accident" rather than by enticing them to bite.  It's pretty crazy to think that there are so many fish in the river that you can't avoid hooking into their bodies (like shooting fish in a barrel!), and unfortunately the rules force you to release any fish caught by "snagging".  Being the honest folk we are, this meant we kept only four fish but released over a dozen others.

Besides the fishermen, there are also plenty of other creatures around taking advantage of the salmon run. One evening there were eight grizzly bears feasting on salmon along the 1.5 km stretch of road that follows the Chilkoot River river connecting the Gulf of Alaska to the Chilkoot Lake.  Because they're well-fed and fairly used to people (tourists are brought in by the bus load on wildlife tours), though, there's little danger as long as you don't succumb to the temptation to go in for a hug.  In fact, at one point we calmly watched from within 30 feet as a large female made its evening trek along shore and then back uphill through the campground (where we spent our nights in our little tent, a feat the locals refer to as making "bear tacos"). 

As ridiculous as this all sounds, it's completely safe (especially if you're not the slowest runner in the group).  All joking aside, there really is very little to worry about, and any doubts are quickly dispelled by the ever-present Parks & Wildlife staff as they patrol the river and keep an eye on the bears (and the tourists).  At no point did we see a bear without first being notified that there was one approaching and that we could keep on fishing; they'd come warn us again before it got too close.  In our few days there we got to know some of the staff and a couple of the bears.  The one with Chelsea in the photo above was well known - this was her 28th year fishing on the river - and her daily trek down the river and through the campground was like clockwork.

When we weren't fishing or bear watching, we were looking out for bald eagles and trying to catch a video of one swooping down from the treetops to snatch up a salmon.  I'm not sure we got much usable footage here, though we did get a great video of an eagle pooping (which is even better in my opinion).

During high tide there were also a number of seals that would make their way in from the nearby saltwater to feast.  In fact, we found that the best time to fish was just as the tide reached its high point, since by then the seals had chased a fresh batch of salmon upriver for us to try and annoy.

Although this was my third trip to Haines (and Chelsea's umpteenth) I'd definitely come back if I get another opportunity - it's just too damn magical.

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Six days, 228 miles, a close grizzly encounter, way too much sun, an incredible thunderstorm, and a constant feeling of awe - this was a trip we'll both remember for a lifetime. 

There are few experiences more humbling than being alone on the river, floating through such a vast and beautiful wilderness.  With the current constantly pulling you along, it's all you can do to eagerly peer around each bend and discover what surprises are in store: breathtaking rock formations, charred remains of forests, sand & gravel islands, looming storm clouds, and plethora of wildlife.  This was the kind of trip that reminds you that you're just another one of nature's creatures. 

The paddling itself was quite non-technical and effortless; with the current flowing at about 7 or 8 km/h you can cover ground just relaxing and letting the river do the work. Much of the actual work we did was to investigate some of the smaller side-streams and islands along the way, or to avoid being drawn into areas that were too shallow or full of fallen trees.  There were only a handful of small rapids, most of which we worked hard to get to just for a little excitement.

We'd both recommend the trip to anyone who's had any wilderness camping experience. If you're well equipped for camping, you should have no trouble gaining your canoeing experience on the river. 

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Day One

We started our trip at Tatchun creek, a couple hour drive from Whitehorse (thanks to Chelsea’s mom for the ride!).  This put us just downstream of the Five Finger Rapids which we were too scared to attempt right off the bat.  In retrospect, we totally could have handled them – we may go back just to prove it to ourselves.  As we loaded the canoe and tied down our gear, a First Nations woman hanging salmon nearby warned us that there was a bear very close by.  Needless to say, we didn’t dawdle long for our goodbyes.

The first day of padding was quite casual.  As we got used to steering through the big eddies and quick current, we spotted a moose on shore and floated quite close before it got spooked and took off.  Later in the day, just before Minto, we spotted a large black bear on shore who didn’t pay us any mind, reminding us that we should take care at camp to avoid any encounters:  cook, eat, and store (in airtight containers or drybags) all food, dishes, and anything else with any kind of scent, including clothing worn when cooking or eating, a good distance away from where you sleep and where you store your canoe.  Despite this reminder, our dinner of rice and bean burritos proved impossible to contain, forcing us to move from our initial island camping spot just across from the Minto airstrip.  That spot was a bit too cozy anyway and we had no option to move our tent more than 5 or 10 feet from where we were eating.  Lesson one: burritos are a bad meal choice in bear country. We covered 37 miles, as the river flows, putting us just past Minto. 

We ended up spending the night instead at a spot marked “Thom’s Location” on the map, with a nice camping area and a usable cabin.  Because there was fresh bear scat nearby, bear claw marks on the trees, and wolves howling in the distance as we were stoking our camp fire, we decided to sleep inside the cabin, with the door tightly tied shut.  And because Chelsea was afraid of spiders, we pitched the tent inside the cabin.  This was a restless night for me, with hours spent listening to the scampering of rodents throughout the cabin.  I guess we shouldn’t expect to be the only ones taking advantage of such a cozy cabin – the tent was a good idea after all.

Day 2

Another day of beautiful weather and wildlife spotting (mountain sheep, beavers, bald eagles, ducks and other birds).  We stopped for a long break at Fort Selkirk (a historic trading post of the Hudson’s Bay Company) to have some lunch and explore some of the old buildings and artefacts.  After an easy day of padding, covering about 26 miles, we stopped at a large sandy island with a beautiful beach.  Lesson two:  when you’re on a remote beach, it’s impossible to resist getting naked and playing frisbee.

Day 3

Our third day was definitely the most exciting.  We awoke in sunshine to rolling thunder from a distant storm which we watched for a few hours as it slowly closed in around us.  Before the dark clouds and lightning got too close, we took shelter on shore below some cliffs and nervously watched the show.  With cliffs on one shore and hills on the other, the thunder echoed and rolled on for minutes at a time.  We managed to duck under a tarp just as the sky opened up dumping rain and hail on us.

Later that day once the rain had dried up, we started to wander from the main drag and explore more of the side streams and island channels in the hopes of finding a good fishing spot and spotting some more wildlife.  This brought us to Seventeen Mile creek, where after tying the boat to a fallen tree in a channel no more than fifteen feet wide, Chelsea was caught mid-pee (literally with her pants down) when a grizzly bear poked its head over some shrubs on the opposite shore about 10ft away.  I managed to alert Chelsea by shouting “Bear! Bear! Grizzly!” allowing her to demonstrate her ability to multi-task under pressure by quickly pulling her pants up, getting back into the canoe and untying the rope, all the while blowing her whistle, waving her arms, and assertively chanting “Hey! Hey! Get outta here!”.  Although we couldn’t see it, we could hear movement in the bushes beside the bear, probably from a cub (eeks!).  Luckily, after contemplating coming in for a closer look (perhaps to eat us), the bear slowly turned and went back into the bush.  Lesson three:  before stopping close to shore, make a ton of noise!

Despite the earlier scare, we found a great fishing spot on shore at the mouth of Selwyn creek and managed to catch a couple grayling for the evening meal.  After covering about 41 miles, we set up camp on another sandy island and finished the day.

Days 4 & 5

The fourth and fifth days offered an unexpected challenge: intense sunlight.  With the long, northern summers (over twenty hours of sunlight) the sun can really take a toll.  We had run out of sunscreen early on the fourth day so we were forced to hide under clothing instead (at one point I wore a pair of shorts over my head to keep my ears from burning). 

Despite the heat, there was a good variety of wildlife along the river.  I’m not sure how, but Chelsea managed to spot a lynx in some bushes on shore (I didn’t see it until we had paddled to within 15 feet of it).  We also spotted a wolf about a hundred feet downriver, though it didn’t hang out to give us a better look. 

After passing White River the water became even thicker with silt, making it tough(er) to filter directly from the river.  Luckily there were the odd creek with cleaner water to use.  You could actually hear a “hiss” from the silt as the canoe moved through the water, pretty wild.

Day four was a long one (we covered 51 miles) – we decided to pick up the pace and try and arrive in Dawson a day earlier (the sun had amplified our thirst for a cold beer).  The sun had finally taken its toll midway through day five, so after 37 miles we stumbled onto an island, set up a tarp for shade and had a long, cool nap.  Lesson four: spray-on sunscreen works fine, but only holds about a dozen applications - useless for a long trip.  Bring lotion!

Day 6

On our last morning on the river we awoke to smoke in the air and a haze in the distance ahead of us.  With a summer as hot as this, its common knowledge that there’s a risk of forest fires, but what would we do if we found ourselves padding into one?  We decided to press on and re-evaluate if the smoke got much thicker.  Luckily, after a few hours it cleared and we were able to continue on.  Later that day, as we neared Dawson City, we could see a large plume of smoke in the distance on the left shore – the fire was still there, but the wind had shifted.  

After covering the final 36 miles, we arrived in Dawson City.  Although it was nice to be done and enjoying some patio beers, we both admitted to each other we wished we had just a couple more days…

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We spent just one short week and crammed as much stuff as we possibly could.  We explored an underground lava tube, climbed a glacier, hiked a volcano, kayaked in the ocean, went fishing, snorkeled over the continental rift (Europe and North America) and rafted an awesome river!  
What a magical place!  

Everyone should go