August 4
43 miles
4600 feet elevation gain
Today was so. much. climbing. All I can remember is climbing. We’re in Canada! We are glad that we were forced to do that extra 7 miles and 800 foot climb last night, because although we only had 27 miles left to cross the border, we didn’t get there until 4, just two hours to spare before they close at 6. An extra climb might have left us crunched for time.
The first big climb was to join the Top of the World Highway. We climbed for 4 miles on a winding dirt road to finally leave the Taylor Highway behind. Along the way we passed a lot of heavy machinery including dredges and tractors, all hauled up here for gold mining. We did meet 2 researchers collecting data in areas being restored after mining activities, so it’s nice to see that efforts are being made to mitigate the effects of mining.
We took a break when we finally got to the top before starting what might be the best paved road in Alaska. No potholes! But the climbing was not done. The Top of the World Highway mostly started with short, punchy uphills, usually a 6-7% gradient for about half a mile before descending something similar.
We started to move into alpine tundra and had views in every direction as this highway follows along the rolling ridges. The final 3 miles to the Canadian Border was a long uphill, but just before that climb started we came upon Boundary, which is little more than a sparsely stocked store. But, we got juice and a Klondike bar before powering up the hill. Alaska finally decided to bestow us with a tailwind for these final miles.
The customs agents at the border had lots of questions about our setup and route, and they refilled our water bottles before sending us on our way. It was more climbing, to the top of the Top of the World highway. And although it was more descent after that point, we still had climbing sections of 10% gradients, and we were tired. We also lost an hour as we moved into Pacific time, so we got ourselves within 50 miles of Dawson City so we can get there tomorrow.
It might be a long day, but we’ve got a huge descent back down to the Yukon River so we’re counting on at least some of the day being fast and easy. I was way too tired to pay much attention to the birds today, but I did see several White Winged Crossbills, Willow Ptarmigans, and Common Ravens on the Canada side. We ate two dinners tonight, and probably could have done a third.
