The Tatshenshini River Rafting Experience

It started in the Yukon. However, we were obliged to drive 4 hours through BC to the US border to get clearance beforehand. Think I68, except no one will ever ask you for it.
Back in the Yukon, our put-in point was on Native land and, once underway, the white water quickly appeared and tossed us about for the next 20 miles with the first 6 being a class III rapid.
Although it was a relief to finally beach for a lunch stop, I was actually starting to enjoy the ride and certainly did so, for eleven days. Pat, the water babe, beaming all the way, had a head start on me on that.

OK, I’m ready now, bring it on. And the river did.

From the time we started until we pulled out at the Pacific in Alaska, there was no sign of civilization. The river was our highway with meals and camps on the riverbanks. Rafters, critters and plants were the only signs of life. Perhaps we should include the many slow moving, but very loud, glaciers as well. During its quiet interludes, the river, with glacial silt rubbing against our raft, created a hissing sound (like Maracas) and river rock tumbling under us on the riverbed made a clunking sound (like Bongos), as though it too was alive. It certainly would qualify when the roar of the rapids or adjacent waterfalls filled the air.

Although we saw plenty of tracks, we only saw one grizzly and a moose with calf. However the sky was filled with numerous bald eagles, gulls, turns, swallows and, yes, a robin. Oops, almost forgot the mosquitoes.
Here we have good news and bad news. The bad news is they are big… no huge! The good news is that they are slow and easily swatted in mid air. The bad news is, the sneaky buggers are silent, no buzz. Ouch!
Oh, yes, the flowers, such profusion, such diversity and variety in colour.

The weather varied tremendously... and often frequently. If you didn’t like the weather, wait 5 minutes, or move 5 miles.
Some nights, with an open bar, we would sit around the campfire for some time before sliding into our sleeping bags; other nights, due to rain and/or exhaustion, we’d be in bed by eight o’clock. Although, because sunset was at midnight and we had 18 hour days, it was hard to tell the time.

Back to the open bar… cold beer was available upon every landfall, red and white wines with dinner and liqueurs for the evening fire. Our larder was equally well stocked with fantastic meals and snacks every day. Despite the workout, many of us gained weight.

The days, eleven of them, were pretty much the same, except each one was totally different. Tree lined shores, rock walls, glaciers and icebergs. Narrow rushing canyons and wide braiding valleys. Sandy camps, rocky camps, dry camps and wet camps.

Dry Bay, Alaska, our final destination, was named by the same folks that named Greenland and Iceland.

It was a marvellous adventure and all aspects of our trip met, or exceeded, our expectations.

For a photo album, click HERE   Note; this will take you out of the EYC site to the photobucket site. 

There are a number of companies running river trips in the north but we found that Tatshenshini Expediting Ltd ran an excellent program; check out their website HERE for more info and other options.