Mountain Light
Tombstone Territorial Park
6 days hiking in the Ogilvie Mountains in Fall colours
August 24 - 29, 2008
Description
Ddhal Ch'el, "among the sharp, ragged rocky mountains" is the traditional name for the Tombstone Range. Tombstone Mountain, a towering plutonic intrusion, is at the heart of this
range. It is also the namesake for Tombstone Territorial Park. The park straddles the Dempster Highway - a narrow strip of gravel in an immense expanse of northern Yukon
wilderness. It is an exceptionally dramatic landscape, with the jagged granite and syenite peaks of the Tombstone and Cloudy Ranges soaring abruptly above sweeping
picturesque valleys. Multiple alpine glaciations have sculptured the rock spires and left behind distinctive features such as cirques, tarns and moraines. Boreal forest and
arctic tundra meet here, with the forested valleys of the Klondike and Chandindu Rivers in the southern end of the Park giving way to treeless windswept uplands of shrub
tundra further north.
The Tombstones are at the southern edge of Beringia, a unique region that was not scoured by continental glaciers during the last ice age. There are
good examples of permafrost features throughout the Park- patterned ground, pingos, seasonal frost mounds and solifluction lobes. Tombstone Park is rich in cultural history
as well, with rich archaeological evidence of at least 8000 years of First Nations peoples traveling across this land in search of its abundant game and fish - ancestors of
today's Tr'ondek Hwetch'in , Gwitchin, and Han people.
The end of August and early September is perhaps the most alluring time of year to visit the Park due to its dazzling display of fall colours - the golden hues of the aspen
and and balsam poplars, the burnt orange and fiery reds of the dwarf birch, and the brilliant russets of the alpine bearberry. This is also a season where the bugs have
abated and the mountain tops are often picturesquely tinged by frost or early snows. This is a favourite time of year for many to travel the Dempster corridor.
Trip Itinerary
We will meet in Dawson City, or at Tombstone campground, during the morning of Day 1 (at a time to be determined later, depending on participants travel schedules and arrival
times). Trip ends late afternoon on Day 6 at Tombstone or Dawson, (again, depending on participants travel arrangements).
Our plan is to base ourselves at Tombstone Campground, on the North Klondike River, 75 kilometers up the Dempster HIghway. We will do day hikes from there into the Park.
Some we can access from the campground and others we will need to drive short distances south and north from camp. If the group desires we can travel further north one day
into the northern Ogilvie Mountains, to access their more gently accessed limestone ridges. By base camping (vs. backpacking) we can travel light each day, packing only
a lunch, some warm clothes, and a camera.
We have no fixed destination over the week, and can plan our days depending on weather, and group inclinations. We can, for
example, alternate a long hiking day in the Tombstone mountains with an exploratory day along the Blackstone Uplands, looking for wildlife and strolling up valleys. We
will have time built into our daily schedules for interpretive talks, quiet contemplation and creative expression (ie. photography , painting, writing).
For photography instruction with a well respected Yukon photographer consider joining the Numinous North weekend immediately following.
Your Leader
Jill Pangman is very familiar with the country along the Dempster . She worked on the highway as a naturalist and biologist in 1984 and has traveled the road
countless times since. She has hiked up innumerable valleys and peaks in the Ogilvies as well as Richardson Mountains, and has been guiding hikers and wildlife enthusiasts
here since the mid 80s.
Jill has 25 years of experience as a wilderness guide, outdoor educator, naturalist, and conservationist. Her passion is exploring wild places and sharing these
experiences with others. She recognizes the capacity of wilderness sojourns to rejuvenate and inspire, and to deepen our connection to the natural world as well as to
ourselves. She expresses her own love of nature, and her commitment to the healing of our world through her guiding, writing, photography and conservation-oriented work.
She has immense gratitude for the beauty of nature as well as the human spirit, and she finds that leading journeys into the wilderness is an ideal venue to share this
appreciation.
Price:
$1490.00 Can. from Dawson City, Yukon. Please note that the price quoted does not include the 5% Goods and Services Tax.
What's included?
- the services of 1 (or 2 - depending on numbers) fully qualified Sila Sojourns guide
- transportation to and from Dawson City ( possibly from Whitehorse but no guarantee)
- all group equipment including tents (unless you wish to use your own), cooking equipment, first aid supplies, and satellite phone (for emergency use and logistical support only)
- all meals from lunch Day 1 to lunch Day 6
What´s not?
- transportation to and from your home and Dawson City
- personal belongings and equipment as per equipment list
- any accommodation or meals in Whitehorse and Dawson City
Topographical Information
We carry a full complement of maps with us but if you wish to have your own, the 1:250,000 scale maps you will want are called Dawson (116B-116C) and Ogilvie River (116G - 116F). Maps can be purchased in Whitehorse at Mac's Fireweed Books at 203 Main St.
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