Yukon – Day 5 – May 28
Today was a super fun and adventurous day filled with hikes, laughter and memories which I will cherish forever! Here is how my day went J
We woke up semi-early and ate some grub. Elders were waiting for us at the Interpretive Centre, se we made our way over there. I was super excited because I had never talked to true elders about their perspective on the land. When the elders were ready we went inside. The elder’s names were Percy, Victor, William, Peggy, Mabel, Jody and Debbie. They talked about the Peel, and how they are always fighting for it. One thing about the Aboriginal culture that I adore is how they make decisions based on how it will benefit 7 generations ahead. I think that that is a beautiful thing, and it would be nice if the western mindset thought that way too. I really like looking into their culture, and all of the elders taught me things I had never thought of – like how they use caribou hoof to make soup, or to give as a gift to others walking by. The elders are extremely wise, and I really valued the time we spent with them. They really care about the land, the future generations, and how to stay sustainable. I wish that that was how society ran now. One thing that really stuck out to me was one thing Mabel said -> “We are in a different world from what we used to live. The world was clean.”
That really got me thinking about how much we have changed the world in such little time. It is sad to think, but that was in the past – we are in the present and we can fix this!
The elders were a huge treat to talk with. I am so thankful that we got an opportunity to hear their words of wisdom. After talking with the elders, we had a scavenger hunt at the Centre. I learned a lot of things, like 7 types of common fish in the Yukon. It was cool to learn more about the park, some wildlife within it, and different facts about the Yukon! I really enjoyed that little game thingJ.
We loaded the bus and headed for Two Moose Lake to do some wildlife viewing. It started spitting…then pattering…then raining…then pouring…then HAILING!! I was kind of excited because I love hail because I think it’s really weird, but I also love the smell of the grass after a rain/hail. We ended up not being able to do a hike because the hail was too big, but we had fun anyway!
Instead of a hike we drove down to the tundra! I had heard about the tundra, and seen it from pictures, but it is nothing like that at all! I imagined it being frozen, iced over prairie, but it was a totally different story! We stepped onto the tundra and it was the squishiest thing I’ve ever stepped on! It felt like we were standing on a bin of mushy grapes, like you can do in the Greek pavilion at Folk Fest! When you bounced your knees, the ground would jiggle under your feet and around you. It was super funJ. I stuck my hand in the gooey earth and found stiff ice below! I guess that was the permafrost side of things. The ground looked pure white – not from snow…from lichen! Lolita said that if you step too much on the tundra, it will not grow back for 100 years! The colours were very calming – soft greens, whites and dark greys filled the ground, and it was sure incredible! The tundra is so beautiful and surreal. I can’t even imagine how privileged we are to have received an opportunity that special. It’s just like the Rough Rider cheer, “So cheer us on through the sun and the rain…” To me, it’s like we are still fighting for what we believe is right, and though we may see some amazing sights along the way, we still have our purpose in the back of four heads. The tundra was such a gift from God, and I am so amazed and grateful for what Mother Earth has provided us with, and we can enjoy the earth – in peace.
After that, we went to the camp again. We had no water, so we made a little trip down to the creek. Dustin gathered the water in our pot and the noise of the creek was so exhilarating! The swift movements made me think of a song from Pocahontas called “Just around the River Bend,” and it was pretty cool. Once we got our water we headed back and boiled it for 10 extra minutes. It was cool to see how you could use Mother Nature for your survival – food wise!
Some people from the Interpretive Centre gave us a very interesting presentation on the uses of caribou furs! She showed us a beautiful coat, mukluks, dance boots and beadwork she made. She talked about how climate change is affecting their community. They told us that the caribou and salmon barely came this year, which was devastating to them since they rely on the animals to survive. It is so bad there that a giant lake drained in 36 hours! It is very sad to know that we are creating all of this grief for communities like that one.
It was about 10 pm when we left for our night hike – though it was nighttime, it wasn’t dark! The beginning reminded me of this hike me and my friend did every year! Except that the hike we do is 100% grass, it was still cool. We kept climbing up, and the terrain was a lot like a rocky version of Batoche type thing. There weren’t as many trees as the first hike we did, but I still enjoyed it! The hills moved around a lot, and we kept climbing until we reached the summit. When we finally got there, everyone was so tired, but we still took a bunch of pictures on top of this tiny point thing. I realized that when we looked out and saw a snow capped mountain, we were on one of those. The view was like the kind you see in a magazine – simply breathtaking. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, and it was awesome. I was so thankful for the burn in my legs, because I knew that I was living. So many people don’t know what it is like on the point of a mountain at 1:30 am – wind blowing, sun out, views you see online, and your best friends all around you – its pure bliss, and it is really amazing.
It was almost 2:00 am when we got back to camp, so obviously we went to sleep. I was extremely tired, so I instantly went to sleep.
This day has been a true blessing from above – we met with experts, touched the tundra, and hiked a mountain! I am so grateful for what life has provided for me and I can’t wait to share my days with my family!
Adios! JasmineJ
Today was a super fun and adventurous day filled with hikes, laughter and memories which I will cherish forever! Here is how my day went J
We woke up semi-early and ate some grub. Elders were waiting for us at the Interpretive Centre, se we made our way over there. I was super excited because I had never talked to true elders about their perspective on the land. When the elders were ready we went inside. The elder’s names were Percy, Victor, William, Peggy, Mabel, Jody and Debbie. They talked about the Peel, and how they are always fighting for it. One thing about the Aboriginal culture that I adore is how they make decisions based on how it will benefit 7 generations ahead. I think that that is a beautiful thing, and it would be nice if the western mindset thought that way too. I really like looking into their culture, and all of the elders taught me things I had never thought of – like how they use caribou hoof to make soup, or to give as a gift to others walking by. The elders are extremely wise, and I really valued the time we spent with them. They really care about the land, the future generations, and how to stay sustainable. I wish that that was how society ran now. One thing that really stuck out to me was one thing Mabel said -> “We are in a different world from what we used to live. The world was clean.”
That really got me thinking about how much we have changed the world in such little time. It is sad to think, but that was in the past – we are in the present and we can fix this!
The elders were a huge treat to talk with. I am so thankful that we got an opportunity to hear their words of wisdom. After talking with the elders, we had a scavenger hunt at the Centre. I learned a lot of things, like 7 types of common fish in the Yukon. It was cool to learn more about the park, some wildlife within it, and different facts about the Yukon! I really enjoyed that little game thingJ.
We loaded the bus and headed for Two Moose Lake to do some wildlife viewing. It started spitting…then pattering…then raining…then pouring…then HAILING!! I was kind of excited because I love hail because I think it’s really weird, but I also love the smell of the grass after a rain/hail. We ended up not being able to do a hike because the hail was too big, but we had fun anyway!
Instead of a hike we drove down to the tundra! I had heard about the tundra, and seen it from pictures, but it is nothing like that at all! I imagined it being frozen, iced over prairie, but it was a totally different story! We stepped onto the tundra and it was the squishiest thing I’ve ever stepped on! It felt like we were standing on a bin of mushy grapes, like you can do in the Greek pavilion at Folk Fest! When you bounced your knees, the ground would jiggle under your feet and around you. It was super funJ. I stuck my hand in the gooey earth and found stiff ice below! I guess that was the permafrost side of things. The ground looked pure white – not from snow…from lichen! Lolita said that if you step too much on the tundra, it will not grow back for 100 years! The colours were very calming – soft greens, whites and dark greys filled the ground, and it was sure incredible! The tundra is so beautiful and surreal. I can’t even imagine how privileged we are to have received an opportunity that special. It’s just like the Rough Rider cheer, “So cheer us on through the sun and the rain…” To me, it’s like we are still fighting for what we believe is right, and though we may see some amazing sights along the way, we still have our purpose in the back of four heads. The tundra was such a gift from God, and I am so amazed and grateful for what Mother Earth has provided us with, and we can enjoy the earth – in peace.
After that, we went to the camp again. We had no water, so we made a little trip down to the creek. Dustin gathered the water in our pot and the noise of the creek was so exhilarating! The swift movements made me think of a song from Pocahontas called “Just around the River Bend,” and it was pretty cool. Once we got our water we headed back and boiled it for 10 extra minutes. It was cool to see how you could use Mother Nature for your survival – food wise!
Some people from the Interpretive Centre gave us a very interesting presentation on the uses of caribou furs! She showed us a beautiful coat, mukluks, dance boots and beadwork she made. She talked about how climate change is affecting their community. They told us that the caribou and salmon barely came this year, which was devastating to them since they rely on the animals to survive. It is so bad there that a giant lake drained in 36 hours! It is very sad to know that we are creating all of this grief for communities like that one.
It was about 10 pm when we left for our night hike – though it was nighttime, it wasn’t dark! The beginning reminded me of this hike me and my friend did every year! Except that the hike we do is 100% grass, it was still cool. We kept climbing up, and the terrain was a lot like a rocky version of Batoche type thing. There weren’t as many trees as the first hike we did, but I still enjoyed it! The hills moved around a lot, and we kept climbing until we reached the summit. When we finally got there, everyone was so tired, but we still took a bunch of pictures on top of this tiny point thing. I realized that when we looked out and saw a snow capped mountain, we were on one of those. The view was like the kind you see in a magazine – simply breathtaking. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, and it was awesome. I was so thankful for the burn in my legs, because I knew that I was living. So many people don’t know what it is like on the point of a mountain at 1:30 am – wind blowing, sun out, views you see online, and your best friends all around you – its pure bliss, and it is really amazing.
It was almost 2:00 am when we got back to camp, so obviously we went to sleep. I was extremely tired, so I instantly went to sleep.
This day has been a true blessing from above – we met with experts, touched the tundra, and hiked a mountain! I am so grateful for what life has provided for me and I can’t wait to share my days with my family!
Adios! JasmineJ