Heading South... (but shush... don't tell anyone about this place)

Sophie is a teacher and on an academic calendar so eventually the time came to head south. From Whitehorse you have a couple of options to get back to the good old US of A. we could go back the way we came via the Alaska Highway but we had a sense of been there done that. Option two would send us to Skagway and Haines where we could pick up the Alaska Marine Ferry and take a boat trip south. Rumor was that the rates for the Alaska Ferry had gone through the roof as the Ferry system was being used to subsidize the Alaska State budget which was seeing some serious shortfalls due to the decline in oil prices and therefor a dramatically reduced flow of oil through the Alaska Pipeline. Option three would see us head east out of Whitehorse almost to Watson Lake (home of the Sign Forest I blogged about on our way north). Turning south we would take the Cassiar Highway to Prince George with a side trip along the way to Stewart, Canada/Hyder, Alaska.

For us, option three was the easy choice, but first there was another road beckoning to the small community of Atlin along the shores of, you guessed it, Atlin Lake. Atlin Lake is 90 miles long and the area is sometimes referred to as the Shangri-La of the north. How could we pass that up?

At the southern end of the lake is the Llewellyn Glacier. The Llewellyn is part of the Juneau Icefield which is the fifth largest in the western hemisphere and covers approximately 1,500 square miles.

The community of Atlin is somewhat unique. Today's population is 300 to 500 full-time hardy residents. During the Klondyke Gold Rush of 1898, the population was 10,000. Apparently Atlin is unincorporated and has no city government. Instead, everything is done by citizen committee. This includes the running of two campgrounds we availed ourselves of - Pine Creek Campround near town and Warm Bay about 14 miles farther south down the lake. The Pine Creek Campground was nestled in the pines as its name suggests and when we were there it was us and just one other site being occupied.

The Warm Bay campsite was more popular and it turned out to be our favorite for the entire trip. We were in one of only 5 sites and were lucky to get one right on the shore of the lake.

We were also blessed with spectacular (sunny and warm!) weather that allowed us to get some kayaking, swimming, and mountain biking in. They don't call it Warm Bay for nothing, and between the smooth as glass conditions for kayaking and warm water (relatively! It is a glacier-fed lake...) for swimming it almost made us forget the rains of Alaska.

Note the strategic placement of the can
of bear spray for easy access...
Ever the fashionista!

Atlin boasts of only two snow-free months, July and August, when the highs average in the mid-60 degree range. Record low for Atlin is -58 degrees so you won't see me and Sophie there in December and January but apparently the Aurora Borealis is spectacular; there's even a site that forecasts the Aurora. While we didn't see the Aurora, Atlin Lake more than made up for it by way of it's spectacular sunsets.

Needless to say, it was very difficult to leave this wonderful oasis. If the entire Alaska trip had been like this, well, tell the post office to start forwarding my mail 'cause I'm not coming home. After a couple of days of course it was a weather change that prompted us to load up and journey on. As we left, we watched a group of intrepid women kayakers setting out in the intermittent rain on a week-long paddle towards the glacier at the end of the lake. We wished them well then turned our back on beautiful Atlin Lake already planning for a return visit.

The loon cries on Atlin Lake
Still silent and peaceful
In her summer frill
Yet change is in the air
The poplars herald with colorful flair
The approaching season with shock and awe
Will soon cancel out this ephemeral thaw
As winter draws her inscrutable shade
Across river, forest, and sunlit glade

Until then I watch my Sophie with dimpled smile
Creating memories that I'll file
To review again some future day
When summer at Atlin Lake is so far away
I watch her on the water as she dances there
Paddling out full of wonder and without a care
At Atlin Lake, I'll remember her there