Journal Notes - the Campbell Highway
Departure Info
Latitude
62° 13' 51" N
Longitude
133° 21' 07" W
Altitude
734m/2409ft
Time
10:53
Temperature
16°C/61°F
Odometer
22346 miles

June 16, 2003

Faro
One last morning in Faro, we hiked to the Van Gorder Falls and then cleaned up the campsite.
The Campbell Highway west of Faro was quite different than that to the east. Both paving and striping were apparent, clearly to better support the heavy truck traffic from the mines.

The black spruce forest is quite interesting. It appears to be "ancient forest", that is forest which has never been logged. There are areas though where various hardwoods, both aspen and birches predominate. I suspect that these are areas of previous disturbance from fire. The view of the forested hills are striking, the dark green of the spruce mixes with swirls of the lighter green of the aspen. The effect is heightened by the slivering of the rear of the aspen's leaves due to insect infestation. With a gentle breeze, the bright patterns of trembling light is mesmerizing.
As the highway continues to the west, one passes Little Salmon Lake to the south. Given that the little version has a length of about 40km, the large version of this lake must be something to see. The weather this day is warm and dry making for a pleasant drive.
As the Campbell Highway comes to the end we come to the Yukon River flowing north to Dawson City. Upon joining the Klondike Highway, we head down into Carmacks to refuel and then north to Minto.
Minto is on the eastern bank of the Yukon River. As the sun slowly heads north, the bird song of a type that I've never heard before. I contact Big River Enterprises hoping to take a river ride up to Fort Selkirk in the morning.
copyright 2003 - Dennis Chapman