Journey with the Elements by Sea Kayak
Atlin Provincial Park, BC 5 days
Imagine yourself skimming over shimmering waters, and strolling along sweeping shores. This is an immense landscape – with its soaring snow-shrowded peaks, blue-ice glaciers, and cascading waterfalls. It is also an inviting one, with its crescents of terraced beaches, gently contoured headlands, and wildflower-dotted meadows. Join us as we immerse ourselves in a timeless state where the rhythms we move to are those of the living Earth herself.
This is a chance to connect deeply to the healing energy of this powerful landscape. As well, it is an opportunity to be in community, to share our insights and laughter with trip companions, and through this sharing to co-create a journey together. In this exploration of self in nature we can connect to the simple purity of the present moment. Give yourself this gift of time to just BE.
During this sojourn we will be traveling through Atlin Provincial Park, which encompasses the southern end of Atlin Lake. This is British Columbia’s largest natural lake. The northern tip of it is nestled along the Yukon – BC border. The country surrounding Atlin is aptly named “Little Switzerland”, with its myriad of snow-capped peaks and rivers of glacier blue ice. The Juneau Icefields stretch from here to the Southeast Alaska coast. We may catch glimpses of the Icefield glaciers during our trip, notably the Lewellan, which we may hike into, time and weather permitting.
Strong catabatic winds blowing off the glaciers can turn a calm lake into a choppy one very quickly. The myriad of picturesque granite islands in the Park offer shelter from winds, as well as protected bays for camping. There are enough islands that we do not have to do any long crossings across open stretches of water. And we use sea-kayaks as our chosen craft due to their stability.
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Dates
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Duration
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5 – 7 days |
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Price
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TBD
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Activity
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sea-kayaking |
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Skill Level (minimum)
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no kayaking experience necessary |
The trip will start in the historic and quaint townsite of Atlin, BC. Atlin is a 2 1/2 hour drive from Whitehorse, east along the Alaska Highway, and then south along scenic Highway #7. This itinerary is written as if we will motor down to the southern end of the lake on the first morning (versus being picked up at the south end on the last afternoon). This order could be reversed at the last minute due to a number of factors, including weather.
Day 1
We’ll leave early enough from Whitehorse so that we can reach Atlin in time to shuttle a vehicle to Warm Bay (for our return in 5 days time), pack the charter boat with our gear and kayaks (double and singles), and motor down the lake by lunch time to our first campsite on or in the vicinity of Crow or Sloko Island. We will likely travel through the stunningly beautiful Torres Channel on the west side of the lake and along the precipitous cliffs of Cathedral Mountain, and if we go all the way to Sloko I sland then through the narrow passageway of Second Narrows.
After lunch we’ll have time to review basic paddling and rescue skills, and make sure everyone is comfortable in their boat, before we venture out further from shore to do some exploring in the vicinity of our camp.
Days 2 and 3:
Our intention is to have at least 2 nights at the same camp on or in the vicinity of Sloko Island. We will have time to explore our surroundings in this southern part of the lake in the heart of Atlin Provincial Park, in the endless hours of June daylight. Weather permitting we will paddle down Llewellyn Inlet one day, with its turquoise-hued waters edged by precipitous slopes, home to waterfalls and mountain goats, and we’ll hike from the end of the inlet into a vantage point to view the Llewellyn Glacier from. In this journey with the elements, we will have a chance to step away from the “to do´s” of our lives, and let our inner rhythms synchronize with the rhythms of the natural world.
Days 4 and 5:
It will take us 2 days to paddle back to Warm Bay from Sloko Island, exploring the vast network of islands and bays on route. We’ll aim to be back in Atlin by mid afternoon.
WHAT’S INCLUDED
- Transportation from Whitehorse return, if required (we will help organize carpooling for local participants )
- the services of one or two fully qualified guides (depending on group numbers)
- all group equipment including kayaks, paddles& pfd’s (unles you have your own, in which case trip fee will be reduced), rescue gear, tents, cooking gear, first aid supplies and satellite phone
- all meals from lunch Day 1 to lunch on the final day
- boat charter to/from the south end of Atlin Lake
WHAT’S NOT INCLUDED
- transportation to and from your home and Whitehorse
- personal belongings and equipment as per equipment list
- any accommodation or meals in Whitehorse or/and Atlin
Your Leader
Jill Pangman has been leading kayak trips on Atlin Lake since the early ’90’s . See About The Owner for Jill’s biography.