Together on the Teslin

Our family is famous for record-breaking on wilderness canoe trips, and we have done it again: the Slowest-Known-Time for breaking camp (4.25 hours), the most toilet paper ever consumed per capita, the fewest wildlife sightings (largest mammal sighted: one squirrel), and the most creative use of an Action Packer storage box lid (to rescue one of us from a mudslide). With help from guides Joe and Nolan, our family group of eleven completes a 312-kilometre journey on the Teslin and Yukon Rivers, on time (eight days) and with no capsizes. Everyone learns a thing or two about the river – and about themselves.

The river is calling

A family can always find something to celebrate. For us in 2024 there is Robin’s high school graduation, Nick’s new job, Kirsten’s significant birthday, Alec’s book becoming a screenplay, Lizzie and Leif expecting a baby (our first great-grandchild). How to celebrate? A backcountry canoe trip, of course! A canoe trip is hard work, but it provides the perfect blend of outdoor adventure, team building, and time for reflection and personal growth.

We propose a guided trip on the Teslin and Yukon Rivers. A multi-generational group (ages 18-83) with a range of interests, skills, and personalities can be a guiding challenge, but Scott assures us his company, with fifty years of wilderness outfitting experience, can handle it. Our two children and their spouses and four grandchildren sign on to the expedition. With Lizzie entering her third trimester, she and Leif decide to sit this one out. Scarlett invites her friend Vanessa; our family group, Team Teslin, is eleven, plus our two guides, Joe and Nolan.

The trip begins

At Johnsons Crossing, near the headwaters of the Teslin River, we load and launch six capacious canoes: a three-seater (with Nolan in the stern), the Avocado boat (Joe’s), one white Clipper Yukon, and three red Esquif Prospecteur 17s.

The Teslin is historic and scenic, but somewhat secret. The Teslin is one of the routes used to reach the Klondike goldfields in 1897-1899, but it never achieved the fame of the Yukon River route. Today, the Teslin remains a quiet, intimate river. We see several bald eagles but not a single human in our five days on this wilderness river.

How far do we travel each day? For the record, these are our daily distances and campsites on the Teslin: 36km Hundred Mile Landing, 23km Mary River, 42km Boswell River, 67km Mason’s Landing, and 32km Hootalinqua. Cold weather and a strong headwind slow us down on days two and three, and we wonder whether bail-out options exist. By day four the weather is glorious, and we are back on schedule.

Yukon Ho!

At Hootalinqua the Teslin joins the Yukon River. The waters run side by side for a while, and we have merged onto a freeway: we see seven canoes within one hour of arriving at the Hootalinqua campsite.

More canoes means competition for campsites, and day six is long (58km), as our intended site is occupied. We end up at Walsh Creek, the site of the mudslide rescue (see Lessons Learned, below). 

At our final campsite, Twin Creeks (33km), we are visited by a Guardian and a Conservation Officer, who assertively asks to see all fishing licenses and first aid certificates. The Officer is taken aback when Vanessa asks if he has any spare toilet paper (we are almost out). A roll of Shop Towels is proferred; Nolan chops it into three pieces, one for each young lady in our group.

Little Salmon Village (21km), an abandoned settlement, is our take-out point on day eight. We are driven back to Whitehorse for showers and a group dinner, courtesy of Scott and Kanoe People.

Lessons learned

The river flows north. Visiting the Yukon for the first time, Alec and Kirsten are surprised to learn that the Teslin and Yukon Rivers flow north, not south. Flowing in a northwestern direction, the Teslin joins the Yukon River, which continues to flow north then northwest across the Yukon into Alaska, where it empties into the Bering Sea. Fun fact: Despite its length (3,190 km/1,980 miles), there are only four vehicle-carrying bridges across the Yukon River.

Paddling is easy, landing is harder. The Teslin and the Yukon are Class I rivers, which means “few obstructions which are all obvious and easily navigated with little training.” The water is fast-moving, however, and at the high water levels we experience, landing elegantly is a challenge for some of us. “Point your bow upstream,” Joe calls calmly, but that is easier said than done. There are a few moments of panic every day, but eventually everyone ends up ashore in approximately the same place.

Digital detox is not a problem. Eight days without TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat? We thought this might cause difficulty for the young people, but no symptoms of withdrawal are noted.

Don’t jump into a mudslide. Self-rescue may not be possible when you sink up to your knees in mud. When this happens to Vanessa, she sensibly shouts for help and is creatively extricated by Joe, using the lid of a Rubbermaid Action Packer storage box.

Pee, poo, and periods can be managed, with practice. Once skills are mastered, going to the bathroom in the bushes is actually more pleasant than visiting an unmaintained outhouse.

Camping does not convert night owls into early birds. Two hours is the industry standard for breaking camp, and early risers have the advantage. Our late sleepers never embrace the morning light, but there is an improvement in packing-up time, from 4.25 hours on days one and two to three hours later in the trip.

Get your guide. Scarlett wants to try sterning the canoe. Nick wants to chop down a tree. Lead guide Joe can make it happen, safely. Joe can also identify every plant and tree, explain how a dredge works, and attempt to answer Nathan’s philosophical questions (for example: why do snails even exist?). Assistant Guide Nolan brings youth, physical strength, and exuberance to the team. Nolan is the same age and stage (second-year university) as our three young ladies, and they share a lot of laughs.

Last words

Will this be our last family canoe trip? Possibly. Our grandchildren are grown up now, developing their own schedules and interests, as they should. We are getting older, too. We are still comfortable with camping (only Kirsten and Willy can occasionally beat us in packing-up time), but our paddling power is not what it used to be, especially into a headwind.

Many thanks to Alec and Angie, Kirsten and Willy, Nick, Nathan, Scarlett, Robin, Vanessa, Scott, Joe, and Nolan for helping us to achieve our goal for this trip: to share the thrill of a new river – safely – with our family.