North to the Yukon - Wheaton River Cabin

The rain hit the red metal roof of the Wheaton River Cabin, trying to lull us to sleep. Heather had started a fire in the stove downstairs which was creating heat that rose up to us on the second floor. Even though I went to bed convinced we were going to be cold, the opposite was true. I spent most of the night with the cover thrown off.

Robert and Carmen have been operating this property for the better part of 12 years. They live in the main house with their three children and eight dogs.

Out in the barn are chickens, a horse and a donkey. They pump water from the river and use a generator for their electrical needs. The driveway, a narrow meandering single vehicle road is two kilometres long.

“How do you keep the snow cleared in the winter?” I asked Carmen.

She answered that surprisingly they don’t get a lot of snow and that keeping things cleared is not too hard. A large snow blower and a quad with a snow blade do the trick.

They came to the Yukon from Switzerland. You can’t help but get a European vibe from how things are constructed and operated. They are very environmentally intentional and keep this large forested property looking at one with nature.

It felt like the middle of nowhere when we arrived yesterday. Today it feels like a very special somewhere.

This is a paradise for Coco and Shay.

They love running after the abundant squirrels and the feel of the soft forest floor.

If there was an amusement park for dogs it might look something like this place.

The Wheaton River is just adjacent the main house. We checked it out and had a lovely visit with Carmen as we were passing through. I enjoyed visiting with the horse and donkey and got some great pictures.

They have developed over the years with the help of many guests well established and easy to follow trails. We did a number of walks throughout the day when the rain let up.

I finished up a David Baldacci novel and dove into a Jordan B. Peterson tome. The in-between spaces are filled with reading or writing. We have no Wifi or cell signal in the woods. That said, we discovered that Carmen does offer a Wifi signal should we need it. The idea (opportunity) of being unplugged for a few days was very refreshing.

It is now the morning of our departure. Rain fell through much of the night, nature’s lullaby. Even with the very different light reference - lighter later and earlier this far north - we all start to stir at our regular waking time. A coffee and breakfast then we’ll begin the clean and pack before starting our journey to Dawson City, the Klondike City.