We're going to Canada!

Why go, eh? (Okay, I had to say it at least once...)

Because it's (also, as of today) sunny on the other side of the mountain range! Or so we've heard...

Scotty and I first learned about Atlin Lake about a year ago from a local fisherman who goes there every summer. As he described mostly clear skies, plentiful lake trout, open camping, and an easy drive from Skagway, we were hooked.

M/V Fairweather arriving in Skagway, Alaska

May 2010

So this weekend we're loading up the beloved Suby and catching the Alaska Marine Highway ferry out of Juneau for a four-day Labor Day weekend getaway!

Catching the ferry can be an expensive affair if you're going from Juneau all the way to Bellingham, Washington, like Scotty and I did on our first big trip together. (It's about $1500 round-trip for two people with a car.) But round-trip from Juneau to Skagway is a bit more affordable at $296.

I love taking the ferry. It's how I arrived in Juneau for the first time ever when I moved here in April 2006. I remember that great adventure well, and keep meaning to write about it, because it was truly one of the most freeing experiences of my life. Riding on the Alaska Marine Highway ferries is like stepping back in time, when travel was much slower, the experience less catered. It's transportation, not a cruise. And there are all different types of people on board with interesting stories.

Last weekend we pre-packed our camping gear and all that's left to get ready is our food. We also borrowed an inflatable two-person dinghy from a friend and tested it in Auke Lake. 

The dinghy will be making the trip tied down on top of the car, with our bicycles in the truck bed underneath. We'll also be bringing some borrowed poles and tackle for lake fishing. 

Test run on Auke Lake

August 26, 2012

The ferry leaves extremely early in the morning on Saturday (we have to be at the ferry at 6 a.m. which means leaving our house by 5:30...), but we can nap on the way. There's a stop in Haines and around 2 p.m. we'll arrive in Skagway. From there, we'll be making the 154-mile, 3.5-hour drive, heading east to cross the Canadian border into the Yukon Territory, and then south to British Columbia and the tiny town of Atlin, BC (year-round population, approximately 450).

Map of Atlin (found here)

At 300 square miles, Atlin Lake is the largest natural body of water in British Columbia. Originally a gold rush settlement in the late 1800s, the town of Atlin is nicknamed the "Switzerland of the North" because of its surrounding mountains, much like the small European country. Atlin was also known as an exotic tourist destination in the 1920s. Since major roads had not yet been developed, at that time it was only possible to get there by following mountain passes from Southeast Alaska or a boating through a chain of lakes in Canada.

We plan to camp, using down sleeping bags meant for four-seasons. But if we were to come across a better (warmer) option, we might take it. Since it's not peak season, we're going without any reservations and hoping for some autumn colors (yep, it's already feeling and starting to look like fall up here).

We've also packed the most important thing- our passports, because there's no passing through the Canadian border without them any more. And after six hours on the ferry and almost four hours on the road, there is no way we are turning the car around.

I'll be back soon with a recap of our Canadian adventure!