9/3 to 9/5/2021 – It’s real hard to see your best friends when they live in the Yukon and there is a global pandemic locking down any international travel. COVID-19 had kept Jonny, Leslie and I apart for a little too long and they were about to become parents, so when the border opened I booked tickets immediately to get up and see them. In classic form, I simply asked what gear to bring for a final pre-dadhood adventure and Jonny basically said bring a whole lot. We discussed plans fairly casually the evening I arrived and Jonny had two options: one that seemed reasonable and doable, and another that seemed rather ambitious… But he had a certain glimmer in his eyes as he explained the ambitious trip, so there was no denying which one we’d opt for.

Jonny had put together an alternate version of the Kluane classic backpacking Dän Zhùr (Donjek) Route, that included packrafting as the ultimate exit strategy. The weather forecast looked pretty wet, there aren’t really trails, and I haven’t really packrafted before… and Jonny’s plan laid out about 20 miles of bushwacking and another 50 miles of packrafting… for a 3 day trip.

The trip went swimmingly, nobody swam, and we finished without ever having to use headlamps for travel (stubbornly)! It was a beautifully northern-feeling trip that was so damn special due mainly to the conversations we had while moseying about in the mountains. I’ll let the photos tell the rest of the story.

I suppose I forgot to take pictures for the final 30 miles of paddling we did to exit on day 3, but sometimes the memories are all you really need. Great trip with the best dude and I can’t wait to come back up north again!