Lapie Canyon – Yukon

Lapie Canyon Campground

We spent 4 days at the Lapie River in the central Yukon camping and whitewater kayaking. It was also adventure test trip #1 to work out the bugs and start the lists in earnest (what do we need to figure out or do over the next 8 weeks before we hit the road for 8 months).

The adventure set up for the 4 days was:

  • Ford F250 (and all it’s intermittent electrical system issues)
  • 2003 Adventure Queen 8 ft truck camper
  • 2008 18ft Hallmark V-nosed enclosed trailer
  • 4 Jackson kayaks (Duo, Zen, FunRunner, 1.5)
  • 4 mountain bikes (as Hunter is transitioning sizes)
  • 1 ATV for shuttling etc.


Waiting to hit the river

 

Our first day on the river was sunny and 30c – woo hoo summer!  We ran the lower river section with Tim & Hunter in the Duo to help Hunter read and scout the river as we were hopeful he could run it on his own. Fabulous water levels made for a really fun day. Below is the view of the canyon looking upstream after we put in.view of canyon from duo

 

Day two on the river and Hunter’s the man! He ran the entire run in his own boat, surfed and boofed with a smile a mile wide…

Fridge issues in the camper caused some frustrations– we’ve tried every setting and still get 10c on the thermometer. To avoid food spoilage we hooked it up to the generator for a few hours to try to get things back down to a better range but we’re stumped as to why the propane isn’t working.

 Hunter on kayak pile

 

Day three on the river we ran the lower section with a group of tandem and solo canoeists. It was a group of 9 in total. I was definitely worried about Hunter’s ability to focus but he pulled it off and stuck with coach Dad. Some stressful moments when I found him sitting in the one of the surfing lines in the eddy – I thought he was just in the wrong spot, and then he peeled out to surf the wave without anyone ready in case of a swim! He wondered why I was so stressed… Run #2 with no swims and lots of enthusiasm – he even wanted to head off to a nearby lake to practice his roll!

The fridge is still an issue – we’ve tried the highest setting & the lowest and neither are making a dent. Back to the generator for a few hours to cool things off and we made cookies to create an excuse to drink the milk!

down time in the trailer

 The boys also tested out their “Man Cave” set up in the trailer. They have set up a carpeted play zone in the front third of the trailer that provides a place for Hunter’s Playmobil, Lego & Trucks along with the bean bag chair and DVD player/flat screen.

In between paddling we fit in some biking and visiting with other paddlers. A great 4 day adventure that we will definitely repeat next year. The territorial campground is a great resource and well set up for families with lots of space, easy walking trails, a covered cooking area and take out for the lower section is right at the campground.

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