Artist Jim Robb has been a staple of the Yukon’s art scene since the mid 1950’s and is best know for his Colourful Five Percent books which are available in local Yukon bookstores and galleries.  His works capture the quality and uniqueness of the many varied and colourful characters and places that many would argue, have made the Yukon a little more colourful than anywhere else in the north. 
https://yukonart.ca/collections/jim-robb
https://yukonart.ca/products/colourful-five-percent-book-volume-1

Jim’s earliest artwork was primarily done on raw moose hide. The hide would be stretched into all kinds of different shapes, most often by Annie and Harry Silverfox along with their son Billy, and drawn in pastel and charcoal. Harry’s knowledge and friendship led Jim to become the first person to use the insides of snowshoes as frames.

Dawson City, the summer of ‘61, saw Jim beginning to use pen, ink, watercolour and photography as his mediums of choice as he continued his artistic development. In 1971 he started writing & illustrating a column, “The Colourful Five Percent”, for the Whitehorse Star, which primarily dealt with the life of historical buildings and ‘Yukon characters’.

Over the years Jim has had 3 books published, and yes, ‘they are read in all the better cabins’. They are comprised of short stories, photographs and drawings mostly about interesting and colourful Yukon personalities, the ‘Colourful Five Percent’. The first volume has been reprinted and is available here. https://yukonart.ca/products/colourful-five-percent-book-volume-1

In 1975, well known anthropologist Julie Cruickshank, with Jim’s participation, put out a book on the Yukon’s First Nation peoples.

In recognition of Jim Robb’s magnificent contribution of gathering and preserving Yukon history he was awarded Canada’s highest honour “The Order of Canada” in 2003.

Jim Robb and the Colourful Five Percent – Video by Mike Rudyk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXz06y8DKMM

To listen to the full podcast show, please click on MyAmazingYukonLife.com where you’ll find each weekly podcast link along with show notes and pictures related to each of the episodes. You can also download each episode from Buzzsprout or wherever you get your podcasts from. While you’re there, hit the subscribe button and leave me a comment on what you’d like to hear next on the show.

You’re also invited you to help me build the knowledge base for future shows by becoming a member of My Amazing Yukon Life Facebook Group. This is where our personal stories come together as we build upon the collective memories of one another to record and preserve personal stories of the Yukon’s rich history and colourful life adventures.  

I hope you enjoy this podcast and I thank you for joining me as a “M.A.Y.L. carrier”, as we proudly deliver our amazing Yukon life stories to the outside world.  

Cheers 

“Trapper Dan your Renaissance Man”

The post #030 – Artist Jim Robb and his “Colourful Five Percent” appeared first on My Amazing Yukon Life.

At the top of the world in the Yukon and Alaska wilderness of northwestern North America, the Yukon Quest 1,000 Mile International Sled Dog Race, an epic winter sports event takes place every year on the first Saturday of February.

One might ask, how many tries does it take to win the Yukon Quest Dog Sled Race?  Much of the answer lies in your own personal conviction and dedication to the sport, along with your ability to build an incredible connection with your dogs and support team. Years of dedication are needed if a musher hopes to even complete, much less win, and that’s certainly the case for Veteran Yukon Musher Frank Turner. 

As written in the February 23rd 1995 edition of the Whitehorse Star,  “It took him 12 tries to do it, but at 4:40 this morning Alaska time, Frank Turner finally won his first Yukon Quest. He did it in record fashion. No other winner has ever turned in the 10-day, 16-hour, 18 minute performance that the 47-year-old Whitehorse resident did”. 

Turner’s  record setting time stood for the next dozen years, just recently broken by the late dog musher Lance Mackie, who crossed the finish line nearly six hours faster than anyone else in history.  To Turner’s legacy, he was also entered into the Guinness Book of World Records as “the musher with the most times to take part in the annual Yukon Quest sled dog race is 23 by Frank Turner (Canada) between 1984 and 2008”, a record that has yet to be broken.  

To listen to the full podcast show, please click on MyAmazingYukonLife.comwhere you’ll find each weekly podcast link along with show notes and pictures related to each of the episodes. You can also download each episode from Buzzsprout or wherever you get your podcasts from. While you’re there, hit the subscribe button and leave me a comment on what you’d like to hear next on the show.

You’re also invited you to help me build the knowledge base for future shows by becoming a member of My Amazing Yukon Life Facebook Group. This is where our personal stories come together as we build upon the collective memories of one another to record and preserve personal stories of the Yukon’s rich history and colourful life adventures. 

 I hope you enjoy this podcast and I thank you for joining me as a “M.A.Y.L. carrier”, as we proudly deliver our amazing Yukon life stories to the outside world.  

Cheers 

 “Trapper Dan your Renaissance Man”

The post #029 – Dog Musher Frank Turner – Yukon Quest Guinness World Record Holder appeared first on My Amazing Yukon Life.

The Yukon Quest Dog Sled Race of 2023 is currently underway and heading north from Whitehorse to Dawson City, Yukon.  Under the watchful eyes of a bevy of volunteers, race officials, and dog handlers, this 450 mile race traverses some of the most picturesque and harshest environments in Northern Canada. 

Hearty groups of eager dogs, mushers, handlers, and volunteer support groups along the way, make this one of the premier wilderness contests in the Yukon, and has long standing tradition of bringing communities and people together. This year, the weather has been delightful for all participants, and the teams are quickly advancing towards the finish line in Dawson City. 

In this podcast, I spoke with Gaby Sgaga, who is based out of West Dawson, and has been one of the many Quest volunteers operating the Dawson City checkpoint/Finish Line.  Between her involvement with the Yukon Quest, the Dawson City Humane Society, her own dog team, and a plethora of other Yukonesque activities, I was lucky enough to have her sit down for a few brief moments and bring us up to speed on the current race details. 

To listen to the full podcast show, please click on MyAmazingYukonLife.comwhere you’ll find each weekly podcast link along with show notes and pictures related to each of the episodes. You can also download each episode from Buzzsprout or wherever you get your podcasts from. While you’re there, hit the subscribe button and leave me a comment on what you’d like to hear next on the show.

You’re also invited you to help me build the knowledge base for future shows by becoming a member of My Amazing Yukon Life Facebook Group. This is where our personal stories come together as we build upon the collective memories of one another to record and preserve personal stories of the Yukon’s rich history and colourful life adventures. 

 I hope you enjoy this podcast and I thank you for joining me as a “M.A.Y.L. carrier”, as we proudly deliver our amazing Yukon life stories to the outside world.  

Cheers 

 “Trapper Dan your Renaissance Man”

The post #028 – Keeping the Yukon Quest Tradition Alive in Dawson City with Gaby Sgaga appeared first on My Amazing Yukon Life.

June 21st remains a significant day for a great many people in Canada as the long daylight of the Summer Solstice transits into its next seasonal phase.  A sense of time, mortality, humility and gratitude, often accompanies this pivotal day, especially for the  people living in Canada’s North. June 21st also marks National Indigenous Peoples Day since 1996.  It’s a special occasion and opportunity to learn more about the rich and diverse cultures, voices, experiences and histories of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples as they celebrating their heritage.

On this celebrated day of June 21st, 2022, the Tr’ondek Hwech’s First Nation received a gift from their ancestral lands with the unearthing of a baby woolly mammoth at a remote Klondike Placer mine site under the astute eye of an excavator operator.  The operator, Travis” couldn’t believe what he had unearthed, and to this day is overwhelmed with emotion when speaking about it. 

During the next several hours, Trʼondëk Hwëchʼin First Nations Elders, a plethora of scientists, and the entire mine site crew and owners stood by in awe and wonderment. The sky’s literally opened up with rain, wind, lighting and thunder as Nun cho ga came back into the world with all the energy of the natural world by her side. 

Nun ch ga, “big animal baby”,  in the traditional Han language, made her entry back into the world after being mummified in an icy layer of Steppe sediment estimated to be 35000 years old. She’s been nearly perfectly mummified in the frozen Klondike Gold Fields and has retained her soft tissue, hair, toenails and internal organs, offering evidence of the ancient flora that sustained her during her brief life.  

For now, Nun cho ga will remain where she is, on the traditional territory of the Trʼondëk Hwëchʼin, as scientists and the First Nations people continue to work cooperatively, balancing the cultural significance of her place in the Trʼondëk Hwëchʼin community, and the scientific community. 

To listen to the full podcast show, please click on MyAmazingYukonLife.comwhere you’ll find each weekly podcast link along with show notes and pictures related to each of the episodes. You can also download each episode from Buzzsprout or wherever you get your podcasts from. While you’re there, hit the subscribe button and leave me a comment on what you’d like to hear next on the show.

You’re also invited you to help me build the knowledge base for future shows by becoming a member of My Amazing Yukon Life Facebook Group. This is where our personal stories come together as we build upon the collective memories of one another to record and preserve personal stories of the Yukon’s rich history and colourful life adventures. 

 I hope you enjoy this podcast and I thank you for joining me as a “M.A.Y.L. carrier”, as we proudly deliver our amazing Yukon life stories to the outside world.  

Cheers 

 “Trapper Dan your Renaissance Man”

The post #027 – “Nun cho ga” – “Big Animal Baby” Mammoth Discovered in Klondike Gold Fields appeared first on My Amazing Yukon Life.

Like so many others who came up to the Yukon for just two weeks, Hank Karr quickly realized that Whitehorse Yukon would be the place he’d grow his roots down deep, and “stay a while”. That decision came quickly, when he first travelled from Ketichcan Alaska to Whitehorse Yukon in the mid 1960’s to play his guitar and sing on the stage at the local Whitehorse Inn.  Sixty plus years later, he’s still doing what he loves to do. Singing, writing music, and performing on one of his many guitars more than a half century later. Hank Karr has long become a staple of the Yukon music scene and is adorned be countless people locally and internationally.

Click here or on the above “Stealin’ My World” album picture to listen to “Less of Me” from Hank’s 1967 album.

Hank Karr pays tribute to his predecessor Al Oster, who was also enamoured with the magic of the Northern landscape, the lives of the common people he surrounded himself with, and the rich history and character of the Yukon. This quickly became a palate of themes and stories ripe for the picking. Both Oster and Karr were prolific melody writers and accomplished wordsmiths who could weave characters into a song within minutes. 

Oster went on to recorded Karr’s first album in the 1960s, and the two of them would perform together in the Canadian Pavilion during Expo 67 in Montreal. CBC recorded the Expo 67 performances and later put them on an LP called The Yukon Stars. The Whitehorse Star newspaper reported that in their January 26th 1967 paper that, ” The Yukon is allowed to have its own pavilion at Expo ’67. During the Expo, Al Oster and Hank Karr entertained fair goers for weeks”

Karr remained a fan of Oster’s writing long after he moved “outside” of the Yukon, and  Karr continued to perform several of Oster’s songs during his concerts, and eventually, recorded much of his material over the years, presenting it as only Hank Karr could. With a Baritone/Base voice, and a performance stature that rivals any professional musician around the world, Karr was a natural from the moment he picked up his chosen instrument.

Hank continued well in the his later years both as a solo performer and as front man with The Canucks Ltd. consisting of members Ed Isaak, Red Lewis, and Ray Park. The Canucks arrived in the territory in 1963 for a residency at the Whitehorse Inn for three months and have stayed ever since, performing for more than 58 years. Their last show was on September 23rd 2021 at the Mac Bride Museum in Whitehorse, Yukon.

With no intention of ever leaving the Yukon, Hank wrote the song “After Yukon” and its become both a local and international anthem that captures how much the Yukon means to those who live here, or have visited.

The Yukon’s best loved balladeer sings “Paddlewheeler”, the story song in praise of the river boats that once plied the Yukon River. This song and 10 other video selections are contained on the DVD HANK KARR’S YUKON BOOK OF MEMORIES, available at Yukon Books.com.

Click here or on the the picture above to read CBC reporter Mike Rudyk’s story about why Yukoner Mike Craigen decided to collect stories and photos of Karr’s 50-plus year career with the intention of turning it into a collection of stories and pictures of Hank’s life in the Yukon.

Local legend and singer Hank Karr will swap his cowboy hat for a top hat this year, as he and his wife Pam take up their duties as “Mr. and Mrs. Yukon.” 

“The cowboy hat I think would have done [it],” Hank said, laughing. “I’ll deal with it.”

Every year, the Yukon Order of Pioneers selects a couple to represent the organization as ambassadors at the Sourdough Rendezvous festival and through the rest of the year — and this year, it’s the Karrs.

Hank is no stranger to the spotlight as he’s been performing regularly since the 1960s. But Pam said she’s always been more comfortable sitting in the back watching.

Hank wasn’t sure Pam would agree to be Mrs. Yukon, but it turned out she didn’t need much convincing.

“Should be interesting. Should be fun,” Pam said.

To read more of this article by CBC reporter Sandi Coleman, click here or on the picture above.

The Yukon bristles with people who eat, live and breathe music and it’s through their efforts, talents, and commitment, that we enjoy the vibrant musical culture here in the north. Both Hank Karr and Duncan Sinclair were honoured for their commitment of promoting music in the Yukon at The BreakOut West festival in 2017. For more detail on this story, please click here for an article by CBC reporter Dave White or the above picture.

To purchase one of Karr’s  CDs, DVDs, or Books, please visit the local Maximilian’s Gold Rush Emporium on Main Street, Dawson City or Mac’s Fireweed Books in Whitehorse. Orders can also be placed online or through most digital music download sites.  Simply search Hank Karr on Google and you’ll find several options available.

To listen to this full podcast and many others, please click on MyAmazingYukonLife.com where you’ll find each weekly podcast link along with show notes and pictures related to each of the episodes. You can also download each episode from Buzzsprout or wherever you get your podcasts from. While you’re there, hit the subscribe button and leave me a comment on what you’d like to hear next on the show.

You’re also invited you to help me build the knowledge base for future shows by becoming a member of My Amazing Yukon Life Facebook Group. This is where our personal stories come together as we build upon the collective memories of one another to record and preserve personal stories of the Yukon’s rich history and colourful life adventures. 

 I hope you enjoy this podcast and I thank you for joining me as a “M.A.Y.L. carrier”, as we proudly deliver our amazing Yukon life stories to the outside world.  

Cheers 

 “Trapper Dan your Renaissance Man”

Daniel Halen

The post #026 – Yukon Music Balladeer Hank Karr Sings from the Heart appeared first on My Amazing Yukon Life.

The world was abuzz with the discovery of gold in the Klondike on August 16th 1896 as hordes of prospectors, entrepreneurs, adventure seekers and a wide variety of “entertainers” rallied for their stake in what was to be one of the last great gold rushes of the century. 

For those entertainers who were unable to make this great adventure to Dawson City, a new medium of entertainment would relay their talents through what was then termed “moving pictures technology.” With the discovery of a treasure trove of ancient films literally frozen in time on a construction site within Dawson City itself, came the last remaining artifacts of an era captured in time.  

Michael Gates was curator of the Klondike National Historic Sites beginning in 1978 and was immediately on the scene like a forensic detective searching for historic clues to an era. Along with the director of the Dawson City Museum, Kathy Jones (now Gates), the two of them worked for years piecing together the story of the incredibly vibrant social life Dawsonites enjoyed. 

Michael’s new book, Hollywood in the Klondike, reflects not only on the entertainment in Dawson City during the Gold Rush era, but the variety and magnitude of entertainers featured throughout the world. Actors, actresses, live footage of the gold mining activities in the Klondike and the affect that film was having throughout the far reaches of the planet is summarized in Gate’s newest works.

Hollywood did indeed come north to the Klondike, and this historical reflection is a must read for those with an interest to learn more about what has become one of the most influential technologies of our time.” 

Taking a deep dive into the history of Dawson City, Yukon Story Laureate Michael Gates also traces the theatre world of the “Paris of the North,” charting the evolution of the gold rush town, and the amazing people who were drawn there by the lure of gold – and opportunity. Among these were many Klondikers who went on to remarkable careers in the golden days of Hollywood.

To purchase your copy of Hollywood in the Klondike, or several other books written by Michael Gates, please click the link below to direct you to Mac’s Fireweed Books

The first of two book launch parties will be held on Sunday, September 25th at The Oddfellows Hall in Dawson City, sponsored by the Dawson City Museum and KIAC (Klondike Institute of Art and Culture) and Harbour Publishing. The doors will open at 6:30, and the admission is free. There will be a book signing (books available courtesy of The Dawson City Museum), a short reading, and the screening of some of the films found buried in Dawson in 1978.

The event in Whitehorse will be in the Grey Mountain Room at The Mt. Mac Recreational facility on Tuesday, October 4th. The doors open at 6:30 and the program is free. Everybody is welcome There will be a book signing (books available courtesy of Mac’s Fireweed Books), food and refreshments, door prizes, musical entertainment, a reading and screening of some of the films found buried in Dawson in 1978. Sponsored by The Yukon Historical and Museums Association, Mac’s Fireweed Books and Harbour Publishing.

To listen to the full podcast show, please click on MyAmazingYukonLife.comwhere you’ll find each weekly podcast link along with show notes and pictures related to each of the episodes. You can also download each episode from Buzzsprout or wherever you get your podcasts from. While you’re there, hit the subscribe button and leave me a comment on what you’d like to hear next on the show.

You’re also invited you to help me build the knowledge base for future shows by becoming a member of My Amazing Yukon Life Facebook Group. This is where our personal stories come together as we build upon the collective memories of one another to record and preserve personal stories of the Yukon’s rich history and colourful life adventures.  
I hope you enjoy this podcast and I thank you for joining me as a “M.A.Y.L. carrier”, as we proudly deliver our amazing Yukon life stories to the outside world.  

Cheers 

 “Trapper Dan your Renaissance Man”

The post #025 – Hollywood in the Klondike by Author/Historian Michael Gates appeared first on My Amazing Yukon Life.

Documentary filmmaker Andrew Gregg has made many films in Canada’s North often examining some of its great secrets.  But there is one very puzzling story that has eluded him for years– what happened to the US military Skymaster plane that disappeared over the Yukon more than seventy years ago?  No trace of the plane or its 44 passengers has ever been found.   Their families are still waiting for an answer.  Gregg examines this fascinating aviation mystery in his latest film SKYMASTER DOWN which premieres on documentary Channel on Sunday, January 16 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.   

Did Skymaster #2469 crash into a lake on January 26, 1950?  Did the plane slam into a mountain or get buried in a glacier?  An aircraft that large just doesn’t vanish.   

Over 500 planes are known to have crashed in the Yukon but the Skymaster is one of only a few that’s never been recovered.  It was on a routine flight from Anchorage, Alaska to Great Falls, Montana. Nothing should have gone wrong. For a few weeks after the disappearance US Air Force planes searched but soon gave up.  The US military has since shown little interest in finding the plane.  That has certainly hasn’t pleased the passengers’ relatives.  

In SKYMASTER DOWN viewers will meet those relatives still awaiting news all these decades later. Among them is Judy Jackson whose mother was pregnant with her when her father Clarence Gibson took that flight.   Jackson even went to the Yukon to see the vast landscape where her father vanished.  “I walked out there one morning by myself,” Jackson told Gregg, “looked around all those mountains and I thought, ‘Oh Daddy, what happened to you?’  To just have something to bury beside my mother—that’s what I would like to have for her.”   

 Especially poignant is the case of Robert Espe—his pregnant wife Joyce was the only woman on board, travelling south with their toddler son.  Espie spent the remainder of his life trying to find his wife and child.   

A determined group of Yukoners have never given up.  Among them was Gerry Whitley who flew over the rugged, mountainous terrain for years in search of clues.  “Skymaster was my passion,” he told Gregg.   

Never officially asked to join the search for the plane were the First Nations people who inhabit the area.  Among them was Albert Issac  who reported hearing a loud bang and saw a massive snow slide around the time the plane went missing,   US Air force officials never contacted him.   Issacs’ granddaughter Mary Jane Johnson speculates that if the local Indigenous population had been recruited to join the search, the Skymaster would have been found. “They would have had a better chance of covering the area than a plane,” she notes.  “They were the best of the best of the hunters.”

 Will the mystery of Skymaster ever be solved? “The biggest thing is that we should never forget,” Gerry Whitley told the filmmaker. “We search until they’re found.  As Yukoners, it’s something that has to get done.”

SKYMASTER DOWN is intriguing look at a very baffling aviation tragedy and is also a very human story about the people who vanished and those still awaiting closure.   It’s another dramatic documentary about Canada’s North that’s bound to captivate viewers.  

                                                                     *********

NOTE:   Subsequent broadcasts on documentary Channel are at (at ET)  midnight and 3 a.m. on the night of January 16.  On Tuesday, January 18 at 9 a.m., 2 p.m., 7 p.m.; Sunday, January 23 at 8 a.m., 1 p.m. 6 p.m.; Friday, January 28 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

                                                                   *************

SKYMASTER DOWN is written and directed by Andrew Gregg who co-produced with Deborah Parks.  It is made by Skymaster Productions in association with documentary Channel.  Senior director documentary Channel is Sandra Kleinfeld and production executive is Jordana Ross.  

SKYMASTER DOWN is made in association with Canada Media Fund, Rogers Cable Network Fund, Ontario Creates, Yukon Film Incentive Programs, Rogers Telefund, Government of Canada, and Ontario Media Development Corporation.

MEDIA CONTACT:  David McCaughna davidmcc2@gmail.com  416-859-1004

To listen to the full podcast show, please click on MyAmazingYukonLife.com above where you’ll find each weekly podcast link along with show notes and pictures related to each of the episodes. You can also download each episode from Buzzsprout or wherever you get your podcasts from. While you’re there, hit the subscribe button and leave me a comment on what you’d like to hear next on the show.

You’re also invited you to help me build the knowledge base for future shows by becoming a member of My Amazing Yukon Life Facebook Group. This is where our personal stories come together as we build upon the collective memories of one another to record and preserve personal stories of the Yukon’s rich history and colourful life adventures. 

I hope you enjoy this podcast and I thank you for joining me as a “M.A.Y.L. carrier”, as we proudly deliver our amazing Yukon life stories to the outside world.  

Cheers 

“Trapper Dan your Renaissance Man”

The post #024 – Skymaster Down – One Lost Airplane, 44 missing people. appeared first on My Amazing Yukon Life.

Retired Yukon Game Warden, George Balmer, humorously recounts more than 40 years of incredible outdoor adventures during his patrols to some of the territories most stunningly beautiful places. Reflecting upon his chance meetings with wonderfully unique people along the way and the occasional “day gone sideways” mishap, George’s newly published book, A Yukon Game Warden’s Stories is soon to be a Yukon “must read classic”.

As a consummate “bushman”, George has flown, skied, snowshoed, hiked, boated, cycled, quadded, and literally crawled his way through some of the most remote parts of the Yukon Territory while patrolling thousands of kilometers of land as a Yukon Game Warden. Realizing very early in his career that the stories being shared with him from the incredible Yukon people he met day to day were so unique, that George began taking pictures of both the people, and the places he was visiting. 

It was during the COVID 19 pandemic that George began chronicling his memoirs based on the slides and notes he had taken over his career. A Yukon Game Warden’s Stories provides the reader with an historical, humorous, and wonderfully reflective 228 page journey through the 1960’s – 90’s halcyon days of the Faro, Ross River, Haines Junction, Dawson City, Teslin and Whitehorse. The overwhelming theme of the book pays tribute to the people living traditional and non-traditional lives amongst the hustle and bustle of the Yukon’s second mining boom.     

To purchase your copy directly from George, you can email him at ayukongamewardensstories@gmail.com and he’ll send a copy your way. 

To listen to the full podcast show, please click on MyAmazingYukonLife.com above where you’ll find each weekly podcast link along with show notes and pictures related to each of the episodes. You can also download each episode from Buzzsprout or wherever you get your podcasts from. While you’re there, hit the subscribe button and leave me a comment on what you’d like to hear next on the show.

You’re also invited you to help me build the knowledge base for future shows by becoming a member of My Amazing Yukon Life Facebook Group. This is where our personal stories come together as we build upon the collective memories of one another to record and preserve personal stories of the Yukon’s rich history and colourful life adventures. 

I hope you enjoy this podcast and I thank you for joining me as a “M.A.Y.L. carrier”, as we proudly deliver our amazing Yukon life stories to the outside world.  

Cheers 

“Trapper Dan your Renaissance Man”

The post #023 – “A Yukon Game Warden’s Stories” by George Balmer appeared first on My Amazing Yukon Life.

Dahria Beatty is a Canadian cross-country skier who competes internationally. She competed for Canada at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2017 in Lahti, Finland, at the 2018 Winter Olympics, and at the 2019 World Championships.

Born: March 7, 1994 (age 27 years), Whitehorse

Height: 1.81 m

Weight: 72 kg

Ski club: Whitehorse Cross Country SC

Team starts: 3

Overall titles: 0

Olympic Competitor Dahria Beatty, reflects upon her passion for cross country skiing, and the winding journey her professional career has taken her on. 

Whitehorse, and the Yukon in general, has a myriad of game trails, traditional trading routes, and litany of man-made trails throughout the city of Whitehorse itself. It’s long been a destination for ski enthusiasts seeking the physical challenges and astounding beauty from one of Canada’s true “Nature Cities” right within the city limits itself.  

Through the continued efforts of the Whitehorse Cross Country Ski Club, recreational and professional athletes can enjoy 85 km of groomed trails conveniently located within 5 minutes of the Whitehorse downtown district. The Whitehorse Cross Country Ski Club is primarily a volunteer run organization and remains a mecca for athletes who train for local and international ski events throughout the year. When the seasons change, patrons quickly transition to single track biking, running and hiking throughout the trail network. 

Dahria has been a longstanding member/participant of the Whitehorse Cross Country Ski Club since she was first introduced to the sport by her parents at the age of three. She continues to train on the WCCSC trail network when she’s back in Whitehorse and has clearly taken her passion for skiing to the highest of level as a Canadian National Team Cross Country Skier and 2018 Peongchang Olympics contender. 

To follow Dahria’s adventures in skiing around the world, please visit her website at Dahria Beatty.com and don’t forget to subscribe to her mailing list for frequent updates.

To listen to the full podcast show, please click on MyAmazingYukonLife.com where you’ll find each weekly podcast link along with show notes and pictures related to each of the episodes. You can also download each episode from Buzzsprout or wherever you get your podcasts from. While you’re there, hit the subscribe button and leave me a comment on what you’d like to hear next on the show.

You’re also invited you to help me build the knowledge base for future shows by becoming a member of My Amazing Yukon Life Facebook Group. This is where our personal stories come together as we build upon the collective memories of one another to record and preserve personal stories of the Yukon’s rich history and colourful life adventures. 

I hope you enjoy this podcast and I thank you for joining me as a “M.A.Y.L. carrier”, as we proudly deliver our amazing Yukon life stories to the outside world. 

Cheers 

“Trapper Dan your Renaissance Man”

The post #022 – How do you cross country ski your way from the wilds of the Yukon, to the PyeongChang Olympics? appeared first on My Amazing Yukon Life.

Click the download button for your free copy of

In late 1925, Diphtheria broke out in the remote town of Nome Alaska, and so began “The Great Race of Mercy”.  20 dog mushers and 200 dogs swiftly mobilized their teams to bring the much needed anti-toxin to the ailing group of 1430 townspeople separated from any means of contact and resources as they fought to stave of eminent death.  

Winter had its icy grip on Nome Alaska and the only means of transportation was by dog team since the steam ship ports were iced in and the airplanes that serviced Nome were unable to fly in the severe cold of 1925. The 928 miles of the Iditarod Trail was the only  accessible route to deliver the Diphtheria anti-toxin to the people of Nome, and it  was throughout the commitment and determination of the dog mushing community with their rugged four legged crew, that the fate of the entire community of Nome was forever changed. 

Fast forward nearly 100 years. In February through April 2021, I was fortunate to work along side a group of equally dedicated individuals who’s mandate was to to deliver the Covid 19 Moderna vaccine to every Yukon community in much the same manner as the 1925 “Great Race of Mercy”, although the dog sleds were not necessary this time. The two mobile Covid 19 vaccine teams, affectionately named Balto and Togo,  were deployed from Whitehorse by road and by air to service all of the outlying Yukon communities and also the Northern town of Atlin BC.  

The organizational mechanics of this operation has been directed by a large group of members from the ECC ( Emergency Coordination Centre ) who have a plethora of experience coordinating and implementing emergency response teams to deal with natural disasters that affect humans and the environment. ECC organized the rollout of equipment and personal along with the scheduling and follow up of services throughout the Yukon and Atlin BC and is also responsible for the coordination of the “Fox” clinic in Whitehorse proper.

It was during my time working with the Balto team that I had some time to reflect on the magnitude of this operation and the long history of Yukoner’s helping one another through desperate time. For example, it’s been commonplace in the early 19th century to “grubstake” a miner for the gear he/she would need to get through a long dark winter in the Klondike and I can firmly say that the helpfulness that was prevalent in the old days is still alive and well in our communities. 

The delivery of medical services to outlying communities has been first and foremost in the minds and hearts of all members of the remote teams and the people behind the scenes organizing this initiative. People in the communities have been extremely thankful and appreciative and I’ve personally seen that it’s not uncommon for Native Elders to gift hand crafted beadwork crests to a Balto team members or to simply say Sóga Sínlá or Kwànàschis for coming to their community. This type of thankfulness and joyful banter was prevalent in every clinic we set up and during the return visits as members of the communities would often be dancing their traditional dances, lighting ice candles along the highways leading into town, and singing in their traditional languages. 

I was inspired to give back whatever I could to the people we were seeing and I did so by adding music to our days in the mobile clinic, playing familiar and not so familiar songs to people entering the clinic and making their experience as pleasant as possible. This is something that I currently do at the Fox clinic when time permits, and it undoubtedly puts a smile on all of those masked faces who have the suggested 15 minute post injection time to wait before leaving the clinic. 

During a long bus ride back from Watson Lake, I started to think about the history of the Yukon once again and also about our Alaskan neighbours to the west since we did indeed adopt their Balto name for our team. By the time we arrived back in Whitehorse I had a good idea of what the chorus of my song would sound like and how I could establish a time, place and “feeling” within the first verse of the song and how the tempo, rhythm, and overall vibe would reflect the determination and cadence of a group of people/dogs working towards delivering a serum during these trying times.  

I immediately went to see my song writing partner Chic Callas and sat down at the piano with a guitar, pencil and paper and came up with a sketch outline of a cord structure that would bring it all together. We followed a fairly formulaic structure and then proceeded to lay the bed tracks for the percussion, guitar parts, and vocals. Chic recorded the piano parts at my FACE The Music Productions studio and I sent the rough mix mp3 file to Don Bishop in Victoria. He quickly sent his bass line back to me and I added it to the equation.  After a few days of mixing and mastering the song, I’m pleased with the results and I hope you enjoy the melodic history lesson that pays tribute to the early Alaska vaccine delivery teams and the parallel mission of the Balto and Togo vaccine teams who have been visiting every Yukon community. 

The Balto & Togo song is available as a free downloadable mp3 on the My Amazing Yukon Life website and I’d be thrilled if you’d send it to your friends and favourite radio station in your area, so we can share our Yukon experience and with the rest of the world . 

I’d like to invite you to help me build the knowledge base for future shows by becoming a member of My Amazing Yukon Life Facebook Group. This is where our personal stories come together as we build upon the collective memories of one another to record and preserve personal stories of the Yukon’s rich history and colourful life adventures. 

You can also download each episode from Buzzsprout or wherever you get your podcasts from. While you’re there, hit the subscribe button and leave me a comment on what you’d like to hear next on the show.

I hope you enjoyed this podcast, pictures, and links and I thank you for joining me as a “M.A.Y.L. carrier”, as we deliver our amazing Yukon life stories to the outside world. 

Cheers

“Trapper Dan your Renaissance Man”

Daniel Halen 

The post #021 Balto & Togo – a musical history lesson from the 1925 Diphtheria anti-toxin to the Covid 19 vaccine appeared first on My Amazing Yukon Life.

Travel in the Yukon in the 21st century is literally a breeze compared to the earlier modes of transportation. Waterways, wagon roads, horse trails, and traditional foot roots all paved the way towards the comforts we enjoy today, and eventually train routes, roads and air travel developed over the years making our lives much easier in the North .

Anyone who’s left the familiarity of their home town and travelled a thousand miles of dusty Alaska Highway in the 1960’s would certainly have some distinct memories from this experience. Back in these days, keeping a personal diary was encouraged and keeping daily notes of the scenery, flora and fauna, along with the interactions with others along the way was common place at the end of the day. It’s through reflecting upon this notes after the fact that writers have years worth of interesting facts and and characters from which to draw upon for their own literary works. 

Today’s guest has done exactly that. As a young girl at the impressionable age of 10, her mother whisked her away from the familiarity of her home in Dawson Creek and drove north on the newly constructed Alaska highway to the tiny community of Haines Junction, Yukon. It was durning this arduous 1500 km journey that Donna Clayson began to realize that the place she was fighting so hard to not accept as her new home, completely enamoured her with its majestic mountains and authentic beauty. 

In today’s podcast, Donna reflects on her journey to the Yukon through her 10 year old eyes and the litany of emotions and thoughts journaled in one of her earliest writings. 

As 19th century historian John Wade would say…”the rest is history”. 

You’re also invited you to help me build the knowledge base for future shows by becoming a member of My Amazing Yukon Life Facebook Group. This is where our personal stories come together as we build upon the collective memories of one another to record and preserve personal stories of the Yukon’s rich history and colourful life adventures. 

I hope you enjoy this podcast and I thank you for joining me as a “M.A.Y.L. carrier”, as we proudly deliver our amazing Yukon life stories to the outside world. 

Cheers 

“Trapper Dan your Renaissance Man”

The post #020 – Memoirs of a 10 year old Donna Clayson. Moving from Dawson Creek to Haines Junction in the 60’s appeared first on My Amazing Yukon Life.

Wayne Henderson spends the weeks leading up to Christmas making his list, checking it twice, planning his route, and scraping the ice, as he prepares his electric light garbage truck and Santa suit for what has become a Yukon winter tradition for nearly three decades now.  

Yukoners delight at the opportunity of seeing “Garbage Truck Santa” cruising the streets of Whitehorse in what is undoubtedly the most flamboyant vehicle in the territory with more that 3000 light bulbs and Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer on the front of his full-sized garbage truck. You can’t help but smile and wave as Santa blasts his airhorn, flashes Rudolph’s shiny red nose, and shout’s through the P.A. system a hearty HO HO HO from the driver’s seat. 

Garbage Truck Santa has been featured in magazines, news articles and a full length video documentary, chronicling the humble beginnings of our well-dressed local winter celebrity who is held dear in the hearts of people far and wide. 

During my call from Santa today, I asked him to recount his early years in the 1990’s when he first dawned the jovial red Santa suit while out doing his traditional garbage route pickup in Whitehorse. From what was a “one off” fun idea in its origin, to the international notoriety he enjoys today, Garbage Truck Santa reflects on his successes and struggles, and what he personally gets out of bringing smiles to the thousands of happy people he meets each year. 

Our modern-day Santa clearly has a big heart. His personal conviction of simply spreading some Yule Tide joy during the darkest days of December, has now become a community supported highlight of the winter season. Garbage Truck Santa ( Wayne Henderson ) now has a network of local individual and businesses who wholeheartedly support his efforts in all regards to help him dawn his Santa suit each Christmas season, so he can continue to bring joy into our community.  

I’d like to invite you to help me build the knowledge base for future shows by becoming a member of My Amazing Yukon Life Facebook Group. This is where our personal stories come together as we build upon the collective memories of one another to record and preserve personal stories of the Yukon’s rich history and colourful life adventures. 

You can also download each episode from Buzzsprout or wherever you get your podcasts from. While you’re there, hit the subscribe button and leave me a comment on what you’d like to hear next on the show.

I hope you enjoyed this podcast, pictures, and links and I thank you for joining me as a “M.A.Y.L. carrier”, as we deliver our amazing Yukon life stories to the outside world. 

Cheers

“Trapper Dan your Renaissance Man”

Daniel Halen 

The post #019 – Garbage Truck Santa – Come ride along with Yukon’s one and only Wayne Henderson appeared first on My Amazing Yukon Life.

 In today’s interview with Murray Lundberg, we discuss the adventures, challenges, and changes in researching and presenting the fascinating history of the Yukon. We discuss how social media, WYSIWYG website development, PDF books and the ever changing Internet has been both a challenge and a blessing to this entrepreneurial historian, writer, photographer and presenter.

 Murray was one of the first on the scene in the mid 90’s recording the Yukon’s rich history when websites were written in HTML code and cameras still used film and online courses were not even an option. His progressive  mindset and commitment to staying abreast of technological advances continues to serve him well as he wears multiple hats when it comes to being the “jack of all trades” in the history preservation/presentation arena.  From his humble and curious beginnings as both a tourist and tour bus driver, he continues to expand his wide breadth of Yukon history in real time by connecting with thousands of people each day through his Yukon History & Abandoned Places facebook group and ExploreNorth.com websites.   

 The growth of his social media sites has been the inspiration needed for him to re-commit to completing several books that have been ” on the list ” for some time.  He’s zealously working towards getting them out the door and into the hands of local tourists visiting Carcross as well as through Internet sales. His first book, Fractured Veins and Broken Dreams, features the Montana Mountain mining activity in the early 1900’s and he’s currently working on another titled “The Alaska Highway”.  

 To listen to the full podcast show, please click on MyAmazingYukonLife.com where you’ll find each weekly podcast link along with show notes and pictures related to each of the episodes. You can also download each episode from Buzzsproutor wherever you get your podcasts from. While you’re there, hit the subscribe button and leave me a comment on what you’d like to hear next on the show.

 You’re also invited you to help me build the knowledge base for future shows by becoming a member of My Amazing Yukon Life Facebook Group. This is where our personal stories come together as we build upon the collective memories of one another to record and preserve personal stories of the Yukon’s rich history and colourful life adventures. 

 I hope you enjoy this podcast and I thank you for joining me as a “M.A.Y.L. carrier”, as we proudly deliver our amazing Yukon life stories to the outside world.  

 Cheers 

 “Trapper Dan your Renaissance Man”

 Daniel Halen

The post #018 – Exploring the North with ExploreNorth.com founder, Murray Lundberg appeared first on My Amazing Yukon Life.

 In today’s interview with Jeff Bond, we discuss the adventures, challenges, and changes in the field of Surficial Geology and how recent scientific analysis techniques have aided Yukon’s mineral exploration industry.

 Jeff’s lifelong learning mindset and commitment to the field of geology has served him well. From his curious beginnings as a youth interested in basic rock exploration in the Okotoks area of Alberta, to the wildlands of Canada’s northernmost territory, he’s been able to take his interest in geomorphology and cleave it into a fulfilling career of adventure and exploration. 

 As the head Surficial Geologist for the Yukon Geological Survey, Jeff has had the opportunity to explore regions of the territory that most people will rarely be able to access. No stranger to the outdoors and the risk/rewards that go with it, Jeff has taken it upon himself to formulate many a plan that would get him into the most remote areas of the Yukon.  By accessing areas by water, hiking and air travel, he’s collected years of data in vast portions of the territory that are sometimes accompanied with the occasional ice water capsize, helicopter rescue, and random wildlife encounter. 

Klutlan Outwash Fountain

I’d like to invite you to help me build the knowledge base for future shows by becoming a member of My Amazing Yukon Life Facebook Group. This is where our personal stories come together as we build upon the collective memories of one another to record and preserve personal stories of the Yukon’s rich history and colourful life adventures. 

You can also download each episode from Buzzsprout or wherever you get your podcasts from. While you’re there, hit the subscribe button and leave me a comment on what you’d like to hear next on the show.

I hope you enjoyed this podcast, pictures, and links and I thank you for joining me as a “M.A.Y.L. carrier”, as we deliver our amazing Yukon life stories to the outside world. 

Cheers

“Trapper Dan your Renaissance Man”

Daniel Halen 

The post #017 – Piecing Together Yukon’s Rocky History – An Interview with Head Yukon Surficial Geologist, Jeff Bond. appeared first on My Amazing Yukon Life.

The post #016 – The passing of guitar legend Eddie Van Halen. appeared first on My Amazing Yukon Life.

 In today’s podcast with Donna Clayson, we learn about a research project she complied discussing the dedicated team of pilots, engineers, historians and many others behind the scenes who worked diligently for 18 years restoring one of the first aircraft to serve in the Yukon.  The rebirth of the Fokker Super Universal CF-AAM became a labour of love to the dedicated restoration crew who then had the pleasure of flying her to numerous airshows throughout Canada and the United States. 

 CF-AAM is now on display at the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada in Winnipeg Manitoba where she receives the admiration of all who come to visit her. She’s a true Yukon “gold nugget” from the early years of aviation in the territory, as well as a testament to the grit, determination, passion and skill needed by the men and women who took it upon themselves to preserve and honour one of Canada’s most iconic Yukon bush planes. 

This 7 part video series was produced by Clark Seaborn and Garth Pritchard and is currently posted on Youtube’s Northern ROV channel. I’m currently unable to contact any of the producers or host of this documentary series and will continue to search out the producers/host to ask for permission to display their work.

However, this 7 part series is one of the most detailed and complete documentations of the Fokker Super Universal CF-AAM and hopefully the producers will allow their work to be displayed on this website.

If you the reader, have any information on how I could contact the people involved in this video series, please contact me asap so I can reach out to the show’s producers to be granted their permission. Thanks

The post #015 – Restoring the Fokker Super Universal CF-AAM aircraft to her halcyon days. appeared first on My Amazing Yukon Life.

#014 – Bhangra Dancing in the Yukon with Gurdeep Pandher 

Gurdeep Pandher arrived in Whitehorse with a burning desire to share the joyous and unique style of Bhangra dance to Yukoners in every town and remote community throughout the territory. When his first 2016 Canada Day Bhangra dance video went viral overnight on the Internet, he quickly realized that through his social media presence, he could bring the joy of Bhangra dance to not only Yukoners, but to millions of people around the world. 

While conducting his dance classes, Gurdeep films the uniqueness and character of each participant and incorporates their smiles, positive energy, and incredible natural settings in each of his production.  His future plans to have a cross Canada “Happiness Tour” in 2021 will certainly be a welcomed celebration of Bhangra dance, as he takes his show on the road from the left to the right coast. Stay tuned for future interviews with Gurdeep, as we follow him on his next great journey spreading the joy and celebration of this unique style of dance.  

Click here for more information on Gurdeep Pandher.

I’d like to invite you to help me build the knowledge base for future shows by becoming a member of My Amazing Yukon Life Facebook Group. This is where our personal stories come together as we build upon the collective memories of one another to record and preserve personal stories of the Yukon’s rich history and colourful life adventures. 

You can also download each episode from Buzzsprout or wherever you get your podcasts from. While you’re there, hit the subscribe button and leave me a comment on what you’d like to hear next on the show.

I hope you enjoyed this podcast, pictures, and links and I thank you for joining me as a “M.A.Y.L. carrier”, as we deliver our amazing Yukon life stories to the outside world. 

Cheers

“Trapper Dan your Renaissance Man”

Daniel Halen 

The post #014 – Bhangra Dancing in the Yukon with Gurdeep Pandher appeared first on My Amazing Yukon Life.

In today’s podcast interview, we only begin to scratch the surface of Donna Clayson’s lifelong passion and enthusiasm towards preserving the Yukon’s rich and diverse history. As an accomplished writer of short stories, news articles, research papers, and often times history presenter at the Yukon Transportation Museum, she undoubtedly has a natural way of drawing the listener into her Yukon adventures. She speaks of her own life experiences and recounts the lives and adventures of the old timers who influenced her along the way. The fact that she’s lived off the grid for many years in the quintessential “log cabin in the woods”, speaks volumes about her character and embracing nature to embrace nature. 

She recounts her chance meetings with some of the most colourful 5% the Yukon has ever known and how these people have influenced her passion and commitment to preserve the adventuresome stories these men and women have given to our community. We also discuss her role as an administrator for the Yukon History and Abandoned Places FaceBook group started by Murray Lundberg and how she continues to be involved as a researcher with an upcoming Yukon documentary film. I assure you this is only the beginning of what’s yet to come, so please stay tuned for upcoming interviews with Donna in the very near future.

I’d like to invite you to help me build the knowledge base for future shows by becoming a member of My Amazing Yukon Life Facebook Group. This is where our personal stories come together as we build upon the collective memories of one another to record and preserve personal stories of the Yukon’s rich history and colourful life adventures. 

You can also download each episode from Buzzsprout or wherever you get your podcasts from. While you’re there, hit the subscribe button and leave me a comment on what you’d like to hear next on the show.

I hope you enjoyed this podcast, pictures, and links and I thank you for joining me as a “M.A.Y.L. carrier”, as we deliver our amazing Yukon life stories to the outside world. 

Cheers

“Trapper Dan your Renaissance Man”

Daniel Halen 

The post #013 – Keeping Yukon’s History Alive and Well. An interview with historian Donna Clayson. appeared first on My Amazing Yukon Life.

In today’s interview with Boštjan Škrlj, we get a bird’s eye view into the adventure sport of paragliding and paramotoring in the Yukon. Although the sport has been extremely popular throughout the world for many years, it’s relatively new to the territory and has drawn adventurists from all corners of the earth seeking to experience Yukon’s beauty from the air. 

As a native of Slovenia, Boštjan was exposed to the paragliding craze in his youth with hundreds of people gliding overhead on any given day. Yet he didn’t pursue his passion for flying until arriving in Whitehorse a few years ago. Originally, he set out on a motorcycle trip around the world but was drawn to the Yukon on his way through to Alaska and through a chance meeting with paraglider instructor Trevor Mead Robins, Boštjan was quickly switching his riding boots to more comfortable landing gear for his feet. 

The adventures continue as Boštjan continues to ride his BMW motorcycle to some of the most remote parts of Yukon in both the summer and winter. He’s often seen at – 40 C driving up the mountains to the ski slopes where he launches his paraglider to fly around Whitehorse in the dimly lit days around the Winter Solstice. He can also be seen out kite skiing on Yukon’s many frozen lakes pulling behind him ski polks to test both himself and his gear. He continues to test and refine his outdoor equipment since his next adventure will have him transiting the most remote parts of this northern continent by kite and ski this winter. 

For more information on Fly YT Paragliding Inc. please visit their website.

I’d like to invite you to help me build the knowledge base for future shows by becoming a member of My Amazing Yukon Life Facebook Group. This is where our personal stories come together as we build upon the collective memories of one another to record and preserve personal stories of the Yukon’s rich history and colourful life adventures. 

You can also download each episode from Buzzsprout or wherever you get your podcasts from. While you’re there, hit the subscribe button and leave me a comment on what you’d like to hear next on the show.

I hope you enjoyed this podcast, pictures, and links and I thank you for joining me as a “M.A.Y.L. carrier”, as we deliver our amazing Yukon life stories to the outside world. 

Cheers

“Trapper Dan your Renaissance Man”

Daniel Halen 

The post #012 – Paragliding and Paramotoring Adventures in the Yukon – An interview with extreme outdoor adventurist Boštjan Škrlj appeared first on My Amazing Yukon Life.

In today’s interview with Uli Klausing, we discuss his formative years as an aspiring glider pilot in Northern Germany where he discovered his love of flying as a teenager around the Baltic Sea. The flying culture, comradery and support network of the clubs in this region have had a long-lasting effect on his flying career and has inspired him to begin his own Yukon Glider Association in the Yukon. As he nears retirement, Uli has made the time commitment and connections necessary to fulfill his desire to start the Yukon Glider Association as he shares his passion for flying without an engine. 

The 100th anniversary celebration of Yukon aviation is scheduled for Sunday August 16th2020 at the Yukon transportation Museum where Uli will have his glider on display along with information regarding his proposed Yukon Glider Association. Please drop by the static show and learn more about how you can become involved in this new to Yukon initiative.  

To learn more about the Yukon Transportation Museum’s 100th Years of Aviation show on Sunday August 16th 2020, please click on the link to the Yukon Transportation Museum – !00 Years of Aviation

I’d like to invite you to help me build the knowledge base for future shows by becoming a member of My Amazing Yukon Life Facebook Group. This is where our personal stories come together as we build upon the collective memories of one another to record and preserve personal stories of the Yukon’s rich history and colourful life adventures. 

You can also download each episode from Buzzsprout or wherever you get your podcasts from. While you’re there, hit the subscribe button and leave me a comment on what you’d like to hear next on the show.

I hope you enjoyed this podcast, pictures, and links and I thank you for joining me as a “M.A.Y.L. carrier”, as we deliver our amazing Yukon life stories to the outside world. 

Cheers

“Trapper Dan your Renaissance Man”

Daniel Halen 

The post #011 – A Soaring Desire to start the Yukon Glider Association – an Interview with pilot Uli Klausing. appeared first on My Amazing Yukon Life.

With years of passion and commitment towards mastering the game of Duplicate Bridge, Chic Callas has recently achieved “Life Master” status through the American Contract Bridge League. Not an easy task by any measure regardless of where you happen to reside. Factor in the remoteness of living in the Yukon Territory, and the logistics related to attaining Life Master status is compounded to say the least. 

Duplicate Bridge is of course a partner’s game, requiring players to participate in sanctioned events that are monitored throughout the ACBL network far afield from Canada’s north. Throw in a worldwide pandemic, travel restrictions, and the Yukon’s remote location and you have a plethora of hurdles to get over just to make it to a tournament. Plus, we haven’t even begun to talk about the difficulty of mastering the game itself yet! 

It’s little wonder why many Yukon Bridge players have reached out to My Amazing Yukon Life requesting to hear the story behind the man who has clearly beaten the odds on so many levels. Not only does Chic clearly love the game of Bridge, he regularly teaches it to members of the Yukon community who equally enjoy his same passion for the game.  

Perseverance + passion + pandemic = Canada’s Northernmost Life Master Bridge Player, Chic Callas. 

I’d like to invite you to help me build the knowledge base for future shows by becoming a member of My Amazing Yukon Life Facebook Group. This is where our personal stories come together as we build upon the collective memories of one another to record and preserve personal stories of the Yukon’s rich history and colourful life adventures. 

You can also download each episode from Buzzsprout or wherever you get your podcasts from. While you’re there, hit the subscribe button and leave me a comment on what you’d like to hear next on the show.

I hope you enjoyed this podcast, pictures, and links and I thank you for joining me as a “M.A.Y.L. carrier”, as we deliver our amazing Yukon life stories to the outside world. 

Cheers

“Trapper Dan your Renaissance Man”

Daniel Halen 

The post #010 – Canada’s Northernmost Life Master Bridge Player. An interview with Chic Callas appeared first on My Amazing Yukon Life.

In today’s interview with Roger Gillies, we discuss his life-long learning philosophy of educating one’s self far beyond the confines of the four walls of the traditional classroom environment.  His curiosity with technology, and the chance opportunities that arrived at his doorstep via his teaching assignment in the Yukon, created the perfect combination for both his curious and creative personalities to flourish in the Website Design space. 

As an early adopter of technology, he was also first on the scene with his Deranged Moose podcast nearly 20 years ago and has been the inspiration behind the My Amazing Yukon Life podcast and website.

After many years of teaching high school band throughout N.W.T. and Yukon, Gillies found his creative niche in what was to be the very beginnings of the electronic keyboard and computer technology era. As an early adopter of technology, willing to spend countless hours researching and perfecting code, he quickly allied himself with Skills Canada Yukon as a web-design coach. This relationship lasted many years and afforded him the opportunity to travel with his students to compete throughout Canada and internationally in the World-Skills Competition. 

As a retirement “side hustle,” Gillies remains as active as ever with his website design business called First Contact Design, where he creates websites, streamlines businesses existing webpages, and assists in branding and search engine optimization throughout the globe for a wide variety of clients. First on the scene long before podcasting became “a thing,” Gillies hosted The Deranged Moose” podcast which quickly gained its gangly legs (pun intended) and took off on the local and international scene. I’m delighted to pick up the reigns of his Deranged Moose and to bring some memorable Yukon moments to life on the M.A.Y.L. podcast, by featuring guests and their amazing Yukon life adventures.

I’d like to invite you to help me build the knowledge base for future shows by becoming a member of My Amazing Yukon Life Facebook Group. This is where our stories come together as we build upon the collective memories of one another to record and preserve personal stories of the Yukon’s rich history and colourful life adventures. 

I hope you enjoyed this podcast and webpage and I thank you for joining me as a “M.A.Y.L. carrier,” as we deliver our amazing Yukon life stories to the outside world. 

Cheers

“Trapper Dan your Renaissance Man”

Daniel Halen 

The post #009 – Yukon Website Designer and Technology Guru, “Doctor” Roger Gillies. appeared first on My Amazing Yukon Life.

In today’s interview with Dr. Keith Todd, we discuss the adventures, challenges, and changes in the field of music education over the course of his 33 year career in Yukon and B.C. 

His lifelong commitment to music education, along with his willingness to share his passion for music with members of the communities he’s lived in, permeates throughout our discussion. He’s clearly woven himself into the musical fabric of The Yukon and has nurtured all musicians under his tutelage to become the best performers they can be. He’s motivated and inspiring both youth ( at the highschool level ) and adults ( in the community bands ) to push the envelope on their chosen instrument and create memorable musical moments to reflect upon in their later years.    

No stranger to the “side hustle” of landing jazz, funk, big band and recording sessions for other musicians, Todd will certainly be one of the first call musicians in both Nelson and Yukon in years to come. His current trajectory is to reconnect with musicians in Nelson upon his retirement, but I’m sure to see him up in the Yukon as well.  

For more details on Dr. Todd’s performance and personal portfolio, visit http://www.doctortodd.ca

For more details on the Whitehorse All City Band, visit https://allcityband.com

Hornography at the 2015 Vancouver International Jazz Festival June 20. 2015

Hornography @ the Vancouver International Jazz Festival July 30, 2013

Funkometry

I’d like to invite you to help us build the knowledge base for future shows by becoming a member of My Amazing Yukon Life Facebook Group. This is where our stories come together as we build upon the collective memories of one another to record and preserve personal stories of the Yukon’s rich history and colourful life adventures. 

You can also download each episode from Buzzsprout or wherever you get your podcasts from. While you’re there, hit the subscribe button and leave me a comment on what you’d like to hear next on the show.

I hope you enjoyed this podcast and webpage and I thank you for joining me as a “M.A.Y.L. carrier, as we deliver our amazing Yukon life stories to the outside world. 

Cheers

“Trapper Dan your Renaissance Man”

Daniel Halen 

The post #008 – Retiring Band Teacher Knows How To “Conduct Himself” After The Yukon – Interview with “Doctor” Keith Todd appeared first on My Amazing Yukon Life.

In today’s interview with Gerd Mannsperger ( Owner/Operator of Alpine Aviation ), we discuss the adventures, challenges, and changes in the float plane flying business over his past 23 years of working in this essential service industry in the Yukon. His keen sense of balancing his work/life relationship with his partner Janet, permeates throughout our discussion, as he talks about the importance of growing a business without losing connection with the people, places, and relationships that allowed Alpine Aviation to grow to where it is today.  His passion for flying and maintaining his air fleet still keeps him in the left seat of his aircraft, where he enjoys the adventure and scenery of the Yukon each and every day. 

Alpine Aviation float plane base is located on Beautiful Schwatka lake within walking distance from the city center of Whitehorse. It’s easily identifiable by a two-story shipping container building garnished by the beautiful yellow and red Cessna 206 float planes and the red Beaver floating at the dock. Details and pictures from today’s podcast, along with information on how to book a sightseeing tour, or remote wilderness drop off and pickup, can be found below.

Alpine Aviation Yukon Ltd.
P.O. Box 6 Pilots: Andrew Swenson
Whitehorse, YT Y1A 5X9 Darryl Laliberte
Canada Gebhard Zürn

Gerd Mannsperger (Chief Pilot) 
Phone: (867) 668-7725 
Mobile (867) 333-9249 
Email: alpineaviation@gmail.com

Janet Sanders (Office Manager)
Phone: (867) 668-7725
Mobile (867) 336-3996 
Email: alpineaviation@gmail.com

We start out pilot training young around here at Alpine Aviation

Canada Day 2020

I hope you enjoyed this podcast and webpage and I thank you for joining me as a “M.A.Y.L. carrier, as we deliver our amazing Yukon life stories to the outside world. 

I’d like to invite you to help me build the knowledge base for future shows by becoming a member of My Amazing Yukon Life Facebook Group. This is where our stories come together as we build upon the collective memories of one another to record and preserve personal stories of the Yukon’s rich history and colourful life adventures. 

Cheers

“Trapper Dan your Renaissance Man”

Daniel Halen 

The post #007 – Flying with Floats – Alpine Aviation with Gerd Mannsperger. appeared first on My Amazing Yukon Life.

#006 – The Ibex Ridge hike is a somewhat easy trailhead to access “if” you have some clear directions to the starting point. YTG Placer Gold Geologist Jeff Bond gives you not only the accurate directions to the starting point of this amazing hike, but some in depth background into the geological history that shaped both the Ibex and Takhini River basins.

Classified as an “intermediate/advanced” hike, the Ibex Ridge provides some incredible vistas as you ascend 6909 ft to its summit. Essentials for this hike requires a camera for those photo ops, good hiking boots, warm clothing, food and water are essentials for your day out.

For further details on this hike, click the link to Yukonhiking.ca

I’d like to invite you to help us build the knowledge base for future shows by becoming a member of My Amazing Yukon Life Facebook Group. This is where our stories come together as we build upon the collective memories of one another to record and preserve personal stories of the Yukon’s rich history and colourful life adventures. 

You can also download each episode from Buzzsprout or wherever you get your podcasts from. While you’re there, hit the subscribe button and leave me a comment on what you’d like to hear next on the show.

I hope you enjoyed this podcast and webpage and I thank you for joining me as a “M.A.Y.L. carrier, as we deliver our amazing Yukon life stories to the outside world.  

Cheers 

“Trapper Dan your Renaissance Man”

Daniel Halen

The post #006 – The Ibex Ridge Hike with Jeff Bond appeared first on My Amazing Yukon Life.

#005 – Professional highway trucker and heavy equipment owner/operator Dan Throssell, has us sitting passenger as we drive up the Yukon’s Dempster Highway at -60 in a blinding snowstorm. His stories of cautious travel fraught with mechanical ordeals and nearly zero human contact on this 700 plus miles of lonely highway will keep you on the edge of your seat. In a land intersected by only a few gravel roads and infrequent encounters with wildlife along this barren highway, Dan recounts his years of travel, delivering everything from oversized heavy equipment, to pallets of eggs to some of the most remote places in Northern Canada, far beyond the paved highways. 

Click the link for more information on Dan Throssell Services.

He refers to his adventures as “it’s just another Wednesday” with a chuckle in his voice, yet his cavalier demeanour is solidified by his stoic work ethic and years of comradery and patient mentorship from his skilled peers. No stranger to being on his own and relying on his bag of tricks to get the job done, Dan leaves us with a sense of pride for a job well done and a heartfelt appreciation for the people he’s leaned on to help him on his journey. 

From humble beginnings of fixing machinery that “needs some love” along the way, to brand new iron, Dan has all the bases covered. Although his newest equipment is much shinier and sparkles down the highway, it his earlier days that Throssell reflects upon as ” the good old days” as his fridge door tests too.

Sometimes things go terribly wrong and then the real work begins. An axle falling off the trailer , or a propane leak and explosion in the refer that blows the trailer up and puts a person in the hospital. When things go wrong, it can truly be life threatening. ” Just another Wednesday!”

If it’s heavy with lead like the ore trucks used for the Faro Galena mine in the 1980’s and 90’s, then Dan is interested. He also has a love affair with yellow iron. Provided it’s large enough to present a challenge to move it.

I’d like to invite you to help us build the knowledge base for future shows by becoming a member of My Amazing Yukon Life Facebook Group. This is where our stories come together as we build upon the collective memories of one another to record and preserve personal stories of the Yukon’s rich history and colourful life adventures. 

You can also download each episode from Buzzsprout or wherever you get your podcasts from. While you’re there, hit the subscribe button and leave me a comment on what you’d like to hear next on the show.

I hope you enjoyed this podcast and webpage and I thank you for joining me as a “M.A.Y.L. carrier, as we deliver our amazing Yukon life stories to the outside world. 

Cheers

“Trapper Dan your Renaissance Man”

Daniel Halen 

The post #005 – Hauling Heavy on the Demspter Highway & Ice Roads with Dan Throssell appeared first on My Amazing Yukon Life.

#004 – In this episode, we learn how to search for that rare metal element that men have toiled over for millennia, and quickly learn that all that glitters is often times more than just gold.  Lawrence Dublenko and his wife Connie eventually discover a placer gold bearing creek in the back country of the Mayo area, and more importantly, the treasure of camaraderie in the hearts and souls of the people who choose to live in this central Northern Yukon community. 

Prospector, teacher, and industrious entrepreneur, Lawrence gives us an in depth look into his life in the Mayo area as he takes us through the process of staking, testing, gold mining, and the reclamation process as the final step in decommissioning a claim. His greatest discovery of riches comes from his crystalline appreciation of the people who have made his life rich while he proceeded to search for the elusive yellow metal buried deep in the bedrock.

If you’re not living on the edge, you’re taking up too much room.

I’d like to invite you to help us build the knowledge base for future shows by becoming a member of My Amazing Yukon Life Facebook Group. This is where our stories come together as we build upon the collective memories of one another to record and preserve personal stories of the Yukon’s rich history and colourful life adventures. 

You can also download each episode from Buzzsprout or wherever you get your podcasts from. While you’re there, hit the subscribe button and leave me a comment on what you’d like to hear next on the show.

I hope you enjoyed this podcast and webpage and I thank you for joining me as a “M.A.Y.L. carrier, as we deliver our amazing Yukon life stories to the outside world. 

Cheers

“Trapper Dan your Renaissance Man”

Daniel Halen 

The post #004 – Placer Gold Mining with the Mayo Prospector, Lawrence Dublenko appeared first on My Amazing Yukon Life.

#003 – World renowned white water paddling expert, 2019 Yukon Sports Hall of Fame Inductee, and founder of Tatshenshini Expediting, Bob Daffe, shares his personal story of the many wild river adventures he’s had while living ( and playing ) for more than four decades in the Yukon. His passion for white water adventure has taken him to some of the most remote parts of Canada’s north as well as epic forays into Central and South America on a quest for that perfect chute over countless waterfalls. 

No stranger to hard work and adverse conditions, Bob’s grit, determination and passion for river adventure lead him to build one of Yukon’s most successful rafting/canoe and kayak businesses. From the early years of building his own fibreglass kayaks, to the new state of the art “pack rafts” of today, his vision of Yukon paddling reaches far into the future as this living legend inspires thousands of like-minded paddlers to follow in his…. “footsteps?” Paddle strokes! 

Click here for more details about the Tatshenshini Expediting.

I’d like to invite you to help us build the knowledge base for future shows by becoming a member of My Amazing Yukon Life Facebook Group. This is where our stories come together as we build upon the collective memories of one another to record and preserve personal stories of the Yukon’s rich history and colourful life adventures. 

You can also download each episode from Buzzsprout or wherever you get your podcasts from. While you’re there, hit the subscribe button and leave me a comment on what you’d like to hear next on the show.

I hope you enjoyed this podcast and webpage and I thank you for joining me as a “M.A.Y.L. carrier, as we deliver our amazing Yukon life stories to the outside world. 

Cheers

“Trapper Dan your Renaissance Man”

Daniel Halen 

The post #003 – Bob Daffe, Yukon Sports Hall of Fame Recipient appeared first on My Amazing Yukon Life.

#002 – The Fly Fishing Musician Don Bishop, reflects upon his career as a full time world touring musician in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Band, and in later years, a pilot in the membership’s Air Division stationed out of Whitehorse, Yukon.  

As a gifted musician and avid outdoorsman, Don’s journey led him to the Yukon in the late 1960’s only to return back up to the Land of the Midnight Sun years later to finish out his RCMP career as captain of the Twin Otter aircraft, flying to some of the most remote locations in Northern Canada. 

With thousands of nautical miles under his belt and a keen eye from the sky, he’s always on the lookout for that secret sneaky fishing hole to cast a line and a chance to take in the astounding Yukon scenery. 

Click below to listen to Sgt. Preston from the Trapper Dan C.D. “The Bear Essentials”. – Featuring Musician/Producer Don Bishop on trumpet, background vocals, and random carrying on’s. 

Click for more details or to purchase Trapper Dan “The Bear Essentials” at Amazon.com.

I’d like to invite you to help us build the knowledge base for future shows by becoming a member of My Amazing Yukon Life Facebook Group. This is where our stories come together as we build upon the collective memories of one another to record and preserve personal stories of the Yukon’s rich history and colourful life adventures. 

You can also download each episode from Buzzsprout or wherever you get your podcasts from. While you’re there, hit the subscribe button and leave me a comment on what you’d like to hear next on the show.

I hope you enjoyed this podcast and webpage and I thank you for joining me as a “M.A.Y.L. carrier, as we deliver our amazing Yukon life stories to the outside world. 

Cheers

“Trapper Dan your Renaissance Man”

Daniel Halen 

The post #002 – The Fly Fishing Musician – Don Bishop. appeared first on My Amazing Yukon Life.

#001 – Greetings Everyone.

I’m Daniel Halen, the host of My Amazing Yukon Life Podcast. In this first episode, I welcome you to join me on an audio journey through the My Amazing Yukon Life Podcast and give you an overview of the shows focus of recording and preserving stories of the Yukon’s rich history and the colourful life adventures so many of us have had. I share fragments of my own personal story, and my fascination with the local history and the uniqueness of the Yukon people, followed with a brief preview of what’s yet to come in future shows. 

Make sure you check out episode #002 as I interview an ex-Yukoner who recounts his time as both a musician and pilot with the Yukon RCMP. Having the best views of Yukon from the air and an eye for that perfect fishing hole, Don Bishop scourers the landscape for that ultimate secret sneaky spot to drop a musical hook…but did he say where?

I’d like to invite you to help us build the knowledge base for future shows by becoming a member of My Amazing Yukon Life Facebook Group. This is where our stories come together as we build upon the collective memories of one another to record and preserve personal stories of the Yukon’s rich history and colourful life adventures. 

You can also download each episode from Buzzsprout or wherever you get your podcasts from. While you’re there, hit the subscribe button and leave me a comment on what you’d like to hear next on the show.

I hope you enjoyed this podcast and webpage and I thank you for joining me as a “M.A.Y.L. carrier, as we deliver our amazing Yukon life stories to the outside world. 

Cheers

“Trapper Dan your Renaissance Man”

Daniel Halen 

The post #001 – Welcome to My Amazing Yukon Life Podcast. appeared first on My Amazing Yukon Life.