August 16th, 2014
Facts about the Ogilvie River
The Ogilvie River Valley portion of the Dempster Highway follows Engineer Creek to Ogilvie River. This is boreal forest country with mountains. Again on this portion of the route there may be an opportunity to view Dall sheep. Binoculars are a good idea. For the next 30 kilometres you will notice some strange smells in the air. The odor comes form the minerals in the area reacting with the water and rocks. It is not hard to miss the bright orange sediment lining the river banks and the coloring of the rocks. Nor is it easy to ignore the sulfur smell in the air.
Friendly Faces
Ben and Jeremy: These two crazy caribou hunters appeared out of nowhere, and saved our day, saved us a day of riding actually. It was nice to get to know Frenchie and Jeremy over dinner, and hopefully we can meet Jeremy’s lady friend at a BBQ in Dawson next week.
Today’s Highlights
Andrew writes:Meeting Ruth and Raph at the Ogilvie / Peel River Viewpoint and spending time talking with them while drinking an icy cold Coke. Thanks also for the gallon of water!
Today’s Lowlights
Andrew writes:Waking up to mud. Trudging uphill in mud for over an hour, pushing 150lbs of bike and equipment. Running out of water.
What happened…
Andrew writes: It’s Amanda’s birthday! Yay! I made her pancakes for breakfast. They were good. Oh wait, except that it was raining every time we woke up in the morning so we finally got out of bed at 1030. And we didn’t get on the road until 130pm. It was like we were starting in a hole. I was hoping to get to Engineer Creek Campground which was about 75km away. I thought the worst was behind us. Little did I know.
Right outside of our campsite, the road was mush. That gravel was indeed fresh, and about 2 inches thick, and it was impossible to ride on. We were halfway up a 5km hill, and the push up was really horrible. We kept hoping that a truck would come by and drive us to a spot where the muck stopped, except the vehicles were all going in the opposite direction, and there is no way that they could have stopped safely. Actually, there was one guy who stopped when we flagged him down, and he gave us a small bottle of water. That really helped. Of course, we were out of water by this time because we had thought the worst was behind us, and that surely there would be some creek or stream just bursting with fresh water from the rains, but sadly there was not.
After about 90 minutes of pushing, we were finally able to start descending. The road was no longer mushy, but it was slippery, and it was a white-knuckled ride for both of us. Mud coated our bikes, brakes and drivetrains, and we were trying to be very careful not to damage anything or anyone. And then we began another climb, and kept climbing for the next two and a half hours until we reached the Ogilvie / Peel River viewpoint. I had thought about just camping there, since it was 5pm at this point, and we hadn’t eaten any lunch yet. Ruth and Raph from Switzerland pulled up in their rented camper, and gave us a gallon of water, a Coca Cola, and spent about 30 minutes talking with us about their travels in Africa. It was a really nice part of the day.
Another person at the viewpoint mentioned something about the 7 miles of hill they had just crawled up in their car, and eager to get some miles in, I urged Amanda onward, in the hopes that we would find a campsite down by the Ogilvie River. Car drivers are dumb. They always give horrible directions and never know how long it takes to get anywhere. There was a long descent, except we had to climb another 4km to get to it. When we finally reached the bottom, it was an hour later, and we pulled over by the river to try and find a spot to pitch our tent.
As we were doing so, a truck, the first of its kind, was cruising down the road, heading south. I flagged it down and it stopped, and Ben and Jeremy were very happy to load us into the back and take us to Engineer Creek, about 40km away. Amanda and I rode, with our bikes and gear, in the back of the truck. It was a surreal experience. The landscape sped by, and we couldn’t help but think just how long it would have taken to ride this stretch of road; easily another day. We reached the campground and had a few beers with the boys.
In doing so, I singed off parts of my eyebrow and eyelashes, trying to start a gas fuelled campfire. It was pretty scary watching the world before me turn into a giant fireball, as I jumped back. I’m unharmed, but for my hairless brow, and have vowed to be more careful around campfires (and gasoline). Jeremy and Ben took off around 8pm, urging us to visit them in Dawson when we roll through. I really hope that we do.
Next, Amanda and I met Lorianne and Natalia, from Ottawa, who are here in the campground for a week. They were in the covered shelter, having s’mores. We had a few s’mores with them and chatted for another hour or so about this and that. Ike and Bethany had camped here the night before and we shared a laugh about what good fire stove people Ike and Beth are. Lorianne wants to visit India one day. I hope that she can make her dream come true.
I’m still trying to figure out how I feel about hitchhiking today. It’s just another first for me. First walking, and now this. Have I bitten off more than I can chew, with this Dempster Highway business? We haven’t even done any “serious” climbs like what we will encounter in northern BC and in the Rockies. Have I got what it takes to make it? Does Amanda? What will we do if it gets colder or starts to snow? Argh, now my mind is wracked with doubt. I should goto sleep and then tomorrow will be a new day, full of fun and adventure. I can’t wait to share it with you all. Thanks for reading!