Welcome to Uncommon Journeys! It is always exciting for us to meet our guests for the first time, from the moment you sign on it is our intention to provide you with an incredible experience. In order to make your adventure with us as pleasurable as possible our staff have compiled a list of "tips" for our guests who have yet to run our dogs, live in a yurt, or paddle with us in the Yukon wilderness. We hope that these suggestions are helpful, and welcome additional suggestions or questions from our guests as well. See you on the trail!
1) Take the time to find a good quality , windproof hat that fits well and covers your ears well. It is great to not have to pull your hood up all the time if it is very cold.
2) Make sure that your windproof pants and jacket are sized to fit over all of your bulky fleece pants and fleece jacket. If your clothes are too tight they will not provide nearly as much insulation as not as much air will be trapped between the layers and in the insulation itself.
3) Life in the yurts and the cabins is quite civilized, and warm! (65 - 75 F) so feel free to bring a regular set of clothes on the trail (ie: cotton pants, shirts, sweater, underwear etc.) to lounge around in. Previous guests have said it was a godsend to have some cotton on during those marathon Trivial pursuit games late at night in the big yurt!
4) If you wear glasses or contacts bring 2 pair. (Just in case of an accident) The sleeping yurts are kept above freezing all day so your contact solution should not freeze.........
5) Bring both fast (400 ASA ) and slow film (64 ASA is perfect). As the conditions can be very extreme for photography. Also bring a couple of zip-lock plastic bags to put your camera in when you bring it into the warmth of your yurt from the cold. (This will prevent condensation from entering your camera lens and body, and potentially re-freezing later....just when that enormous bull caribou lifts his head!)
6) You will also want to bring a spare battery for your camera, particularly if you have a "point and shoot" camera that uses nicad batteries. The cold can suck a lot of the power from a battery, (in really cold conditions we rotate batteries some times).
7) Each sled has a handle bar bag on it that opens easily with a zipper and velcro. Bring a couple of small stuff sacks in which to put the items which you want to get to "on the run". (Such as lip balm, sunscreen, extra film, extra gloves etc.)
8) Your sled will be practically empty except for your personal clothes duffle bag, so bring more clothes if you just can’t decide what to bring. During "duffle shuffle" when we outfit you on the first night you can decide what you wish to leave behind at the Homestead and what you will want to take "on the trail".
9) Bring any preferred alcoholic beverages that you would enjoy. We have a special cooler rigged to bring in good bottles of scotch and wine.....and we haven't broken a bottle yet! (We will be providing a house wine for about half of the meals.)
10) In the cabins there are regular duvets and sheets just like home.For the yurts you will be issued a sleeping bag sleeping system with a freshly laundered cotton liner bag as well. On the bed will be a pillow in a fresh pillow case and a fresh fitted sheet on the mattress. This will allow for you to sleep with a number of combinations ie; bags zipped open as a comforter, or zipped up mummy style etc. Therefore you do not need to bring heavy pyjamas to sleep in. We often enjoy changing each night into a long-sleeved cotton shirt and some cotton underwear. (The windows of the yurts are covered for privacy and warmth and you sleep under a large domed, skylight viewing the incredible stars and Northern Lights as you nod off......)
11) We love to eat!!! So you can be assured that we will have plenty of great food to devour as our appetites increase in relation to the miles of mushing which we complete. If you have an absolutely to-die-for appetizer, dessert etc that you love to make, let us know ahead of time and provide us with a list of the ingredients which we will provide. We love to learn new recipes and will gladly share the cookstove, as long as we get to sample your creation when it’s ready!
12) The serenity of both the cabins and the yurts is usually pretty inspiring to our guests, so now is the time to wade into that novel you have been longing to read. We have a small library of paperback books available as well as coffee table books for your reading enjoyment if you prefer not to be hassled with bringing your own.
13) We provide snowshoes and skis for our guests to use out at the yurts. The skis are extra wide, with metal edges so they are very stable for novice skiers. They have "Berwin" arctic bindings which allow you to ski in the same, warm mukluks which you mush in. If you have a favorite set of nordic skis or snowshoes, by all means being them. It is easy to lash them to the skimmer which goes into the yurts well ahead of the dogteams.
14) We will look very healthy from being outdoors, however the wind can chap your skin, be sure to bring skin cream and lip balm to protect your youthful profile!
15) There are showers at the Homestead but not at the yurts. The outhouse at the yurts has been described as "a remarkably comfortable structure" by one of our guests, so don’t worry too much about life’s necessities!
16) If you decide to bring your own overmitts outfit them with "dummy strings" , strings that are tied to each of your mitts so that you will not lose them if you take them off while your sled is still blazing down the trail.......
17) There are two very good outdoor stores in Whitehorse. Unfortunately, they are usually closed on Sundays when most of our trips begin. If you are having trouble finding any of the items listed on the clothing list, let us know and we will pick them up for you, before you arrive.
18) If you are arriving in town the day before the actual trip begins, we are only too happy to supply you with the names of our favorite "hot spots" to visit in Whitehorse. Just let us know what kinds of activities you prefer and we will customize a "must see" list for you.
19) You will be wishing that you had your camera with you for the flight from Vancouver. Having a polarizing filter on your lens will greatly enhance your chances of taking some spectacular mountain shots.
20) The commands for your lead dogs to turn left and right are "Haw!" and "Gee!" respectively. We suggest you write them on your refrigerator, steering wheel, computer screen, toothbrush, coffee mug etc. so that they are firmly implanted in your memory before the big moment when you need them....... (Just kidding, though it couldn't hurt...)
21) And last but not least......when you arrive at the airport look for the person that smells like dogs holding the Uncommon Journeys sign.....he or she will inevitably be one of your guides!!
If you have any questions or last minute concerns, please do not hesitate to call us. We want you to have the experience of a lifetime, and inevitably the more information you have, the better prepared you will be. Until we share the trail remember.........think snow!
