Thanks. Sometimes things don't go as planned (my deep thought for the day). Hopefully next year we can try this again, and actually complete the trip.

Even though you did not make your goal, overlanding is about the journey! I'm glad everyone is safe.

Wow, what a bummer. Lots of planning went into this trip. But like Captain Ron says, if something's gonna happen, it'll happen out there.

Hope your other trips go easier, now that you got all those issues sorted, they should, right?

Trip Report!

You're probably expecting a story with some wonderful ending, tales of great experiences, and great scenic pictures. Not today... prepare to be disappointed.

So by the time the trip was to start, we were down to three participants (or vehicles - there could be more than one participant per vehicle). There was me (Paul) driving solo, there was "Z" (who was going to attend with his wife), and "A" who was going to meet up with us in Whitehorse (and bringing his 15 y/o son).

"Z" was having vehicle issues the weekend prior to departure, so he withdrew from the trip the Sunday prior. That left two of us - me and "A".

I left on Thursday, 15 August. Drove all day, no issues, and stayed in a little dive campground that actually was pretty nice for what I needed (a place to camp for the night, and bathrooms). First picture.

Next day the Jeep started running bad, and sucking down the gasoline (glad I carry extra gas on trips like this). Then it threw a code (P0171 - running lean). Good thing I carry a code reader. I got it to Prince George 45 min before the NAPA store closed. He put the code into his computer to see what could be the problem and fix. So I got two O2 sensors, MAP sensor, air cleaner, throttle body cleaner spray, and two bottles of Sea Foam for the next few fill-ups, and $400-something dollars later I'm out in the gravel parking lot behind their store replacing parts (good thing I carry lots of tools). Also good thing the weather was nice. It ran great after that.

Next day I got to Dawson Creek - the start of the Alaska Highway (second picture). Once on the highway I noticed the Jeep had a little bit of a rumble. At first I thought "Is it the pavement"? Then I noticed it was worse when I was on the gas; and not there when coasting or off the gas. And it was getting progressively worse, but I was in the middle of nowhere so I kept going hoping it didn't blow up on me. Once I got into Fort Nelson I figured it out after crawling under it (again). Turns out I had a U-Joint going bad at the axle end (one of the four ends on the U-joint seems to have lost its little roller bearings). And of course, it was after 1800 on a Saturday night, and NAPA was closed and wouldn't open till Monday morning. Oh - and even though this is August, snow is predicted. It is already getting cold and starting to rain.

In a crisis situation, I could have dropped the front driveshaft, pulled a U-joint and put it in the rear driveshaft and kept going. But we weren't supposed to meet in Whitehorse till Monday, and with snow coming, I might want to have 4WD capability. So I got a camping spot at the Triple-G RV & Campground which was literally 15 minutes walking from the NAPA store (I'm OCD sometimes - I actually timed the walk on Sunday).

I set up camp, and set-up for the first time the Slumberjack Roadhouse tarp thingy I had bought for the trip. First time taking it out of the package and using it. One of the best purchases I've made in a long time (you need one - go buy one). Pictures 3 & 4. It allowed me to connect the tent to the back of the Jeep. And it rained and snowed that night (but snow melted quickly that next morning). Don't let the pictures fool you - it is wet and cold.

So Sunday morning I dropped the rear driveshaft and removed the offending U-Joint (picture 5). I didn't bring by U-Joint tool, so I went old-school with two sockets and a hammer. Now the long wait till Monday morning. Not much going on in Ft Nelson on a Sunday (I took a long walk and can verify it). They do have a very nice information place with computer access that I hung out at. Lots of folks coming in asking about weather and road conditions heading north (which was my destination - Whitehorse which was only 588 miles from where I was at the moment). One lady came in and was telling the young ladies (summer interns) at the counter how they were camping at the hot springs, and they were told to leave NOW! Seems the snow was causing trees to fall down. Not good.

I wasn't the only one having issues (but at least I knew what my problem was, and how to fix it). "A" was over in Skagway with his son (it is west of Whitehorse) and his Land Rover's transfer case was stuck in low range. He tried messing with it best he could, but to no avail. So he texted me to let me know he wouldn't be able to make it to Tuktoyaktuk (he was on a timeline). He was looking at a long slow drive (in low range) to Whitehorse just to find someone who might be able to fix it.

Monday morning I cooked breakfast, got the U-joint (NAPA opened at 0800), installed it on the driveshaft, reinstalled the driveshaft, put tools and stuff away, broke camp (lots of stuff packed wet as it never really got a chance to dry out), took a shower (the Triple G has very nice facilities), put on clean dry clothes (a shower and clean dry clothes will make you feel like a million bucks), and got ready to leave the campground.

So decisions decisions… I've been planning this trip for almost a year. I got this far. I'm still about two full days of driving to get to the start of the Dempster Highway. Jeep is now running good, and driveline is fixed. However, there's snow as you're heading north on the passes, and now it is a solo trip for me. Do I really want to be driving the Dempster solo? At least if I had a passenger, they could tell the authorities how I died. I got lucky twice by getting to a town with the auto parts I needed before something bad happened; Whitehorse was 588 miles north, and that's pretty much the last sizeable town heading north. And the Dempster Highway (if you've never been on it) there's NOTHING until about mile 225 (Eagle Plains). It just wasn't going to be fun doing the rest of the trip solo. I didn't think it would be safe or prudent to continue (not that that's always stopped me - I used to jump out of airplanes with the 82nd Airborne Division).

So I turned around and headed back home. If I wouldn't have been going solo, I (we) would have pressed onward to the Dempster. There was snow heading south too (picture 6).

Got home Tuesday night after some marathon driving. Talked to "A" this morning (Wednesday) and his vehicle is still stuck in low range. We'll have to try this trip again next year (crazy it was snowing in August).

As a consolation prize, I was selected to be one of the 20 participants for the 2019 Four Wheeler Overland Adventure East. So in September I'll be driving the Jeep and trailer (minus the kayak) to Florida to visit my parents, and then up to PA for this Four Wheeler Overland Adventure thing, then I'll be attending the Overland Expo East in VA (I've never been to one of the large Overland Expo events), and then will return home to WA via Route 66 (ok; Route 66 starts in Chicago and ends in Los Angeles; I'll just head north after that and drive another 1000 miles back home to WA).

So that's our trip. Sometimes things don't always work out as planned. I should have been carrying a spare U-joint (I will from now on), but my being delayed at Ft Nelson turned out to be a very good thing in hindsight. And who would have predicted snow in August? Usually my Jeep is rock solid, but it started acting up this trip (doing fine now). And I'm sure "A" after having a lot of work done on his Rover prior to the trip didn't expect to have any issues.

Next year....

Hi Paul,

Checking in here too. I have been doing the slow trek up north. Currently in Bell, BC. The plan is to reach Whitehorse Thurs evening. I have a work meeting lined up on Fri morning. Then my vacation time starts!

My son is flying in Whitehorse on Sat morning. We will head straight to Skagway, AK to spend the weekend there. Have a safe drive. See you at Whitehorse on Mon!

Tying up loose ends today before "Pack Day" tomorrow. My goal is to leave the house NLT 0800 to get to Cabela's by 0900 (you thought I was kidding about those Crocs), and then after that to the JBLM Commissary (they also open at 0900) to look for some MREs, and then hopefully the next stop after topping off the gas tank will be the Canadian border. I will not be camping just south of the Canadian border Thursday night as originally planned since I am now the only one left who would have been camping there. So what the heck; I was leaving Thursday anyways... instead of stopping to camp Thursday night and crossing into Canada Friday, 16 Aug, I'm just'a keep'n going. I'll still get to Whitehorse on the 19th; I'll just be able to slow down a bit and enjoy the drive. Maybe even spend a little time in Dawson Creek (start of the Alaska Highway).

I looked up the weather for Tuktoyaktuk - highs in the 40's - lows in the 30's. They're even predicting a little snow one day (in August!). A good reminder that even though it might be a little warm here (I'm typing this in shorts and a T-shirt), I need to pack more than just a little bit of cold weather gear. We will be a couple hundred miles north of the Arctic Circle.

https://www.theweathernetwork.com/ca/14-day-weather-trend/northwest-territories/tuktoyaktuk

Ok... coming down to the wire here. Put new springs on the trailer (with new bushings - went from 850lb springs to 740lb each springs), new trailer tires (same size, but now a six-ply instead of four), and packed the axle bearings. Sprayed the seams on the tent with silicone sealer as a precaution. Got the Jeep's oil changed and zerks lubed (there were 12). Got the food bins packed, and stuff in the garage fridge waiting till I load the cooler Thursday morning prior to heading out (got ice). Got prescriptions refilled, and got my lists to make sure I don't forget anything.

I got my head almost shaved this morning (I'm not trying to look pretty on this trip), and I also tested out my Zodi camp shower thingy I bought in August 2013 and haven't used yet (can't believe it was that long ago but the receipt was with the shower stuff). It worked. http://zodi.com/hot-showers/extreme-sc If I can at least shampoo my head every couple days I'm good.

Wednesday is pack-day (pretty much everything except the cooler). Thursday morning I'll head out. Might stop at Cabela's on the way to see about some crock shoes for those midnight pee-runs. But not just any kind of crocks - I need Off-Road Crocks. I didn't know there was such a thing till I saw these:

https://www.cabelas.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=3018958&type=product&WT.z_btnclk=YMAL-3018958&WT.z_pg_ref=prd3128583

I'm getting excited; departure time is almost here! It will be a fun trip - a trip to remember.

So recently I pre-ran part of the trip; as far north as Whitehorse before turning back home. Whitehorse is a day's drive from Dawson City, with Dawson City pretty much at the beginning of the Dempster Highway.

Thursday - 18 July. Left Longview WA about 1300. Traffic heading north on I-5 was a bitch. Took hours to get to exit 236 (my turn-off for the Silver Lake Campground). Campground was nice, but it started raining early in the morning (I noticed it at 0500), so I had to pack away a wet tent. Had a pop-tart for breakfast, and hit the road to the border (which was maybe 30 minutes away).

Friday - 19 July. The border crossing person didn't think I needed a rifle going to Whitehorse (forget the four day drive it would take to get there). Told me I wasn't going remote enough. No arguing with her. So I had to backtrack (after they searched my vehicle, and took my rifle to the US customs station for me to pick up there) to a town called Lynden to a place to store the rifle. Got back to the border crossing at 1100 where they searched my vehicle again. Finally got into Canada. Drove 476 miles to a nice RV campground (NV Mountainview Chalets & RV Resort - $21) and got a decent night sleep. Place is 14 km east out of McBride, BC. Got to dry out my tent and canopy that next morning.

Saturday, 20 July. Happy birthday to me (59 years old). On the road by 0830 after cooking a little breakfast. Drove 492 miles. Blew through Dawson Creek to put about 90 more miles behind me. Pretty scenery and starting to see some roadwork but minimal slow downs. Breakfast - corned beef hash. Lunch - MRE. Dinner - Spam spread on Ritz crackers. Camped at Inga campground - small sign almost missed it. Kinda noisy, kids on minibikes, pleasant but drunk neighbor who enjoyed talking (I joined him at his campfire for a bit). Haven't had any major bug issues so far (but I put on bug spray anyways as a precaution).

Sunday, 21 July. Left campground at 0830, drove 535 miles to Watson Lake. Camped just past town in a Provincial campground. It was nice. After you get past Ft Nelson it gets nice! Bison, bear, sheep, and caribou. Too bad it was raining a lot. Also, as you're getting further north, it stays light out longer. Jeep is doing fine, but struggles some on hills and altitude, and getting lousy gas mileage. Glad I'm carrying extra fuel (carrying too much though).

Monday, 22 July. Woke up at 0600 to rain sprinkles. Record time taking down tent. Went to a pavilion to change clothes (sometimes I'm just changing undies and socks). Pavilion picture below. Was going to cook breakfast, but the rain spoiled the mood. On the road by 0730. Got to Whitehorse about 1500 after driving 285 miles. Was going to camp and explore, but not in the rain. Turned around and headed back home earlier than I planned. Drove another 242 miles back towards Watson Creek. Stopped at Big Creek Campground ($12). There had been some murders in Canada (you may have seen it in the news), so folks were on edge. At campsite, they had what seemed like curbside campsites (I guess for RVs and trailers). Still rainy and about 2230, so I slept in the Jeep (not the greatest night of sleep). Not cooking as much as I thought I would on this trip. Jeep (with kayak on top) and trailer are doing great though.

Tuesday, 23 July. Got about 6 hrs sleep sleeping in the Jeep. Actually cooked a breakfast on the tailgate (hash browns with scrambled eggs with bacon bits and cheddar cheese all mixed together). Clean T-shirt and undies today. Hit the road just before 0900. Not far from the turn-off for 37/Cassiar Highway. The Cassiar Highway was very scenic (and parts are a roller-coaster ride). Drove 508 miles all the way to the junction of 37 & 16. Stayed at a Provincial campground (Seeley Lake?) - simple but nice (I just need a place to sleep). right near the highway though, so you could hear the traffic (what little there was).

Remember, they call two-lane roads "Highways" up in Canada. Even 1.5 lane gravel roads are sometimes called "Highways".

Wednesday, 24 July. At 0530 it was sprinkling on-and-off lightly. Got up, broke camp, and on the road by 0630 still in same clothes. Nice drive (actually beautiful the closer you got to Hope). Drove 629 miles (about 90 miles before Hope before calling it a day). Got to a campground and set-up in the dark with a magnetic light attached to the Jeep (I'm getting good at setting up camp). I had emptied most of the extra gas into the Jeep by now just to lighten the load. Actually, you really don't need to carry a lot of extra fuel until you get up to Whitehorse for that final stretch to Dawson City. But you'll feel better having a little fuel in reserve at all times.

Thursday, 25 July. No rain last night - tent is dry! Got up at 0530, ate cereal, on the road by 0715. Spent some time talking to another camper with a small teardrop camper (I wish I had a small teardrop!). Got through the US border crossing at Sumas by about 1100 (there was a lot of traffic), picked up my rifle at Lynden, and then headed home. Took a bit to get to I-5 (Bellingham is crazy), and traffic again heading south on I-5 was a bitch. I thought I'd beat the rush hour traffic in Seattle, but I guess it is always bad. Didn't get steady good until past Olympia. I got home exhausted. Drove 350-something miles to home. Seemed longer because of all the stop-and-go traffic. Spend next day-or-so doing laundry and washing Jeep and trailer.

Take aways:

1. Hopefully they'll think Tuk is remote enough to bring a rifle. If not, I know a place to store them in Lynden (if using Sumas border crossing). It just wastes time and is a hassle having to do it. Or don't bring one (I'm sure I'm flagged in their computer system now and they'd want to search my gear anyways even if I say I don't have a firearm).

2. You don't need a lot of extra fuel cans till you get past Whitehorse. And Dawson City has gas. I never had to tap into my reserves.

3. I cooked a lot less than I thought I would. Having done the Jeep tailgate drop down conversion to use it as a table was very helpful. And I really didn't eat out that much (usually if I did, it was breakfast). I'd buy a bag or two of ice every couple days.

4. I'm getting my hair cut off before the trip (like I would do for deployments). If you can't or won't be washing it every day, why have hair?

5. You need to get a couple days into Canada before the scenery really gets pretty (at least the going north part). The last day's drive back through BC is beautiful.

6. Factor in rain. Seems like I got a lot of rain. Make sure your windshield washer fluid is topped off. And you have good wipers.

7. Gas is on average $1.35/liter (Canadian). Figure cowboy math 4 liters/gallon. I went to the bank before leaving, gave them $500 US and got back about $610 Canadian. No issues with my credit card buying gas ANYWHERE. My MPG sucked compared to normal (which normal is mid-upper teens/gallon). I didn't really spend much of my Canadian cash other than eating out a bit, ice, and bottles of Starbucks mocha.

8. I was pushing it to get to Whitehorse. Whitehorse is a big town with all sorts of stores. If you find as you're traveling you forget something or want to get something before running the Dempster, get it in Whitehorse - don't think you'll get it in Dawson City. I've been to Dawson City - I know what's available there.

9. I got passed a lot while driving (four cylinder TJ, kayak on roof, towing a trailer...). Fortunately the road system has extremely frequent passing lanes.

10. Get gas when you can. What may look like a big dot on the map is really a one-horse town with just one gas station/store/place to buy food and ice. Often connected to some sort of RV park. Between the dots on the map is nothing - just wilderness. Lots of times as you're leaving the town there will be a sign saying essentially "check your gas tank - next fuel opportunity "X" number of km". Cowboy math: one km = 2/3 of a mile.

11. The Milepost book is the Bible for travel up there. Kinda hard to drive and look at the book though - this is where a passenger would be helpful. I posted earlier the page numbers for the maps we'll be following. That was most helpful to me - I had the book open to the map page in the passenger seat constantly.

12. Kinda hard to take pictures of the majestic scenery (and bears and such when moving) with a phone camera.

13. Folks were very friendly in Canada (especially once you're more north). Lots of folks doing a similar thing as you (exploring). If you go into a place to use the restroom, unless you bought gas there, buy something.

14. I suck at backing up my trailer. I need to practice.

15. I'm excited to go all the way to Tuk this next trip!

16. The springs I put on the trailer are too stiff. I ordered some softer springs, and hopefully they'll arrive in time for me to install them.

17. Trailer tires wore on the inner half of the tread. Replaced tires in picture below with same size (235/75/15) LT tires (load range "C') - 6 ply vs. the four ply that were on there. Plus I repacked the bearings and made sure they weren't loose. I'm hoping the axle isn't bent (it is a 3500lb axle on a light-weight trailer). A 235 tire might not seem very tall considering the Jeep is running 285 tires, but with the 235 tires the trailer sits level when attached to the Jeep, and I still have quite a few more inches of clearance under the trailer's straight axle compared to under the Jeep's rear Dana 44 pumpkin.

Taken as I was leaving the house - everything was nice and clean!

One of my earlier camping sites (sorry picture is fuzzy). The awning is purposely canted so rain will not pool on it, but will run to the low corner and drain.

Pavilion where I changed my clothes one morning.

Looking forward to pictures and stories from your guy's trip. It's been a couple of decades since we've been through any of that area (Cassiar, Whitehorse, etc).

If all goes to plan, we'll actually be doing the same trip up in late February, probably a bit little different conditions. Don't think kayaks would be applicable :-)

Keep an eye on fire and smoke conditions. While we've had it easy here in the PNW so far this summer, a lot of that area and into Alaska has been dealing with it.

https://tools.airfire.org/websky/v1/run/standard/AK-12km/2019071806?

For those following along, these are the pages for the maps (in the 2019 edition of the Milepost) for the route we'll be taking up to the Arctic Ocean, and back. We will be crossing into Canada at the Sumas crossing. I'm used to crossing in around Vancouver - I'm hoping the Sumas crossing is less hectic. I leave tomorrow to do a pre-run (at least to Whitehorse) so I'll find out how the crossing is.

FYI - the alternate route mentioned on the way up from Tete Juane Cache to Dawson Creek is from Tete Jaune Cache instead of heading west to Prince George and up & over to Dawson Creek, instead go east to Jasper, to Hinton, and then on 40 (Big Horn Highway) to Grande Cache to Grand Prairie, and then on 43 to Dawson Creek. Mileage is about the same; fewer towns along the way, and it might be a road less traveled (sometimes a good thing). I've actually done this Bighorn route before a few years back - I just don't remember it (maybe it was unremarkable?). I haven't done the Yellowhead Highway route from Tete Juane Cache to Prince George - I'm thinking if it is more west, it might be more scenic (and that's why I have it as the primary route).

Bummer. I won't be anywhere near Seattle on the 17th. I'm much closer to Portland than Seattle (Longview). I guess I'll see you in Whitehorse around 19 August! Was out tweaking my trailer's contents this morning seeing how to best pack it for when I do the partial pre-run in a few weeks.

And I too lived in Seattle for a bit 1996 - 1998 - grad school at UW. Go Huskies!

Re: Whitehorse campsites...

Yes, I will be happy to do this. I plan to arrive in Whitehorse on Aug 15th or 16th.

Re: meet up....

Unfortunately, I will be in Bend, OR to take my son to his lacrosse tournament from July 19 (Friday) to 21 (Sun).

However, I will be passing through Seattle on July 17 (Wed). I have one stop to make at Adventure Ready in Fremont. Will you be available on this day a few hours north and south of noon?

I can meet you anywhere in Seattle if you are working on that day. I am pretty familiar with Seattle. Used to live there in the 80s and 90s and also a Husky :)

On the pre-run, I plan on leaving Bellingham WA on Fri, 19 July at 0900. I figure an hour(?) to get to the Sumas border, so I should get there about 1000(?). Don't know how long it will take to get through the border crossing since I'll have to get out of the vehicle and go inside to pay for bringing in a firearm into the country (with paperwork of course already filled out well in advance). Coffee sounds good!

I'm curious to see what kind of time I can make with the TJ pulling the trailer and with the kayak on top of the Jeep. I expect us to get to Whitehorse on the 19th; just don't know if we'll get there early or later in the day. If we get there early we might just spend the rest of the day there exploring, spend the night there, and then head out early in the morning as Whitehorse is a fun town with lots to see. Along the route through Whitehorse there's the Yukon Transportation Museum with a large airplane (DC-3) on a pole - the worlds largest weathervane; that will be our meeting place in Whitehorse.

I know there's a government campground past Whitehorse (on the left after you've gone through Whitehorse as you're heading to Dawson City). Maybe you can scope the area around Whitehorse and see if there are any other nice places we can camp. So far it looks like there will just be 3-4 vehicles going on this trip.

Paul,

Let me know when you will be passing through the Sumas border crossing on your pre-run trip. I live in Chilliwack which is a 1/2 hour from Sumas. I would love to meet you and perhaps have a quick coffee if I am in town.

I have just booked my son's flight from Vancouver to Whitehorse. He will meet me at Whitehorse on Sat Aug 17th. We'll wait for your arrival on Mon Aug 19th.

As usual, the NWOR was great. I'm exhausted - got home this afternoon, and have to turn around and leave tomorrow to be a camp nurse for a week. So doing laundry, swapping stuff between vehicles, putting stuff away, etc. before leaving tomorrow early afternoon for camp nurse duties.

Then a week off, then camp nurse for another week. And then a few days off, and then I'm going to pre-run part of our trip (at least to Whitehorse). So Andrew, if we leave the 16th as planned, we should get there by the 19th, but I also want to check the route also for campground and such. Let me know what I can do to help you with your planning.

Who am I kidding; I'm just wanting to pre-run part of it just for fun! And the above. And check out how the Jeep does with the kayak on top and pulling the trailer checking out how the new trailer springs flex. And see if there's any good campgrounds or safe motels for Thursday night.

Hey Paul,

I hope you are enjoying the NWOR. I have been on the road for work these past few weeks. Sad I can’t make it to Plain this year. But I hope to kick back from work for the BCOR in Whistler.

My truck has been going through a number of updates. Got the new engine, shocks, coils, ignition coils, transfer case back in March. Currently back in in the shop for a new rear diff and suspension poly bushes.

My work travel schedule will slow down after this weekend. I will start figuring out what dates to book for my son to fly into Whitehorse and then out of Whitehorse back to Vancouver (he has to get ready for the start of high school on the first week of Sept). I may plan on driving to Hay River, Northern Territories. Not sure yet, but will confirm when I have more time to plan the return journey these next few weeks. I will confirm shortly.

Today is 16 June. We leave in two months (16 August). How's everyone's preparations going?

I was doing some tweaks to my trailer over the weekend getting it ready for the trip. It'll be here before we know it!

Hi Paul,

An update... my 15 year old son David will be joining me on this trip. This is a miracle as he is aware there will be no Internet access for over a week.... and he still wants to hang out with dad :)

I am departing a week ahead of you to do some work in northern BC. I work for a semi-truck manufacturer and will be visiting some of my truck dealers in the area. David will fly from Vancouver and meet me at Whitehorse on Saturday, August 17th. I will meet you at Whitehorse on Monday, August 19th. On the return leg, my plan is to head east from Whitehorse. I will be going to Ft Nelson and Hay River to do more dealer visits. David will fly back to Vancouver from Whitehorse.

I have a couple of questions....

1) I am in the process of booking David's plane ticket to Whitehorse and back. Do you have time frame of when we may get back to Whitehorse from Tuk?

2) Do we need to make any booking arrangements for campsites?

P/S. I was hoping to go to the NW Overland Rally to meet you. Unfortunately, I was just invited to an important work event on the Friday of that weekend. It looks like our first meeting will be at Whitehorse.