WHITEHORSE TO DESTRUCTION BAY

---

July 16, 2011 WHITEHORSE TO DESTRUCTION BAY
Shortly after leaving Whitehorse we began seeing the majesty and grandeur of the highest mountains in Yukon. They rose on our left and became more magnificent as we approached Haines Junction and the Visitors Centre for Kluane National Park. In the Centre we learned about the highest peak in Canada, Mt. Logan, which towers up to 19,550 ft. It is in such an isolated section of the park only the hardiest adventurers will ever see it. There are massive icefields and glaciers in the park, the smaller of which can be seen from the highway. Several of our fellow-travelers saw grizzlies today, but all we saw were little ground-squirrels. Destruction Bay is on the west side of Kluane Lake where it was originally a construction camp for the building of the Alaska Highway in 1942. As the story goes, the camp grew to several thousand troops and laborers for the road construction, and one day a strong westerly wind blew in at nearly 100 mph and blew the entire camp unto the lake. This was in March and the temperature was -35F. Since then this place has been called Destruction Bay. It currently has 38 year-round residents, but is on all the maps of Yukon because it is so infamous. The Italian fellow who runs the lodge (the term should be applied loosely) cooked up a fabulous meal and then provided a one-man entertainment show that was very amusing. We had a wonderful evening.

---