Tramp crosses the Arctic Circle on a long gravelly stretch of road across the lonely frozen tundra

There are two lines drawn on the map which they say delineates where during a specific period in the summer the sun never sets on the horizon and in a specific period in the winter the sun never rises above the horizon.  There are two such lines – one in the south marking the Antarctic Circle and one in the north marking the Arctic Circle.  Such is the remoteness of these lines it is not common for someone to cross one of them and exceptionally uncommon for someone to cross both of them.  But on a windy and drizzling afternoon in northern Yukon Julie and I both joined that elite club.

But that’s jumping ahead.  There is only one road in Canada that crosses the Arctic Circle.  It is called the Dempster Highway and starts near the town of Dawson City heading straight north across the barren stretches of this northern Canadian territory for 743 km (431 miles) until it reaches the northern outpost town of Inuvik.  This is a rough gravelly muddy dirt track only attempted by those with the right vehicle, enough provisions and an adventurous spirit.

The Dempster Highway heads across a remote and barren arctic landscape – for two days!

The Dempster starts off fairly easy, a good quality dirt and gravel road following the North Klondike River as it weaves its way through the imposing mountains on both sides.  We stopped at the impressive Tombstone Territorial Park which protects a vast track of stunning mountains, sub-alpine terrain, flora and fauna plus provides ongoing use for the First Nation tribes who have lived here for thousands of years.  We did a short walk to a nearby icefield and marvelled at the craggy peaks all around us as the early morning clouds slowly lifted.

Tombstone Territorial Park was the highlight of the highway north and we did a short walk back to some icefields to get in the spirit

The Dempster then got dramatic.  It followed different rivers through narrow valleys marked with stunning granite cliff-lined mountains on either side.  Many of these mountain shapes had names or geologic explanations for how they came to be but it usually involved slashing glaciers, lifting plates and harsh weather.  This was great stuff, marred slightly by the increasingly hazy sky from massive forest fires further to the north.

If you like big then the wide open spaces of this arctic region is the place to be

We then climbed up on the Eagle Plains Plateau where the road deteriorated and the land became more barren as the permafrost limited plant life.  This sub-arctic tundra mainly featured small shrubs and bushes, lichen-covered rocks and winter grasses.  The road followed the high ridge through this empty land and sometimes where the permafrost was deep enough our favourite spruces and firs would grow.  We passed through one area where only a week ago a huge forest fire swept through this land and burned most of these hardy trees.  Life is cruel.

Hard to figure big fires way up here where the ground is frozen but you can see the effect on one side of the road when they sweep through

Near the end of the day, after 400 kilometres of rough road and some absolutely stunning scenery we came to a sign which marked the point of 66 degrees 33 minutes north latitude – the Arctic Circle!  The temperature was a surprising 71F/20C but the wind was whipping up a fury and the rain had started when we pulled up to mark this momentous occasion.  Looking across the windswept barren tundra the mood and setting was right and we celebrated quickly before jumping back in Tramp.

The wind was howling and it had started to rain but we stood proudly – if not briefly – on the invisible line marking the Arctic Circle

It is said that a free beer awaits any person who announces in a bar that he has crossed both the Arctic and Antarctic Circle.  I had crossed the Arctic Circle a couple of times before and both Julie and I had the great experience of crossing the Antarctic Circle in 2009.  Now we had done both of these imaginary lines together.  I have never tested my luck at getting the free beer but now that Julie has joined the club perhaps she’ll try her hand sometime soon.

The rain always brings out the fun when driving dirt roads no matter where you are

The long muddy roads made a mess of Tramp but when we lifted the camper the Aussie flag shined

But the Arctic Circle is only about half way to Inuvik so after a night camping in the rain we headed ever northward on the mighty – and muddy – Dempster. This might be the home of the midnight sun but we didn’t see it all morning, such was the heavy clouds and low fog.  The road was empty, very wet and a bit tricky but we climbed up and over some beautiful glacier-formed mountains covered in thick tundra grasses.  We crossed back into Northwest Territories and followed the track across ridge lines and through glaciated valleys.

Eventually we descended to the Peel River valley and were the only vehicle on a cable ferry across this muddy drizzly river.  We passed briefly through the First Nation community of Fort McPherson, sticky muddy roads, run-down buildings and desperately in need of a break.  Then it was on to the banks of the wide Mackenzie River, our friend from 11 days ago when we had entered the Northwest Territories for the first time.

Come and get us! Our personal ferry races over to pick us up when we wave him down

Thanks for the service! The ferry across the Peel River gave us a private and personalised crossing

The First Nation community of Fort McPherson lies roughly halfway on the Dempster Highway. This co-op store is their only place to buy goods – a very limited selection of everything, to say the least!

While we waited for the ferry to come and get us we got to talking with a young blond woman from Ontario who had fallen for a local guy from the nearby First Nation community and two kids later was trying to make a subsistence living off the land.

How does a young blond Ontario girl end up bringing up her two gorgeous children here – a great reminder that every person has a story

Her partner was a hunter and trapper by trade and could make a decent living because he had retained those outdoor skills from his childhood. At the moment they are living in a ‘pole tent’ which is basically a tent with a wooden floor and a wood stove in the middle.  But we could tell she was loving the experience, revelling in it even, as hard and remote as it might be, and we wished her well.  Every person has a story and around these parts each story deserves a book!

Julie is easily amused while waiting for the ferry