The Alsaka Highway Rolls On….

by Dan Grec · June 28, 2009

The Road Chose Me Volume 2 OUT NOW!!
The Road Chose Me Volume 2: Three years and 54,000 miles around Africa

Driving the Alaska Highway was actually getting a little mundane – wide, flat & straight as far as the eye could see. I’d also started thinking of it as “The Retirees Highway” due to the average person frequenting the highway….And then BAM – all of a sudden it was narrow, windy, up and down mountain passes and the surface went from fantastic to terrible in about 10 meters – perfect!

Of course, I hiked to the top of the first mountain I could find, which happened to be at the highest point of the Highway at 1295 meters (4,248 feet). The highway here was cutting through the northern-most ranges in the Canadian Rockies – I have no idea what lies further north.

Love those mountains

I’d also been wondering if I was going to see any wildlife on this highway, when again out of nowhere it all fell into my lap. I saw a cow moose and her two calves trying to cross the road, two young black bears playing together, tons of deer and caribou, lots of buffalo (damn they are big) and finally the little guy in the photo below.

Little guy on the side of the road

Knowing that a bunch of hot springs are coming up, I’ve been gathering information as best I can. Some are very well known about and I’ll go to for sure, others – “good luck”. I passed through Toad Creek today which has a hot spring about 10km hike away. After talking to the locals I ended up giving it a miss for two main reasons – it’s a smelly lukewarm mud pit at best and the logging road is on the wrong side of the river which is way to high to cross.

Don’t worry though, I’m pretty sure my next update will have more hot water than… umm… well lots of it anyway.

-Dan