Anytime you leave for a holiday, you're prepared for some inclement weather. But you kind of expect to have an afternoon here, a morning there, where the rain holds off or the low clouds lift. Such was not the case this time. This August, we had a week of +3 degrees, rain, snow, and a low ceiling without relent. When we drove to Haines Junction I had to assure Erin that not only were there mountains around us, but they were some of the most large and majestic mountains in the country. The northern lights activity was very high, and we had the most picturesque view of Cowley Lake from the yurt, but the low clouds never parted; the autumn colors were brilliant but we couldn't see the mountains; I had six days to arrange a flight-seeing tour for Erin in Kluane National Park, but the plane didn't fly once. So we spent a fair bit of time in Alana and Jonas' apartment, enjoying time with them, and concluding that we'll need to return sooner than later.

This is the highest the clouds lifted for an entire week, and fortunately allowed me one photo I'm quite happy with, taken just below our yurt. Can you imagine the northern lights?? So can I... Cowley Lake

One afternoon, we visited the hot springs and did a tour of the wildlife preserve. The rain held off but it was cold and windy.

Woodland Caribou Licking Lips Crouching Lynx Stone's Sheep Mule Buck Mule Deer Kiss

On the final day, the best weather forecast seemed to be in Skagway, so off we went. It turned out to be a good decision, as we had a relatively nice day on the American side of the White Pass. Back in Canada, the inclement weather continued -- at least until we had returned to Alberta. Apparently, the next few days were spectacular around Whitehorse!

Skagway, AK Fraser, BC South to Alaska