Father and son dropped into the Canadian wilderness
An adventure that lit a fire
- Yukon
- Region
- northern Canada, starting from Teslin with around 300 inhabitants
- helicopter
- Approach
- several hundred kilometres into a remote mountain range
- on foot and by canoe
- Return
- across lakes and rivers back towards civilisation
In the summer of 2015 my father and I flew to the Yukon Territory in northern Canada. Our destination was Teslin – a small village in the middle of the wilderness with just around 300 inhabitants. But that was only where our journey really began.
A Swiss friend flew us by helicopter several hundred kilometres deep into a completely remote mountain range. No roads, no houses, no civilisation – only untouched wilderness.
What followed was one of the most formative adventures of my life.
First we set up our small base camp in the mountains and spent several days there. Then we set off with fully packed rucksacks. We crossed grizzly bear country, fought our way through swampy terrain and moved for kilometres through a landscape that hardly anyone ever sees.
Our destination was a large, remote lake where our self-built canoe, dropped off beforehand, was waiting for us. From there we continued on the water – across lakes and rivers, until we finally found our way back towards civilisation.
This journey was hard, at times exhausting and definitely not without risk. At the same time it was overwhelmingly beautiful and full of moments I will never forget.
What remained in the end was a picture-book adventure – and above all a fire that was lit inside me: the wish to keep rediscovering my own limits and to take on further adventures.
