Yellowknife in Fall
Fall was the last season for me to discover in Yellowknife. I took advantage of a late morning arrival to drive away from the city on the Ingraham Trail into the backcountry. This is what I like the most about this place. You can drive for 30 minutes, park along the road and walk into the woods to find lakes, big flat rocks and pure solitude. The sky was cloudy, the temperature chilly and the open road inviting.
After driving for a while, I could see a big open lake from the road. I parked the car, packed my backpack, dressed up properly and made my way through the trees on a what appeared like a trail to reach the lake. To my big surprise, it was already frozen. If it wasn’t for the wind, you could swear the time had stopped because of how still the nature was.
I settled on a rocky part in a little bay. The plan for the next hour was simple: enjoy this beautiful and raw nature. I unfolded my mini wood stove and boiled some water for a comforting cup of Aurora Dream’s Wild Herbal Tea from local company Laughing Lichen, to which I added a few wild juniper berries that were all over the place on the shore.
Juniper shrub
After this moment of relaxation, I drove back slowly towards Yellowknife, looking this time for a rocky area to walk. I always liked the Canadian Shield geology of the area and I only had to drive a few minutes before finding a perfect spot to explore. Behind the rocks and deep into the woods was another frozen lake. It would’ve made a perfect spot to pitch a tent. Maybe next time!
The sun was starting to come down and it’s with a spectacular sky in front of me that I made it back to the city. I had one last place to visit (again) before the night; the Bush Pilot’s Monument. It is now a tradition for me to go up the stairs and look at the city every time I come to Yellowknife.
It was a short trip of only 3 days this time, but it was still worth it. The landscape changed dramatically with the fall colors. Lots of dark yellow and orange everywhere. I was able to make a quick stop before my flight at the Waever & Devore Trading store to get a pair of “polar” mitts in preparation for the winter camping season around the corner. If extra-warm mittens are impossible to find downtown Toronto, let me tell you that they come by the dozen in Yellowknife!
At this point, it might be a while before I set foot in the Northwest Territories again. I already miss it even though I’ve only seen a tiny fraction of this gigantic territory. But until then, I will cherish the memories I brought back and always remember the inner peace that this place brought me.