B2 - The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday October 31, 2001 Students enjoy trip oflifetime (Continued from page B1) Travelling with a small but adventurous group of four stu dents from West Wind Montessori School, I was accom panied by chaperone Ross MacDonald. A fellow seasoned traveller, Ross shared my awe of the surroundings as we explored a timeless landscape with our young companions. Travelling by motorhome from Whitehorse, we marvelled at a land governed by the laws of nature and the endless rhythm of seasonal change. From the world's smallest desert near Carcross (an abbrevi ation for Caribou Crossing), we explored the soaring dunes and sand hills of an incredible isolated ecosystem nestled amidst spec tacular emerald green lakes and soaring, snow capped peaks. Passing long abandoned gold sluices and other relics of Yukon mining history, we ventured south to Skagway, Alaska. En route, we traversed a stun ning landscape of barrens, his toric river routes and treacherous mountain passes including the Chilkoot Pass. Famed for its strategic location to the wave of fortune seeking prospectors of the 1898 Klondike Goldrush, the Chilkoot Pass marked the most direct route to Lake Bennett and the Yukon River system beyond. Dreams of fabulous wealth were seldom realized as precious few individuals actually struck it rich from the countless thousands who entered Canada with the minimum ton of supplies required to survive a season in the hostile northern wilderness. From the tidal flats near Skagway, we followed the Klondike Highway past Yukon's capital of Whitehorse, a small city of 20,000, destined for Dawson City and Bonanza Creek. Just over a century ago, this tiny tribu tary of the Yukon River became the unlikely epicentre of a stam pede of gold seekers. As we explored the weather beaten wooden sidewalks of Dawson City, now a sleepy tourist town of 5,000 in the sum mer, it was hard to imagine its heyday. Once a teeming centre of nearly 30,000, Dawson was briefly North America's largest city west of Winnipeg and north of Seattle. Home to famed Yukon poet Robert Service, author of The Cremation o f Sam McGee and other northern classics, we visited his former cabin in Dawson City as well as that of novelist Jack London. Both were A 3-YEAR FIXED PRICE FOR ELECTRICITY at 5.79</kWh fro m O akville H ydro Energy Services Inc. Oakville Hydro Energy Services Inc. is now offering Oakville residents the opportunity to purchase electricity (the commodity only) at a 3-year fixed price of 5.79<£ per kilowatt-hour, matching the best deal in Ontario. OAKVILLE RESIDENTS NOW HAVE THREE CHOICES: · Sign a fixed price agreement with Oakville Hydro Energy Services Inc., · Sign a fixed price agreement with another retailer, o r · Do not sign any fixed price agreement and pay a fluctuating market price for electricity. Oakville Hydro will not be going door-to-door to sell electricity. Instead, residents should watch their mailboxes over the next couple of weeks for more details or call Energy Services Inc. at (905) 825-6370 O AK VILLE HYDRO directly across the street from the childhood home of Canadian icon Pierre Berton. The only thing as fleetingly sweet as the Yukon's historic golden years, so aptly described by these writers, is the glorious sunshine of summer. Visiting just after the summer solstice, we enjoyed spectacular weather dur ing our trip. The Midnight Sun took some getting used to and we soon realized that in late June, 30°C temperatures are not uncommon this close to the Arctic Circle. It was easy to read out doors well after midnight and we often wore sunglasses until we slept. By late October, snow has revisited the Yukon landscape as have vast migratory herds of cari bou returning from their summer grazing lands on the shores of the Arctic Ocean. Months of almost total darkness and frigid cold return to blanket the same land scape we enjoyed in our shirt sleeves ... a place where you can book a tee off time for a round of golf 24 hours a day. Exploring a stretch of the Dempster Highway, a twisting gravel road leading to Inuvik, we enjoyed a memorable hike in the spectacular Ogilvie Mountain Range. Our climb was punctuated by hoots of delight from our young adventurers as they enjoyed a snowball fight near a summit. The views offered vistas Photo by Gord Phippen Posing at the Yukon-Alaska border marker on the Dempster Highway are chaperone Ross M acDonald and his son Greg. of a vast terrain virtually unchanged since the last Ice Age. As witnessed by the Southern Yukon's aboriginal Tlingit and Tutchone peoples, this timeless landscape has long been home to marmots, grizzly, ptarmigan cari bou and moose. On our trip, we enjoyed close encounters with all these species. For many creatures in the Yukon, humans are a curiosity and we were amazed by their rel ative lack of fear. Luckily, it was only the mosquitoes, rather than the large mammals, that showed in interest in us. Insect repellent is definitely as important as sun screen during a Yukon summer. We also discov ered that extra money for food and supplies is a wise consideration L fy \# e * :ie s f as prices rise con siderably, especial Susan L on gley ly north of Certified Fit Consultant Whitehorse. In a land once Everyday is FIT DAY! ruled by dogsled and riverboat, Yukon roads are surprisingly good, at least before the return of winter. The scenery along The Top O f The World Highway between Dawson City and The Alaska Highway is truly breathtaking as is the stunning beauty of Kluane National Park. Bordered by the St. Elias Mountain range (the conti nent's tallest) P retty B n is t h a t f i t Canada's highest in u w id e peak, Mt. Logan * ENERGY SERVICES P . 0. Box 1900, 861 Redwood Square, Oakville ON L6J 5E3 Tel: 905-825-6370 E-mail: energy@oakvillehydro.com www.oakvillehydro.com a. % IVfiut ateyen dainty Um igfit? Pjjam a PARTY Friday Nbv. 2 Extended hours O pen until 10pm --------------------------- MayWe TnM ^c OJ _____ d o m i n a t e s · Lejaby · Barbara · Felina · Simone Perele · Chantelle · Antinea · CKamos and more. Sherwood Forrest Village 1900 Dundas St. W., #3, Mississauga, ON (905)403-0526 ./ · · As ACM Member You Can Save Up To $ 200 On Your Home & Auto Insurance i O unJas SI. 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A land of history and mys tery. Sadly, no place remains unchanged after our arrival. In light of the events of recent weeks, I hope Canada's Yukon will survive as a sanctuary. May it remain one of those rare places where ours and future generations can still find the true meaning of peace on earth. Since 1996, Gord Phippen, director o f West Wind Montessori School, has run Expedition E du cation, an adven ture travel motorhome based pro gram fo r his school's senior students. Having explored Canada extensively from Newfoundland to Vancouver Island, this year's partici pants will visit F lorida's Ever glades, the Keys and G u lf of M exico Barrier Islands in March followed by a trip to H olland and Belgium in May.