Around noon, we went ashore on a small grey beach to have lunch. Nearby, a large creek boiled with energy as it met the Snake. Huge black boulders were strewn about as though to emphasize the primeval force of this exuberant stream. We listened to the roaring water as we sat on black rocks and enjoyed our food. The plan was that when lunch was done, we would hike up the valley of our tumultuous creek to a splendid waterfall.
A rudimentary trail, fringed by reindeer lichen and low willows, led upward. . . In less than a kilometre we reached a yawning canyon, and torrents of water thundered over a magnificent waterfall below us. It was an impressive sight, and as best I could tell, one without a name.
 As we descended. . . It began to rain heavily. . .We crossed the stream and returned to the small beach from which we had started. Where there had been so much activity only an hour or two before, there was now only a small pile of gear and two empty canoes. We had been spotted from across the river, however, and soon another canoe was coming to meet us. Amyah and Ruth were whisked away to our new camp, while I was left behind to fend for myself in the Yukon wilderness. I clutched a can of bear spray and waited for a canoe to return.

Finally, I have been able to publish my second rafting book. It tells the exciting story of our journey down the Yukon's Snake River with two teenagers. It was a journey to remember, and I invite all to share it with me by buying Rafting the Snake: A Journey Through the Yukon's Snake River Wilderness, available from Amazon, Friesen Press,
https://books.friesenpress.com/store/title/119734000420224976
or it can be ordered through any bookstore.

Description of Rafting the Snake

 This book will entertain and enlighten with accessible prose and numerous photographs. It will take you away from the stresses of city life and bring you back to the natural world.
An account of our rafting trip on the Snake River in the Northern Yukon, it starts with our trip to the river during the Covid-19 pandemic and ends with our return to Whitehorse 12 days later. We were travelling through pure wilderness: during our time on the river, we encountered no one outside of our small group until our last day on the Peel River as we were about to be flown out to civilization. 
 The ten chapters of this book are about adventure and the natural and human history of one of Canada’s great wilderness rivers. The author, his wife, and two grandchildren battle the wilderness with its wind, rain, rapids, and mosquitoes, but all have a wonderful experience.
Running between two mountain ranges and then in a deeply carved valley through the Peel Plateau, the Snake is a stunningly beautiful river. There is much to see including Dall sheep, carnivorous flowers, peregrine falcons, a tributary the colour of milk, and blood-red mountains rich in iron ore. The reader is also taken off the river to majestic Mount MacDonald and to a thundering waterfall that few have ever seen.
The narrative of our experiences is interwoven with many beautiful photographs that allow the reader to experience the river almost first-hand.  The book also includes many sidebars that discuss the human and natural history of the river. In addition to our adventure, the reader will enjoy carefully researched information ranging from the biology of Reindeer Lichen to the dramatic events of the Lost Patrol.
This book is timely, as it strikes a blow for the protection of the environment and our planet, a topic that we need to embrace now more than ever. It is essential reading for those interested in the northern wilderness and for those who love free-running rivers. The author, a university professor, speaks from some experience, as he has also rafted and explored the Nahanni, Firth, and Tatshenshini rivers.
Margaret Atwood, who once canoed the Snake, has pointed out that to preserve our northern wilderness, people have to learn about it. She stated that, “Anything or anyone that isn’t understood, valued, and defended – made real to the hearts of others – is likely to be exploited and obliterated.”
With this book, I hope to make the Snake River Valley real to you.