We finish the day driving up to the Tachäl-Dhäl visitor centre at the south end of Kluane Lake. It’ s a great place to take advantage of easy walking trails around Sheep Mountain to view and photograph the sheep during the waning daylight hours. The rocky lookouts provide a great view of the shoreline of Kluane Lake and the Slims River drainage from the Kaskawulsh Glacier.
The following day, armed with a fresh perspective on the terrain, we set out towards the local ice cave. Camera in hand, I clip on my cross-country skis and we follow along a snowmobile trail up the Mount Archibald drainage.( Hiking or fat biking to the cave is also an option.) After a few hours, we have our first glimpse of the ice cave on the horizon, squeezed between two large peaks. We grapple around the frozen ground, staring in awe at the mass of suspended blue ice hanging from above— a marvel of nature that made the trek well worth the effort.
With half the day still at hand, I decide to enjoy a sunset cross-country ski on Kathleen Lake, located some 20
minutes south of Haines Junction. The setting sunbeams reflect on the snow and onto the windblown lake, while dark clouds roll over the Saint Elias range. It’ s a great place to appreciate the vastness of the area and the possibilities of pristine wilderness adventures close at hand.
Access to the Kluane National Park and Reserve in early spring is often restricted due to snowy conditions. To gain a better appreciation of the monstrous mountain range, we hire Rocking Star Adventures and pilot Daniel to take us on an aerial sightseeing tour of the park.
For most tourists flying over the park, Mount Logan is the main attraction— it’ s the second-highest mountain in North America, after Denali in Alaska. For my part, I’ m more eager to view Centennial Peak. My grandfather, Hans Weber, was part of the Canadian Alpine Club team that first climbed and named Centennial Peak in 1967 during Canada’ s centennial year. The expedition had multiple teams leaving from a glacier base camp aiming to summit and name 14 different peaks— one for each province and
six star magazine 13