Category Archive: Podcasts

May 16

Episode 92: Bicycling the Dempster Highway

Categories:

2013, ADVENTURERS, Adventurers 2013, EXPERTS, Latest Podcasts, May 2013, Podcasts

Welcome to Episode 92; the May 2013 podcast of My Yukon Life podcast radio. On this episode, we explore the remote and challenging Dempster Highway by bicycle.

[This episode is sponsored by Ground Effect Media. No matter where you’re located, Ground Effect Media can create an effective and affordable website for your small to medium business. Visit us at groundeffectmedia.com.]

The Dempster Highway connects the Klondike Highway in the Yukon to the town of Inuvik in the Northwest Territories on the Mackenzie River delta. With its winding dirt and gravel road, steep drop-offs with no railings, bear population, and more than a few 18-wheel trucks that come at you full speed and no wiggle room for mistakes, this isn’t the place for bicyclists who don’t have steel nerves and strong legs for peddling.

Spencer Douthit is one of those people. He, along with two of his friends, did the Dempster last summer on bicycles, travelling from its start outside Dawson and rode all the way to Inuvik.

Spencer shares that adventure with us.

If you’re interested in doing the Dempster or other areas of the Yukon by bicycle but maybe you’d like a guide and some help with the practical considerations such as gear, you’ve got some options. During this episode of My Yukon Life, we also hear from Marsha Cameron, one of the owners of Boréale Mountain Biking in Whitehorse. Boréale specializes in offering a variety of bicycling trips and themes for locals and visitors to the Yukon.

 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 26:56 — 18.5MB) | Embed

Apr 03

Episode 91: Yukon Photographer Ruth Borgfjord

Categories:

2013, April 2013, ARTISTS, Artists 2013, Latest Podcasts, Podcasts

Welcome to Episode 91; the April 2013 podcast of My Yukon Life podcast radio. Our special guest on this episode is a woman who’s originally from Romania. It was there that Ruth Borgfjord met the love of her life, a Canadian boy, and together they moved to the Yukon. They got good paying, secure government jobs, bought a house, a car.

But for Ruth it wasn’t enough. Her soul needed a creative outlet. A recurring nightmare inspired her to quit her job and take a leap of faith that the Yukon would provide what she needed. And that’s when her life really changed.

Yukon photographer Ruth Borgfjord is our special guest on this episode of My Yukon Life podcast radio.

 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 27:05 — 18.6MB) | Embed

Mar 11

Episode 90: Mushers Michelle Phillips & Ed Hopkins

Categories:

2013, ADVENTURERS, Adventurers 2013, DOG MUSHING, Dog Mushing 2013, Latest Podcasts, March 2013, Podcasts

For this episode of My Yukon Life podcast radio I was in downtown Anchorage, Alaska on the second of this month for the Ceremonial start of this year’s Iditarod. The next day I was standing beside the chute for the official restart of the race when 66 teams headed for Nome, 1,000 miles away.

Michelle Phillips of Tagish Lake Kennel drew bib number 7, for this, her fourth Iditarod. Michelle, who lives in Tagish, Yukon has been on My Yukon Life podcast radio before. So has her partner and fellow musher Ed Hopkins.

Ed entered this year’s Yukon Quest after having been gone from it the last several years. The Yukon Quest is a thousand miles long. This year it began in Whitehorse, Yukon and finished in Fairbanks, Alaska. Because of its difficulty, just finishing the race is considered a major achievement. It was Ed’s sixth quest, and he placed 11th out of the 26 teams that started it. Six of those teams weren’t able to finish.

For this episode of My Yukon Life, I spoke with Ed immediately following the race.

Also on this episode is Michelle Phillips. A few days before starting her fourth Iditarod, I sat down with Michelle. She’d just won the Yukon Quest 300, beating Aliy Zirkle by only 8 seconds. The closest team behind them was 12 hours back. Michelle Phillips talks about that race, and the upcoming Iditarod.

 

 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 28:56 — 19.9MB) | Embed

Feb 08

Episode 89: Jorg Michel, Vintage Motorcycle Tours

Categories:

2013, ADVENTURERS, Adventurers 2013, February 2013, Latest Podcasts, Podcasts

On this episode, we’re going to meet a man in Tagish who’s originally from Germany. His love of vintage motorcycles not only brought him here but it’s made him a fixture around town.

Patrick Brown, longtime listener of My Yukon Life podcast radio, is now a resident of Tagish, along with his wife. Patrick is our guest host for this episode of My Yukon Life. He talks with Jorg Michel who moved here from Germany and runs a vintage motorcycle touring company, renting out BMW motorcycles (some with sidecars) that he brought from Germany and restored himself.

 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 26:17 — 18.0MB) | Embed

Jan 05

Episode 88: Yukon Musician Elvis Presley

Categories:

2013, ENTERTAINERS, Entertainers 2013, January 2013, Latest Podcasts, Podcasts

January’s special guest on My Yukon Life podcast radio is none other than Elvis Aaron Presley, currently residing in Ross River, Yukon. Many years ago I happened to be in Dawson City when he was performing at the Snake Pit Bar. The place was packed and the crowd had spilled into the street. I couldn’t even get inside for a beer. So we stood on the sidewalk and listened as his music quieted the crowd and most of the bar fights. I was a little surprised to see more than one woman close her eyes and sway to the beat. The man who legally changed his name to Elvis has a definite following.

Elvis Aaron Presley joins us this episode to talk about his music and share some tunes with us.

 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 26:23 — 18.1MB) | Embed

Dec 04

Episode 87: Author John Firth & Musher Newton Marshall

Categories:

2012, ADVENTURERS, Adventurers 2012, Artists 2012, December 2012, DOG MUSHING, Dog Mushing 2012, ENTERTAINERS, Entertainers 2012, Podcasts

This month’s podcast episode of My Yukon Life features special guest, author John Firth. During our discussion about his book One Mush, John talks about the journey Jamaican sled dog musher Newton Marshall is taking to learn how to read and write. Newton joins us too, and reveals how only recently learning to read and write has already changed his life.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 27:51 — 19.1MB) | Embed

Nov 03

Episode 86: To Live & Die in the Yukon

Categories:

2012, EXPERTS, Experts 2012, November 2012, Podcasts

The circle of life includes death. As they say, it’s as unavoidable as taxes and discussions about religion or politics.

But in the far north, there are practical considerations. How do you bury a coffin when the ground is frozen, possibly down to bedrock, and it’s minus 40 degrees?

During the 1898 gold rush when the population of Dawson City, Yukon exploded with the influx of prospectors and merchants, this was a significant problem. Even today, the burial process is different in some ways than how it’s handled down south.

For November’s episode of My Yukon Life podcast radio, we’ll hear from Chris Thompson of Heritage North Funeral Home in Whitehorse about how the burial process is affected by being north of 60 degrees latitude. We’ll also step back in time and visit Lowe’s Mortuary in Dawson City during the gold rush.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 26:14 — 18.0MB) | Embed

Oct 24

Episode 85 Yukon Life Q&A Vol 3

Categories:

2012, EXPERTS, Experts 2012, October 2012, Podcasts

This week’s episode of My Yukon Life is Volume 3 in our Q&A series when a listener of the show turns the tables and interviews me about life in the Yukon.

Our interviewer this time is Sam Converse who lives in Utah.

 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 26:11 — 18.0MB) | Embed

Oct 16

Episode 84: Yukoner Magazine Stories

Categories:

2012, ADVENTURERS, ENTERTAINERS, Entertainers 2012, October 2012, Podcasts

This week, we’re featuring some of our favorite stories from The Yukoner Magazine which ran for many years but is now out of print. Old issues are hard to come by and usually hoarded by whoever is lucky enough to have them.

The magazine’s articles were written by Yukoners about their Yukon lives. Some of the stories are fiction, many others are true tales.

Among the stories you’ll hear is one written by a man who spent many years living in the bush. You’ll hear what happened when he found himself surrounded by a pack of wolves one winter afternoon.

Another is a playful anecdote about a moose hunting trip written by The Yukoner Magazine editor himself, Sam Holloway.

You’ll also hear the true story of how the Mounties got their man after a fugitive by the name of Michael Oros killed one of their own.

 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 25:45 — 17.7MB) | Embed

Oct 02

Episode 83: Yukon Music Medley

Categories:

2011, 2012, ENTERTAINERS, Entertainers 2011, Entertainers 2012, October 2012, Podcasts

This week, we’re featuring some of our favorite Yukon musicians who have been our special guests since our first My Yukon Life podcast radio show back in early 2011. I encourage you to visit the podcast page of our website where you can listen to full episodes featuring these and other outstanding musicians from the Yukon.

 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 27:56 — 19.2MB) | Embed

Sep 24

Episode 82: Dr. Candace Stuart, DVM

Categories:

2012, Dog Mushing 2012, EXPERTS, Podcasts, September 2012

Dr. Candace Stuart worked in Alaska and Northern British Columbia before settling in Whitehorse in 2004. Candace opened All Paws Veterinary Clinic in 2010 to provide the utmost veterinary care in a cozy, home-like environment. She’s also our special guest this week on My Yukon Life podcast radio. As a vet in the north, Candace’s patients regularly include sled dog teams, but she’s also treated orphaned bear cubs.

 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 27:32 — 18.9MB) | Embed

Sep 17

Episode 81: Tagish Volunteer Fire Department

Categories:

2012, ADVENTURERS, EXPERTS, Podcasts, September 2012

Large cities across North America have well-equipped full-time firefighters on call and ready to respond within minutes. Here in Tagish, with a population that hovers around 200, we have a volunteer fire department. On this week’s episode of My Yukon Life, we visit with a few of their members. One is a 65-year old gentleman, another is an 18-year old woman. Firefighting requires a different approach in a rural community. Find out how these folks handle some of the same situations faced by firefighters in much larger cities.

 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 26:57 — 18.5MB) | Embed

Sep 10

Episode 80: Yukon Life Q&A Vol 2

Categories:

2012, Podcasts, September 2012

On this episode of My Yukon Life podcast radio, it’s volume two in our series of questions and answers about life in the Yukon. Interviewing the host, Jennifer Hawks, is one of the show’s listeners: Chuck lives in Boston and here’s what he wanted to know about life above the 60th parallel.

 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 25:06 — 17.2MB) | Embed

Sep 04

Episode 79: Yukon Civil Air Search & Rescue Association

Categories:

2012, Aviation 2012, EXPERTS, Podcasts, September 2012

Our special guests are Randy Shewen and Jamie Tait. Randy heads up the Yukon chapter of CASARA, or Civil Air Search and Rescue Association. Operationally, CASARA works for the Canadian military. In addition to his volunteer work as an administrator, Randy is also a pilot for the organization, and uses his own plane to participate in searches. Jamie is a helicopter pilot based in Atlin, BC who works in conjunction with search groups when the need arises.

Flying in the Yukon and northern BC presents challenges unique to remote and sometimes hazardous terrain and weather conditions. For one thing, we don’t have radar up here, so planes can’t be tracked en-route. When they go missing, pinpointing when where is often impossible. Without radar, when a plane goes missing, there isn’t a screen blip that suddenly disappears and captures someone’s attention.

Some Airplane wrecks in Alaska and the Yukon have never been identified. Many more planes are presumed to have crashed but have never been located. The pilots and passengers whereabouts are still unknown, many years later. The details and explanations of what happened may never be known.

 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 22:11 — 15.2MB) | Embed

Aug 27

Episode 78 Captain Dick Stevenson & the Sourtoe Cocktail

Categories:

2012, August 2012, ENTERTAINERS, Podcasts

Captain Dick Stevenson is the creator of the world famous Sourtoe Cocktail in Dawson City, and author of One Toe of a Tale, his autobiography.

At the Downtown Hotel in Dawson City, Yukon they feature a drink called the Sourtoe Cocktail, invented by Captain Dick Stevenson. It’s usually Yukon Jack, but it’s always served with a little somethin’ extra. The little extra is a dehydrated and preserved human toe. If you want to join the Sourtoe Cocktail club, you have to let the toe touch your lips. To date, there are over 60,000 members, each of whom has earned a certificate suitable for framing.

Captain Dick Stevenson is our special guest for this episode of My Yukon Life podcast radio. He shares with us how the Sourtoe was born, and what an interesting life he’s had.

For details on ordering an autographed copy of One Toe of a Tale directly from the Captain, contact us on My Yukon Life’s Facebook page.

 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 27:39 — 19.0MB) | Embed

Aug 20

Episode 77: George Balmer Survival Tips

Categories:

2012, ADVENTURERS, Adventurers 2012, August 2012, AVIATION, Aviation 2012, EXPERTS, Experts 2012, Podcasts

George Balmer is a bush pilot who’s been on our show before. He was our special guest for Episode 67 when he took me flying in his homebuilt Van’s RV-8 two-seater aerobatic plane. You can listen to that episode on our website and on iTunes.

George is back to share some survival tips with us. Whether you’re in an airplane, or a car, or walking through the forest, this information could help you save your life.

 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 27:48 — 19.1MB) | Embed

Aug 14

Episode 76: Yukon Life Q&A Vol. 1

Categories:

2012, August 2012, EXPERTS, Podcasts

At My Yukon Life podcast radio, we often receive emails from listeners with questions about life in the Yukon. Time permitting; I answer them on the show and on our Facebook page. This week, we’re dedicating an entire episode to answering a listener’s questions.

Annette Vasickanin who lives in central Florida. Annette turns the table on me and interviews ME about life in the Yukon.

 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 26:14 — 18.0MB) | Embed

Aug 06

Episode 75: The MacBride Museum

Categories:

2012, August 2012, PLACES, Places 2012, Podcasts

I take you inside the MacBride Museum in downtown Whitehorse for a VIP tour. We’ll learn more about the infamous 1898 Klondike Gold Rush and I’ll even try my hand at some gold panning while our guide offers tips and tricks for finding gold within sand and pebbles.

 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 29:00 — 19.9MB) | Embed

Jul 31

Episode 74: Yukon Bush Pilot Rick Nielsen

Categories:

2012, ADVENTURERS, Aviation 2012, EXPERTS, July 2012, Podcasts

You’re probably familiar with the late actor and comedian, Leslie Nielsen. Did you know he was a Canadian? And though he enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force during World War II, he actually never flew airplanes. It’s ironic then that his role in the comedy Airplane! marked a turning point in his career.

Leslie’s older brother Erik also has connections to flying, though a bit more directly. Erik Nielsen was a longtime member of Parliament. From 1984 to 1986 he was the Deputy Prime Minister of Canada. Nielsen resigned his Parliament seat in January 1987 to take over as chairman of the National Transportation Agency. He was also a pilot. In 2008, after he passed away, the Yukon government renamed the Whitehorse airport to Erik Nielsen Whitehorse International Airport.

Erik Nielsen’s son Rick is our special guest this week on My Yukon Life. As a 37-year veteran bush pilot, Rick has made his own name in Yukon aviation, and is considered an authority on mountain flying. He’s landed on glaciers, participated in mountain rescues and performed aircraft salvage operations.

For this week’s episode of My Yukon Life, Erik takes us for a ride in his twin-engine Beechcraft Baron. After departing from the Atlin, B.C. runway, we’ll fly just feet above the Tulsequah Glacier at almost 250 mph. It’s mountain flying at its best.

 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 25:35 — 17.6MB) | Embed

Jul 23

Episode 73: Yukon Musician Fawn Fritzen

Categories:

2012, ENTERTAINERS, July 2012, Podcasts

Our special guest is classic jazz musician Fawn Fritzen. She shares her Yukon life with My Yukon Life listeners and performs one of her original tunes for us; a sneak peak into her next CD.

 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 23:31 — 16.1MB) | Embed

Jul 17

Episode 72: Paddlers Abreast: Who We Are

Categories:

2012, ADVENTURERS, July 2012, Podcasts

This week’s special guests on My Yukon Life podcast radio are several members of Paddlers Abreast, a team of women who compete in the grueling Yukon River Quest, an annual event that covers many miles of river over a period of several days. During this year’s race, the women made their fastest run ever. But finishing quickly isn’t their main goal; it’s all about raising awareness of breast cancer survival. And that’s something most of them know about firsthand.

 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 27:57 — 19.2MB) | Embed

Jul 09

Episode 71: 2012 Atlin, BC Fly-In

Categories:

2012, ADVENTURERS, Aviation 2012, Events 2012, July 2012, Podcasts

Highlights from this last weekend’s fly-in at Atlin, British Columbia. I take you with me on a flight above Atlin Lake in a 1943 Beechcraft Staggerwing biplane. We also hear from two kids who took their first ride ever in a small plane, which happened to be one of the planes I flew while in flight school. And we rediscover the Erco, a World War II era plane used to help develop early rocket technology.

 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 27:33 — 18.9MB) | Embed

Jul 03

Episode 70: Canada Eh Tourism & Travel Websites

Categories:

2012, ADVENTURERS, EXPERTS, Experts 2012, July 2012, PLACES, Places 2012, Podcasts

Do you dream of someday visiting the Yukon, but you’re just not sure where to go and what you should see? Greg Girard is here this week from the network of Canada Eh Tourism & Travel websites. He’s going to make it a little easier for you to decide, or maybe a little tougher, because he’s got lots of great suggestions.

 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 22:54 — 15.7MB) | Embed

Jun 26

Episode 69: Yukon Fishing Expert Dennis Zimmerman

Categories:

2012, ADVENTURERS, Adventurers 2012, EXPERTS, Experts 2012, June 2012, Podcasts

On this episode of My Yukon Life podcast radio, I take local fishing expert Dennis Zimmerman and listeners to a few of my favorite spots in search of monster-sized Northern pike and Arctic grayling. We’ll fish beneath the Midnight Sun and cast flies until our hands are numb and the light is gone.

Whether you’re a fly caster or spinning rod angler, you’ll catch some great tips on how you too can hook into some northern beauties.

 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 26:35 — 18.3MB) | Embed

Jun 18

Episode 68: Claudia MacPhee, Silk Scarf Artist

Categories:

2012, ARTISTS, Artists 2012, June 2012, Podcasts

Claudia MacPhee has been our special guest before on My Yukon Life podcast radio. During Episode 5, Claudia shared her secrets for making pottery and knitting dog fur hats and mittens. On Episode 18, Claudia explained how she ties fishing flies using materials that include polar bear fur and feathers from chickens she raises.

On this episode, Claudia discusses her latest creations—dying and painting silk scarves.

 (Claudia’s wearable art scarves are available for purchase from My Yukon Life‘s online store.)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 24:17 — 16.7MB) | Embed

Jun 12

Episode 67: Yukon Pilot & Aircraft Builder George Balmer

Categories:

2012, ADVENTURERS, Adventurers 2012, AVIATION, Aviation 2012, June 2012, Podcasts

George Balmer knows all about Yukon aviation and its history, being an experienced bush pilot, aircraft restorer, and the former president of the Yukon’s Canadian Owners & Pilots Association (COPA Flight 106).

George takes me over Whitehorse in his experimental/homebuilt, the Van’s RV-8 aerobatic plane. The climb rate and cruise speed of this two-seat tandem aircraft is extremely fast. Find out how I did in the backseat even while doing 70-degree sharp turns at 170 mph.

You’ll also find out how Yukon aviation rules and regulations have changed in recent years. Are they for the common good, or are they aimed at shooting down general aviation enthusiasts?

 

 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 27:24 — 18.8MB) | Embed

Jun 04

Episode 66: Gold Mining Stories

Categories:

2012, ADVENTURERS, Adventurers 2012, ENTERTAINERS, Entertainers 2012, June 2012

On this week’s episode of My Yukon Life podcast radio, I share stories with you from The Yukoner Magazine, now out of print and sorely missed by Yukoners everywhere. Old copies of the magazine are hard to find. Most people who kept theirs won’t tell you because they don’t want to risk you borrowing them and not bringing them back. In a way, I guess you could say they’re as good as gold.

Yukoner Sam Holloway, who edited and printed them on his old style printing press did an amazing job with the magazine. But I’m guessing that even placer mining would have been more lucrative for him. Sam is now an electrician, a good one and very much in demand. He’s been promising to be on My Yukon Life, but his customers won’t let him leave Ross River so he can come home. And even as an electrician he doesn’t make enough money. But that’s because he doesn’t charge enough.

By special arrangement, audio copies of selected stories from The Yukoner Magazine are now available for download through My Yukon Life‘s online store. That’s great news for old and new fans of The Yukoner Magazine so be sure to visit our website.

On this week’s episode of My Yukon Life I read you a few stories from the magazine—and since the theme of this show is gold—you’ll hear from a few Yukoners who got the gold fever and decided to try their hand at placer mining.

 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 26:09 — 18.0MB) | Embed

May 28

Episode 65: Firetower Lookout Ken Matthies

Categories:

2012, EXPERTS, Experts 2012, May 2012, Podcasts

This week on My Yukon Life podcast radio I take you 3,000′ above ground level to a cabin atop Jubilee Mountain overlooking Tagish and the surrounding areas. It’s not just any cabin– it’s the firewatch location where Ken Matthies is in charge of making sure no wildfires go unnoticed. Ken has hundreds of square miles to watch over, and he does it for at least eight hours a day in a 50′ high tower inside a 6′x6′ room. When it’s a high-alert situation, Ken might work even longer hours for almost three weeks straight. Think you have what it takes to do Ken’s job? (Oh, did I mention the mountain has the highest percentage of bears in the entire Yukon?) Judge for yourself after you listen to this week’s episode of My Yukon Life podcast radio.

 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 25:44 — 17.7MB) | Embed

May 21

Episode 64: Caribou Crossing Trading Post

Categories:

2012, DOG MUSHING, Dog Mushing 2012, May 2012, PLACES, Places 2012

Where can you find Iditarod/Yukon Quest sled dog veterans, espresso drinks, and a full-sized mammoth display all in the same place? Answer: Caribou Crossing, and that’s where we’re headed this week on My Yukon Life podcast radio.

 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 26:23 — 18.1MB) | Embed

May 15

Episode 63: Albert Johnson, The Mad Trapper of Rat River

Categories:

2012, ADVENTURERS, May 2012, Podcasts

Have you ever heard of the Mad Trapper of Rat River? The year was 1932 and a trapper (whose identity has never been proven) shot and wounded an RCMP constable investigating allegations that the man was stealing others’ traps. So began one of the most famous manhunts in Canada’s history which started in the Northwest Territories and ended in the Yukon. In the dead of winter, a team of officers and their dog teams tracked the man through some of the roughest country in North America. Before it was over, another RCMP officer was killed in the line of duty. Our guest this week on My Yukon Life podcast radio, Nancy Pope, reads from her father’s leather-bound journal about this infamous episode in Yukon’s history. RCMP Constable Sid May was Nancy’s father, and he was one of the adventurous men who tracked the Mad Trapper under horrifically challenging circumstances.

 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 25:51 — 17.8MB) | Embed

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