July-September 2011

Manu Keggenhoff, born and raised in Germany, is an accomplished graphic artist and photographer who provides stellar images for Harper Street Publishing, the company responsible for such classic publications as Yukon, North of Ordinary, Arts, North of Yukon, and The Last Great Road Trip.

Manu’s photographical work has been published in several photo-art calendars and magazines. It was also released by a number of book publishers in Germany, the Netherlands, and the U.S. You may have seen her photo on the cover of Dean Koontz’s book, The Darkest Evening of the Year.

On this episode of My Yukon Life podcast radio, we accompany Manu into the Yukon wilderness to experience firsthand how she recreates an astonishing landscape with her lens and unique vision.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 27:42 — 19.0MB) | Embed

Barbara Chamberlin has cracked the Canadian top 100 country songs, and was the first and only Yukon artist to have a video featured on CMT. She has appeared on a variety of local and national TV shows. Most recently, she thrilled audiences singing her song, “Follow your Heart” at the Opening Ceremonies for the Canada Winter Games.

Her acclaimed debut album Sanctuary was nominated for a West Coast Music Award and her second CD, Walking with Ghosts is a treasured collection of tunes wrenched from her experience with cancer. Barbara also won the Yukon’s On Yukon Time Competition, the Yamaha songwriting award at the BC Festival of the Arts, and the selection of her song “November in June” was a runner-up in the prestigious John Lennon Song Contest.

Barbara is currently the conductor of the Whitehorse Community Choir and its subsidiary choirs. Her group Four Below Normal was honored to sing for Prince Charles.

Barbara’s third CD, Of Ice and Men is full of fun and serious songs about the Yukon. It includes stories about moose camp, dogs, Yukon characters, love, and of course, the Yukon’s beauty.

We sit with Barbara in her living room over a cup of tea and talked to her about her life, her music, and what she’s got in store for the near future.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 31:02 — 17.8MB) | Embed

The Yukon Wildlife Preserve is a unique wildlife viewing property featuring 10 species of northern Canadian mammals in their natural environment. Encompassing 750 acres with various natural habitats, the Yukon Wildlife Preserve offers unparalleled wildlife viewing and photo opportunities.

Take a virtual tour of the preserve with My Yukon Life podcast radio host Jennifer Hawks as she gets up close and almost personal with numerous woodland caribou, Rocky Mountain elk, mountain goats, mule deer, muskoxen, wood bison, Dall’s sheep, stone sheep, and arctic foxes.

Even a usually shy bull moose comes out to greet Jennifer and pose for the camera. If you’re an animal lover, you won’t want to miss this episode. And, you might even learn some surprising facts about your favorite animals. For instance, did you know that reindeer are actually caribou? And that only female caribou have antlers in winter? That means Santa’s reindeer may actually be a team of female caribou!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 29:10 — 16.7MB) | Embed

My Yukon Life host Jennifer Hawks takes listeners to the Whitehorse Fish Ladder—the longest wooden fish ladder in the world. It’s also one of the oldest. Without it, because of the hydro dam that’s in place, migrating salmon wouldn’t be able to swim upstream to spawn. As of August 31st this year, 1,519 salmon were counted going through the ladder. A lot of people have passed through as well– the Fishway has been rated the number one visitor attraction in Whitehorse.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 28:24 — 19.5MB) | Embed

In this episode, take to the skies above Carcross, Yukon during the 2011 Carcross Flying Event sponsored by COPA (Canadian Owners and Pilots Association). Join My Yukon Life host Jennifer Hawks as she flies beside seasoned aviators who’ll be donating their time and aircraft to take local kids flying. Jennifer will share the highlights of this two-day event with My Yukon Life listeners. Get ready for take off!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 27:58 — 16.0MB) | Embed

Special guest Denise McHale is a long distance, adventure racer. She’s a veteran of one particular ultra marathon race that’s held in Alberta every August. It covers 125 km over three mountains with an elevation gain of 17,000 ft. The race has to be completed in less than 24 hours. It’s called the Canadian Death Race for a reason.

This last February, Denise competed in the Yukon Arctic Ultra– a 430 mile distance race. She came in not just first amongst the women, but 1st overall and set a new course record.

She shares her Yukon life with us and talks about what it’s like to compete in extreme races and some of the challenges she’s faced, including walking amongst crocodiles in the dead of night while carrying her kayak.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 30:31 — 17.5MB) | Embed

Dawson City, Yukon musician “Harmonica” George McConkey is our special guest on this episode of My Yukon Life podcast radio. He talks to us about his Yukon life and his music.

We’re also treated to several of George’s songs, and some stories behind the making of his tunes.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 24:09 — 13.8MB) | Embed

We rediscover the Klondike Gold Rush stop known as Tagish Post. It was there, at a site beside Six Mile River in Tagish where more than 20,000 stampeders paid customs taxes and registered their homemade boats with the North West Mounted Police.

We’ll take you to the now abandoned site which has been reclaimed by forest. We’ll go back in time to learn what life was like on the gold rush trail, which was later made famous by Jack London after his own experiences as a stampeder.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 28:13 — 16.1MB) | Embed

Author Tor Forsberg reads from her book, North of Iskut: Grizzlies, Bannock and Adventure during Arts in the Park, held in Whitehorse.

Next, My Yukon Life listeners are taken on a tour of Icy Waters, a Whitehorse aquaculture facility dedicated to the development, growth, processing and sale of premium quality Arctic Charr. You’ll also learn how harvesting maggots can help the ecosystem!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 27:47 — 12.7MB) | Embed

Every year during the Yukon River Quest, racers enter the Yukon River with their canoes at Whitehorse and paddle 740 kilometers/460 miles to Dawson City. The first team crosses the finish line in less than three days.

But for one team that competes every year, it’s not about crossing the finish line in first place. Though they make every effort to win, the concept of winning has a different meaning for them. The goal of Paddlers Abreast is to raise awareness of surviving breast cancer, and through the years, many team members have themselves been cancer survivors.

Maralyn Rogers is one of those survivors, and on this episode of My Yukon Life, she shares her message of hope and survival, and what it’s like to be part of a team that cherishes life as much as crossing the finish line. Because, after all, winning is as much about living as it is about taking first place.

In addition, the Paddlers Abreast team takes My Yukon Life listeners with them during the 2011 Yukon River Quest.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 37:41 — 15.1MB) | Embed

Kevin Barr, who ran as the Yukon NDP candidate in 2011, was already an established and beloved member of the music scene well before he entered politics.

His CD Lost and Found was based on a wealth of experience drawn from his impressive musical career, most notably as lead singer and co-founder of the The Undertakin’ Daddies, nominated for a Juno in 2001 and a Western Coast Music Award in 2002.

On this episode of My Yukon Life podcast radio, we talk to Kevin about his music, and what he envisions his future will look like. Will it be music, another run at political office, or both?

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 25:12 — 14.4MB) | Embed

Dustin and Brook Davis, co-owners of Cabin Fever Adventures, offer their clients first-rate wilderness experiences with a variety of outdoor packages including canoeing, sea kayaking, fishing, and customized wilderness excursions.

As an eco-driven business, they walk the talk by living up to their high standards of green initiatives, even if the bottom line is affected. But what makes them truly unique is the specialized training they offer to First Nations/Inuit youth from Canada’s North to increase this future generation’s employment opportunities in the wilderness tourism industry.

On this episode of My Yukon Life, listeners will step into the lives of aboriginal youth who will learn wilderness first aid, navigation skills, and everything else it takes to lead groups of people into the Yukon wild and bring them safely home again.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 31:45 — 12.7MB) | Embed

We first introduced Claudia MacPhee to My Yukon Life listeners during our April 4 episode when she revealed the secrets to creating her unique pottery, dog hair clothing, and hand-tied fishing flies.

On this episode of My Yukon Life, Claudia goes more in-depth in sharing the magic of her fly-fishing flies—how she makes them, the materials she uses and tips on catching monster-sized fish that only a seasoned angler can provide.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 27:52 — 15.9MB) | Embed