Days 7-10: Winter Nights In Our Mongolian Yurt, 10 Winter Days In The Yukon

by Danielle Steller | DanielleSteller.com

I’d never slept in a Mongolian yurt before, so you can imagine that it wasn’t too hard to convince myself that I absolutely HAD to experience it. And why not in the Yukon territory, in the snow? It was so random, yet probably one of the best random adventures I’ve been on.

We arrived at night, a little tipsy from our detour to Yukon Brewing (a must-visit).

..and it wasn’t until the next morning that we saw the view from our little yurt door.

This place was insanely beautiful. I had no idea that the yurt was literally on the edge of a cliff!

Being situated on a cliff-side has its drawbacks, of course. There were scary moments. Like going outside for a midnight pee, and balancing on snow while hardly being able to see. But it was a small sacrifice to make for the view.

Our hosts (at Traveling Light B&B) were so accommodating that they had a heap of snowshoes in storage solely for their guests to use at leisure, so lucky for us, we were able to explore the surrounding area at our own pace, and at no extra cost.

We found a secluded area and built a fire to stay warm. It was so tranquil out here. No noise. No other people. Just the four of us. And a few wild animals, here and there.

I made this little dreamcatcher in the yurt with supplies bought from the Indian Craft Shop in Whitehorse. Working at the First Nations Health Authority, I was lucky enough to be taught how to make dream catchers the traditional way. This one wasn’t traditional, but it was the best I could do with what I had (didn’t have my glue gun!).

We bathed in Takhini Hot Springs, and it was a little busier than we would have liked (we took the below picture after the hot pools closed). Sneaking in hip flasks was a fun idea though.

New Years Eve came. We had nothing planned. By a crazy stroke of luck, there were other guests staying in a nearby cabin on site that night. They had brought Chinese sky lanterns with them, and handed one to Ryan and I, as a wish for the New Year. After the lantern was lit, Ryan and I asked when to let it go. “Whenever it feels like it’s ready, you’ll just know” our new friend Jana said. We waited for some time. I wasn’t sure what cue I was waiting for. It was my first time. The lantern began to lift a little. Ryan and I looked at each other for reassurance, and decided to let it go. After almost crashing into the trees, it suddenly gained momentum and soared up into the sky, higher and higher beyond sight. It was beautiful. It felt symbolic to me of the journey we’d had in 2014. “Oh my god. We need to do that at our wedding. That was so beautiful.” I said to Ryan. He agreed.

We cherished those last few days in Whitehorse. The time flew by way too quickly. It was the last big trip we went on, before leaving Canada for good. They say once you’ve been to the Yukon, it gets into your blood. Almost 3 months have passed since we were there, and that place is still on my mind. The way its wildness made me feel.

When we said goodbye to our host, she said “See you when you move here!” with a certainty in her tone. It made me smile. Who knows what will happen. Crazier things have come to pass.