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Living in the wilds of Canada's Yukon Territory, Norm Winther has carved his life out of some of the most rugged and demanding parts of the territory, while living each and every day as an authentic trapper. With this diverse lifestyle comes the development of skills that are ever changing and as vast as the landscape that surrounds him.
The urgency of the moment to live in this frozen environment, has tested Norm's mettle time and time again, as he clawed his way from the icy waters on the brink of death, to the high likelihood of starvation, being delayed in the bush by extreme weather for many weeks on end.
The measurement of a person's determination, grit and tenacity, can only be tested under the extreme conditions of a - 50 Yukon winter, and this Winther has proven he is as determined as they come.
Join me in "The Last Trapper's" cabin on Jackfish Lake as we discuss but a few of Norm's adventures and how a random job as a mechanic along side a Nicholas Vanier documentary years prior led Norm Winter to star as himself, on Vanier's future movie, "The Last Trapper"
Click here to watch The Last Trapper on IMDp https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0395514/
To listen to the full M.A.Y.L. podcast show series, please click on MyAmazingYukonLife.com where you’ll find each weekly podcast link along with show notes and pictures related to each of the episodes. You can also download each episode from Buzzsprout or wherever you get your podcasts from. While you’re there, hit the subscribe button and leave me a comment on what you’d like to hear next on the show.
I encourage you to become a member of the My Amazing Yukon Life Facebook Group where our stories can come together as we build upon the collective memories of one another, recording and preserving personal stories of the Yukon's rich history and colourful life adventures.
I hope you enjoy this podcast and I thank you for joining me as a "M.A.Y.L. carrier”, as we proudly deliver our amazing Yukon life stories to the outside world.
Cheers
“Trapper Dan your Renaissance Man”
Daniel HalenSupport the Show.
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Artist Jim Robb has been a staple of the Yukon's art scene since the mid 1950's and is best know for his "Colourful Five Percent" books which are available in local Yukon bookstores and galleries. His works capture the quality and uniqueness of the many varied and colourful character and places that many would argue, have made the Yukon a little more colourful than anywhere else in the north.
https://yukonart.ca/collections/jim-robb
https://yukonart.ca/products/colourful-five-percent-book-volume-1Jim's earliest artwork was primarily done on raw moose hide. The hide would be stretched into all kinds of different shapes, most often by Annie and Harry Silverfox along with their son Billy, and drawn in pastel and charcoal. Harry's knowledge and friendship led Jim to become the first person to use the insides of snowshoes as frames.
Dawson City, the summer of ‘61, saw Jim beginning to use pen, ink, watercolour and photography as his mediums of choice as he continued his artistic development. In 1971 he started writing & illustrating a column, "The Colourful Five Percent", for the Whitehorse Star, which primarily dealt with the life of historical buildings and 'Yukon characters'.
Over the years Jim has had 3 books published, and yes, 'they are read in all the better cabins'. They are comprised of short stories, photographs and drawings mostly about interesting and colourful Yukon personalities, the 'Colourful Percent'. The first volume has been reprinted and is available here. https://yukonart.ca/products/colourful-five-percent-book-volume-1
In 1975, well known anthropologist Julie Cruickshank, with Jim's participation, put out a book on the Yukon's First Nation peoples. In recognition of Jim Robb's magnificent contribution of gathering and preserving Yukon history he was awarded Canada's highest honor "The Order of Canada" in 2003.
Jim Robb and the Colourful Five Percent- Video by Mike Rudyk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXz06y8DKMM
To listen to the full M.A.Y.L. podcast show series, please click on MyAmazingYukonLife.comwhere you’ll find each weekly podcast link along with show notes and pictures related to each of the episodes. You can also download each episode from Buzzsprout or wherever you get your podcasts from. While you’re there, hit the subscribe button and leave me a comment on what you’d like to hear next on the show.
I encourage you to become a member of the My Amazing Yukon Life Facebook Group where our stories can come together as we build upon the collective memories of one another, recording and preserving personal stories of the Yukon's rich history and colourful life adventures.
I hope you enjoy this podcast and I thank you for joining me as a "M.A.Y.L. carrier”, as we proudly deliver our amazing Yukon life stories to the outside world.
Cheers
“Trapper Dan your Renaissance Man”
Daniel HalenSupport the show
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At the top of the world in the Yukon and Alaska wilderness of northwestern North America, the Yukon Quest 1,000 Mile International Sled Dog Race, an epic winter sports event takes place every year on the first Saturday of February.
One might ask, how many tries does it take to win the Yukon Quest Dog Sled Race? Much of the answer lies in your own personal conviction and dedication to the sport, along with your ability to build an incredible connection with your dogs and support team. Years of dedication are needed if a musher hopes to even complete, much less win, and that's certainly the case for Veteran Yukon Musher Frank Turner.
As written in the February 23rd 1995 edition of the Whitehorse Star, "It took him 12 tries to do it, but at 4:40 this morning Alaska time, Frank Turner finally won his first Yukon Quest. He did it in record fashion. No other winner has ever turned in the 10-day, 16-hour, 18 minute performance that the 47-year-old Whitehorse resident did".
Turner's record setting time stood for the next dozen years, just recently broken by the late dog musher Lance Mackie, who crossed the finish line nearly six hours faster than anyone else in history. To Turner's legacy, he was also entered into the Guinness Book of World Records as "the musher with the most times to take part in the annual Yukon Quest sled dog race is 23 by Frank Turner (Canada) between 1984 and 2008", a record that has yet to be broken.
To listen to the full M.A.Y.L. podcast show series, please click on MyAmazingYukonLife.comwhere you’ll find each weekly podcast link along with show notes and pictures related to each of the episodes. You can also download each episode from Buzzsprout or wherever you get your podcasts from. While you’re there, hit the subscribe button and leave me a comment on what you’d like to hear next on the show.
I encourage you to become a member of the My Amazing Yukon Life Facebook Group where our stories can come together as we build upon the collective memories of one another, recording and preserving personal stories of the Yukon's rich history and colourful life adventures.
I hope you enjoy this podcast and I thank you for joining me as a "M.A.Y.L. carrier”, as we proudly deliver our amazing Yukon life stories to the outside world.
Cheers
“Trapper Dan your Renaissance Man”
Daniel HalenSupport the show
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The Yukon Quest Dog Sled Race of 2023 is currently underway and heading north from Whitehorse to Dawson City, Yukon. Under the watchful eyes of a bevy of volunteers, race officials, and dog handlers, this 450 mile race traverses some of the most picturesque and harsh environments in Northern Canada.
Hearty groups of eager dogs, mushers, handlers, and volunteer support groups along the way, make this one of the premier wilderness contests in the Yukon, and has long standing tradition of bringing communities and people together. This year, the weather has been delightful for all participants, and the teams are quickly advancing towards the finish line in Dawson City.
In this podcast, I spoke with Gaby Sgaga, who is based out of West Dawson, and has been one of the many Quest volunteers operating the Dawson City checkpoint/Finish Line. Between her involvement with the Yukon Quest, the Dawson City Humane Society, her own dog team, and a plethora of other Yukonesque activities, I was lucky enough to have her sit down for a few brief moments and bring us up to speed on the current race details.
To listen to the full M.A.Y.L. podcast show series, please click on MyAmazingYukonLife.comwhere you’ll find each weekly podcast link along with show notes and pictures related to each of the episodes. You can also download each episode from Buzzsprout or wherever you get your podcasts from. While you’re there, hit the subscribe button and leave me a comment on what you’d like to hear next on the show.
I encourage you to become a member of the My Amazing Yukon Life Facebook Group where our stories can come together as we build upon the collective memories of one another, recording and preserving personal stories of the Yukon's rich history and colourful life adventures.
I hope you enjoy this podcast and I thank you for joining me as a "M.A.Y.L. carrier”, as we proudly deliver our amazing Yukon life stories to the outside world.
Cheers
“Trapper Dan your Renaissance Man”
Daniel HalenSupport the show
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June 21st remains a significant day for a great many people in Canada as the long daylight of the Summer Solstice transits into its next seasonal phase. A sense of time, mortality, humility and gratitude, often accompanies this pivotal day, especially for the people living in Canada's North.
June 21st also marks National Indigenous Peoples Day since 1996. It's a special occasion and opportunity to learn more about the rich and diverse cultures, voices, experiences and histories of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples as they celebrate their heritage.
On this celebrated day of June 21st, 2022, the Tr'ondek Hwech's First Nation received a gift from their ancestral lands with the unearthing of a baby woolly mammoth at a remote Klondike Placer mine site under the astute eye of an excavator operator. The operator, Travis" couldn't believe what he had unearthed, and to this day is overwhelmed with emotion when speaking about it.
During the next several hours, Trʼondëk Hwëchʼin First Nations Elders, a plethora of scientists, and the entire mine site crew and owners stood by in awe and wonderment. The sky's literally opened up with rain, wind, lighting and thunder as Nun cho ga came back into the world with all the energy of the natural world by her side.
Nun cho ga, "big animal baby", in the traditional Han language, made her entry back into the world after being mummified in an icy layer of Steppe sediment estimated to be 35000 years old. She's been nearly perfectly mummified in the frozen Klondike Gold Fields and has retained her soft tissue, hair, toenails and internal organs, offering evidence of the ancient flora that sustained her during her brief life.
For now, Nun cho ga will remain where she is, on the traditional territory of the Trʼondëk Hwëchʼin, as scientists and the First Nations people continue to work cooperatively, balancing the cultural significance of her place in the Trʼondëk Hwëchʼin community, and the scientific community.
To listen to the full M.A.Y.L. podcast show series, please click on MyAmazingYukonLife.comwhere you’ll find each weekly podcast link along with show notes and pictures related to each of the episodes. You can also download each episode from Buzzsprout or wherever you get your podcasts from. While you’re there, hit the subscribe button and leave me a comment on what you’d like to hear next on the show.
I encourage you to become a member of the My Amazing Yukon Life Facebook Group where our stories can come together as we build upon the collective memories of one another, recording and preserving personal stories of the Yukon's rich history and colourful life adventures.
I hope you enjoy this podcast and I thank you for joining me as a "M.A.Y.L. carrier”, as we proudly deliver our amazing Yukon life stories to the outside world.
Cheers
“Trapper Dan your Renaissance Man”
Daniel HalenSupport the show
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Like so many others who came up to the Yukon for just two weeks, Hank Karr quickly realized that Whitehorse Yukon would be the place he'd grow his roots down deep, and "stay a while". That decision came quickly, when he first travelled from Ketichcan Alaska to Whitehorse Yukon in the mid 1960's to play his guitar and sing on the stage at the local Whitehorse Inn. Sixty plus years later, he's still doing what he loves to do. Singing, writing music, and performing on one of his many guitars more than a half century later, Hank Karr has long become a staple of the Yukon music scene and is adorned be countless people locally and internationally.
Karr pays tribute to his predecessor Al Oster, who was also enamoured with the magic of the Northern landscape, the lives of the common people he surrounded himself with, and the rich history and character of the Yukon. This quickly became a palate of themes and stories ripe for the picking. Both Oster and Karr were prolific melody writers and accomplished wordsmiths who could weave characters into a song within minutes.
Oster went on to recorded Karr's first album in the 1960s, and the two of them would perform together in the Canadian Pavilion during Expo 67 in Montreal. CBC recorded the Expo 67 performances and later put them on an LP called The Yukon Stars.
Karr remained a fan of Oster's writing long after he moved "outside" of the Yukon, and Karr continued to perform several of Oster's songs during his concerts, and eventually, recorded much of his material over the years, presenting it as only Hank Karr could. With a Baritone/Base voice, and a performance stature that rivals any professional musician around the world, Karr was a natural from the moment he picked up his chosen instrument.
To purchase one of Karr's CDs, DVDs, or Books, please visit the local Maximilian's Gold Rush Emporium on Main Street, Whitehorse or Dawson City. https://www.maximilians.ca/ Orders can also be placed online or through most digital music download sites. Simply search Hank Karr on Google and you'll find several options available.
To listen to the full M.A.Y.L. podcast show series, please click on MyAmazingYukonLife.comwhere you’ll find each weekly podcast link along with show notes and pictures related to each of the episodes. You can also download each episode from Buzzsprout or wherever you get your podcasts from. While you’re there, hit the subscribe button and leave me a comment on what you’d like to hear next on the show.
I encourage you to become a member of the My Amazing Yukon Life Facebook Group where our stories can come together as we build upon the collective memories of one another, recording and preserving personal stories of the Yukon's rich history and colourful life adventures.
I hope you enjoy this podcast and I thank you for joining me as a "M.A.Y.L. carrier”, as we proudly deliver our amazing Yukon life stories to the outside world.
Cheers
“Trapper Dan your Renaissance Man”
Daniel HalenSupport the show
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The world was abuzz with the discovery of gold in the Klondike on August 16th 1896.
Hordes of prospectors, entrepreneurs, adventure seekers and a wide variety of "entertainers" rallied for their stake in what was to be one of the last great gold rushes of the century.
For those entertainers who were unable to make this great adventure to Dawson City, a new medium of entertainment would relay their talents through what was then termed "moving pictures technology." With the discovery of a treasure trove of ancient films literally frozen in time on a construction site within Dawson City itself, came the last remaining artifacts of an era captured in time.
Michael Gates was curator of the Klondike National Historic Sites beginning in 1978 and was immediately on the scene like a forensic detective searching for historic clues to an era. Along with the director of the Dawson City Museum, Kathy Jones (now Gates), the two of them worked for years piecing together the story of the incredibly vibrant social life Dawsonites enjoyed.
Michael's new book, Hollywood in the Klondike, reflects not only on the entertainment in Dawson City during the Gold Rush era, but the variety and magnitude of entertainers featured throughout the world. Actors, actresses, live footage of the gold mining activities in the Klondike and the affect that film was having throughout the far reaches of the planet is summarized in Gate's newest works.
Hollywood did indeed come north to the Klondike, and this historical reflection is a must read for those with an interest to learn more about what has become one of the most influential technologies of our time."
The first of two book launch parties will be held on Sunday, September 25th at The Oddfellows Hall in Dawson City, sponsored by the Dawson City Museum and KIAC (Klondike Institute of Art and Culture) and Harbour Publishing. The doors will open at 6:30, and the admission is free. There will be a book signing (books available courtesy of The Dawson City Museum), a short reading, and the screening of some of the films found buried in Dawson in 1978.
The event in Whitehorse will be in the Grey Mountain Room at The Mt. Mac Recreational facility on Tuesday, October 4th. The doors open at 6:30 and the program is free. Everybody is welcome There will be a book signing (books available courtesy of Mac's Fireweed Books), food and refreshments, door prizes, musical entertainment, a reading and screening of some of the films found buried in Dawson in 1978. Sponsored by The Yukon Historical and Museums Association, Mac's Fireweed Books and Harbour Publishing.
To listen to the full M.A.Y.L. podcast show series, please click on MyAmazingYukonLife.comwhere you’ll find each weekly podcast link along with show notes and pictures related to each of the episodes. You can also download each episode from Buzzsprout or wherever you get your podcasts from. While you’re there, hit the subscribe button and leave me a comment on what you’d like to hear next on the show.
I encourage you to become a member of the My Amazing Yukon Life Facebook Group where our stories can come together as we build upon the collective memories of one another, recording and preserving personal stories of the Yukon's rich history and colourful life adventures.
I hope you enjoy this podcast and I thank you for joining me as a "M.A.Y.L. carrier”, as we proudly deliver our amazing Yukon life stories to the outside world.
Cheers
“Trapper Dan your Renaissance Man”
Daniel HalenSupport the show
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JANUARY, 1950: SKYMASTER FLIGHT #2469 DISAPPEARS OVER THE YUKON. IT’S NEVER BEEN FOUND. VIEWERS JOIN THE SEARCH WHEN SKYMASTER DOWN PREMIERES ON documentary CHANNEL SUNDAY JANUARY 16, 9 p. m. ET/PT
Tune in to CBC February 25th at 8:00pm ET 2024 to watchDocumentary filmmaker Andrew Gregg has made many films in Canada’s North often examining some of its great secrets. But there is one very puzzling story that has eluded him for years-- what happened to the US military Skymaster plane that disappeared over the Yukon more than seventy years ago? No trace of the plane or its 44 passengers has ever been found. Their families are still waiting for an answer. Gregg examines this fascinating aviation mystery in his latest film SKYMASTER DOWN which premieres on documentary Channel on Sunday, January 16 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
Over 500 planes are known to have crashed in the Yukon but the Skymaster is one of only a few that’s never been recovered. It was on a routine flight from Anchorage, Alaska to Great Falls, Montana. Nothing should have gone wrong. For a few weeks after the disappearance US Air Force planes searched but soon gave up. The US military has since shown little interest in finding the plane. That has certainly hasn’t pleased the passengers’ relatives.
In SKYMASTER DOWN viewers will meet those relatives still awaiting news all these decades later. Among them is Judy Jackson whose mother was pregnant with her when her father Clarence Gibson took that flight. Jackson even went to the Yukon to see the vast landscape where her father vanished. “I walked out there one morning by myself,” Jackson told Gregg, “looked around all those mountains and I thought, ‘Oh Daddy, what happened to you?’ To just have something to bury beside my mother—that’s what I would like to have for her.”
Especially poignant is the case of Robert Espe---his pregnant wife Joyce was the only woman on board, travelling south with their toddler son. Espie spent the remainder of his life trying to find his wife and child.
NOTE: Subsequent broadcasts on documentary Channel are at (at ET) midnight and 3 a.m. on the night of January 16. On Tuesday, January 18 at 9 a.m., 2 p.m., 7 p.m.; Sunday, January 23 at 8 a.m., 1 p.m. 6 p.m.; Friday, January 28 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
To listen to the full M.A.Y.L. podcast show series, please click on MyAmazingYukonLife.comwhere you’ll find each weekly podcast link along with show notes and pictures related to each of the episodes. You can also download each episode from Buzzsprout or wherever you get your podcasts from. While you’re there, hit the subscribe button and leave me a comment on what you’d like to hear next on the show.
I encourage you to become a member of the My Amazing Yukon Life Facebook Group where our stories can come together as we build upon the collective memories of one another, recording and preserving personal stories of the Yukon's rich history and colourful life adventures.
I hope you enjoy this podcast and I thank you for joining me as a "M.A.Y.L. carrier”, as we proudly deliver our amazing Yukon life stories to the outside world.
Cheers
“Trapper Dan your Renaissance Man”
Daniel HalenSupport the show
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#023 – “A Yukon Game Warden’s Stories” by George Balmer
Retired Yukon Game Warden, George Balmer, humorously recounts more than 40 years of incredible outdoor adventures during his patrols to some of the territories most stunningly beautiful places. Reflecting upon his chance meetings with wonderfully unique people along the way and the occasional “day gone sideways” mishap, George’s newly published book, A Yukon Game Warden’s Stories, is soon to be a Yukon “must read classic”.
As a consummate “bushman”, George has flown, skied, snowshoed, hiked, boated, cycled, quadded, and literally crawled his way through some of the most remote parts of the Yukon Territory while patrolling thousands of kilometers of land as a Yukon Game Warden. Realizing very early in his career that the stories being shared with him from the incredible Yukon people he met day to day were so unique, that George began taking pictures of both the people, and the places he was visiting.
It was during the COVID 19 pandemic that George began chronicling his memoirs based on the slides and notes he had taken over his career. Born of a world wide pandemic outbreak, "A Yukon Game Warden’s Stories" provides readers with a historical, humorous, and wonderfully reflective 228 page journey through the 1970’s & 80’s halcyon days of the Faro, Ross River, Haines Junction, Dawson City, Teslin and Whitehorse area. The overwhelming theme of the book pays tribute to the people living traditional and non-traditional lives amongst the hustle and bustle of the Yukon’s second mining boom.
To purchase your copy directly from George, you can email him at [email protected] and he’ll send a copy your way. You’ll also find a list of additional sources to purchase your copy at MyAmazingYukonLife.com
Episode 23 – A Yukon Game Warden’s Stories with George Balmer.
To listen to the full M.A.Y.L. podcast show series, please click on MyAmazingYukonLife.comwhere you’ll find each weekly podcast link along with show notes and pictures related to each of the episodes. You can also download each episode from Buzzsprout or wherever you get your podcasts from. While you’re there, hit the subscribe button and leave me a comment on what you’d like to hear next on the show.
I encourage you to become a member of the My Amazing Yukon Life Facebook Group where our stories can come together as we build upon the collective memories of one another, recording and preserving personal stories of the Yukon's rich history and colourful life adventures.
I hope you enjoy this podcast and I thank you for joining me as a "M.A.Y.L. carrier”, as we proudly deliver our amazing Yukon life stories to the outside world.
Cheers
“Trapper Dan your Renaissance Man”
Daniel HalenSupport the show
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#022 – How do you cross country ski your way from the wilds of the Yukon to the PyeongChang Olympics?
Olympic Competitor Dahria Beatty, reflects upon her passion for cross country skiing, and the winding journey her professional career has taken her on.
To listen to the full M.A.Y.L. podcast show series, please click on MyAmazingYukonLife.com where you’ll find each weekly podcast link along with show notes and pictures related to each of the episodes. You can also download each episode from Buzzsprout or wherever you get your podcasts from. While you’re there, hit the subscribe button and leave me a comment on what you’d like to hear next on the show.
I encourage you to become a member of the My Amazing Yukon Life Facebook Group where our stories can come together as we build upon the collective memories of one another, recording and preserving personal stories of the Yukon's rich history and colourful life adventures.
I hope you enjoy this podcast and I thank you for joining me as a "M.A.Y.L. carrier”, as we proudly deliver our amazing Yukon life stories to the outside world.
Cheers
“Trapper Dan your Renaissance Man”
Daniel HalenSupport the show
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#021 Balto & Togo - a musical history lesson from the 1925 Diphtheria anti-toxin to the Covid 19 vaccine
In late 1925, Diphtheria broke out in the remote town of Nome Alaska, and so began "The Great Race of Mercy". 20 dog mushers and 200 dogs swiftly mobilized their teams to bring the much needed anti-toxin to the ailing group of 1430 townspeople separated from any means of contact and resources as they fought to stave of eminent death.
Winter had its icy grip on Nome Alaska and the only means of transportation was by dog team since the steam ship ports were iced in and the airplanes that serviced Nome were unable to fly in the severe cold of 1925. The 928 miles of the Iditarod Trail was the only accessible route to deliver the Diphtheria anti-toxin to the people of Nome, and it was throughout the commitment and determination of the dog mushing community with their rugged four legged crew, that the fate of the entire community of Nome was forever changed.
Fast forward nearly 100 years. In February through April 2021, I was fortunate to work along side a group of equally dedicated individuals who's mandate was to to deliver the Covid 19 Moderna vaccine to every Yukon community in much the same manner as the 1925 "Great Race of Mercy", although the dog sleds were not necessary this time. The two mobile Covid 19 vaccine teams, affectionately named Balto and Togo, were deployed from Whitehorse by road and by air to service all of the outlying Yukon communities and also the Northern town of Atlin BC.
During a long bus ride back from Watson Lake, I started to think about the history of the Yukon once again and also about our Alaskan neighbours to the west since we did indeed adopt their Balto name for our team. By the time we arrived back in Whitehorse I had a good idea of what the chorus of my song would sound like and how I could establish a time, place and "feeling" within the first verse of the song and how the tempo, rhythm, and overall vibe would reflect the determination and cadence of a group of people/dogs working towards delivering a serum during these trying times.
The Balto & Togo song is available as a free downloadable mp3 on the My Amazing Yukon Life website and I'd be thrilled if you'd send it to your friends and favourite radio station in your area, so we can share our Yukon experience and with the rest of the world .
To listen to the full M.A.Y.L. podcast show series, please click on MyAmazingYukonLife.com where you’ll find each weekly podcast link along with show notes and pictures related to each of the episodes. You can also download each episode from Buzzsprout or wherever you get your podcasts from. While you’re there, hit the subscribe button and leave me a comment on what you’d like to hear next on the show.
I encourage you to become a member of the My Amazing Yukon Life Facebook Group where our stories can come together as we build upon the collective memories of one another, recording and preserving personal stories of the Yukon's rich history and colourful life adventures.
I hope you enjoy this podcast and I thank you for joining me as a "M.A.Y.L. carrier”, as we proudly deliver our amazing Yukon life stories to the outside world.
Cheers
“Trapper Dan your Renaissance Man”
Daniel HalenSupport the show
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#020 - Memoirs of a 10 year old Donna Clayson. Moving from Dawson Creek to Haines Junction in the mid 60s
Travel in the Yukon in the 21st century is literally a breeze compared to the earlier modes of transportation. Waterways, wagon roads, horse trails, and traditional foot roots all paved the way towards the comforts we enjoy today, and eventually train routes, roads and air travel developed over the years making our lives much easier in the North .
Anyone who's left the familiarity of their home town and travelled a thousand miles of dusty Alaska Highway in the 1960's would certainly have some distinct memories from this experience. Back in these days, keeping a personal diary was encouraged and keeping daily notes of the scenery, flora and fauna, along with the interactions with others along the way was common place at the end of the day. It's through reflecting upon this notes after the fact that writers have years worth of interesting facts and and characters from which to draw upon for their own literary works.
Today's guest has done exactly that. As a young girl at the impressionable age of 10, her mother whisked her away from the familiarity of her home in Dawson Creek and drove north on the newly constructed Alaska highway to the tiny community of Haines Junction, Yukon. It was durning this arduous 1500 km journey that Donna Clayson began to realize that the place she was fighting so hard to not accept as her new home, completely enamoured her with its majestic mountains and authentic beauty.
In today's podcast, Donna reflects on her journey to the Yukon through her 10 year old eyes and the litany of emotions and thoughts journaled in one of her earliest writings.
As 19th century historian John Wade would say..."the rest is history".
To listen to the full M.A.Y.L. podcast show series, please click on MyAmazingYukonLife.com where you’ll find each weekly podcast link along with show notes and pictures related to each of the episodes. You can also download each episode from Buzzsprout or wherever you get your podcasts from. While you’re there, hit the subscribe button and leave me a comment on what you’d like to hear next on the show.
I encourage you to become a member of the My Amazing Yukon Life Facebook Group where our stories can come together as we build upon the collective memories of one another, recording and preserving personal stories of the Yukon's rich history and colourful life adventures.
I hope you enjoy this podcast and I thank you for joining me as a "M.A.Y.L. carrier”, as we proudly deliver our amazing Yukon life stories to the outside world.
Cheers
“Trapper Dan your Renaissance Man”
Daniel HalenSupport the show
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#019 - Garbage Truck Santa - Come ride along with Yukon's one and only Wayne Henderson
Wayne Henderson spends the weeks leading up to Christmas making his list, checking it twice, planning his route, and scraping the ice, as he prepares his electric light garbage truck and Santa suit for what has become a Yukon winter tradition for nearly three decades now.
Yukoners delight at the opportunity of seeing "Garbage Truck Santa" cruising the streets of Whitehorse in what is undoubtedly the most flamboyant vehicle in the territory with more that 3000 light bulbs and Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer on the front of his full-sized garbage truck. You can't help but smile and wave as Santa blasts his airhorn, flashes Rudolph's shiny red nose, and shout's through the P.A. system a hearty HO HO HO from the driver's seat.
Garbage Truck Santa has been featured in magazines, news articles and a full length video documentary, chronicling the humble beginnings of our well-dressed local winter celebrity who is held dear in the hearts of people far and wide.During my call from Santa today, I asked him to recount his early years in the 1990’s when he first dawned the jovial red Santa suit while out doing his traditional garbage route pickup in Whitehorse. From what was a “one off” fun idea in its origin, to the international notoriety he enjoys today, Garbage Truck Santa reflects on his successes and struggles, and what he personally gets out of bringing smiles to the thousands of happy people he meets each year.
Our modern-day Santa clearly has a big heart. His personal conviction of simply spreading some Yule Tide joy during the darkest days of December, has now become a community supported highlight of the winter season. Garbage Truck Santa ( Wayne Henderson ) now has a network of local individual and businesses who wholeheartedly support his efforts in all regards to help him dawn his Santa suit each Christmas season, so he can continue to bring joy into our community.
To listen to the full M.A.Y.L. podcast show series, please click on MyAmazingYukonLife.com where you’ll find each weekly podcast link along with show notes and pictures related to each of the episodes. You can also download each episode from Buzzsprout or wherever you get your podcasts from. While you’re there, hit the subscribe button and leave me a comment on what you’d like to hear next on the show.
I encourage you to become a member of the My Amazing Yukon Life Facebook Group where our stories can come together as we build upon the collective memories of one another, recording and preserving personal stories of the Yukon's rich history and colourful life adventures.
I hope you enjoy this podcast and I thank you for joining me as a "M.A.Y.L. carrier”, as we proudly deliver our amazing Yukon life stories to the outside world.
Cheers
“Trapper Dan your Renaissance Man”
Daniel HalenSupport the show
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#018 – Exploring the North with ExploreNorth.com founder, Murray Lundberg
In today’s interview with Murray Lundberg, we discuss the adventures, challenges, and changes in researching and presenting the fascinating history of the Yukon. We discuss how social media, WYSIWYG website development, PDF books and the ever changing Internet has been both a challenge and a blessing to this entrepreneurial historian, writer, photographer and presenter.
Murray was one of the first on the scene in the mid 90's recording the Yukon's rich history when websites were written in HTML code and cameras still used film and online courses were not even an option. His progressive mindset and commitment to staying abreast of technological advances continues to serve him well as he wears multiple hats when it comes to being the "jack of all trades" in the history preservation/presentation arena.
From his humble and curious beginnings as both a tourist and tour bus driver, he continues to expand his wide breadth of Yukon history in real time by connecting with thousands of people each day through his Yukon History & Abandoned Places facebook group and ExploreNorth.com websites.
The growth of his social media sites has been the inspiration needed for him to re-commit to completing several books that have been " on the list " for some time. He's zealously working towards getting them out the door and into the hands of local tourists visiting Carcross as well as through Internet sales.
Murray's first book, Fractured Veins and Broken Dreams, features the Montana Mountain mining activity in the early 1900's and he's currently working on another titled "The Alaska Highway". Stay tuned for details about its release date.To listen to the full M.A.Y.L. podcast show series, please click on MyAmazingYukonLife.com where you’ll find each weekly podcast link along with show notes and pictures related to each of the episodes. You can also download each episode from Buzzsprout or wherever you get your podcasts from. While you’re there, hit the subscribe button and leave me a comment on what you’d like to hear next on the show.
I encourage you to become a member of the My Amazing Yukon Life Facebook Group where our stories can come together as we build upon the collective memories of one another, recording and preserving personal stories of the Yukon's rich history and colourful life adventures.
I hope you enjoy this podcast and I thank you for joining me as a "M.A.Y.L. carrier”, as we proudly deliver our amazing Yukon life stories to the outside world.
Cheers
“Trapper Dan your Renaissance Man”
Daniel HalenSupport the show
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#017 – Piecing Together Yukon’s Rocky History – An Interview with Head Yukon Surficial Geologist, Jeff Bond.
In today’s interview with Jeff Bond, we discuss the adventures, challenges, and changes in the field of Surficial Geology and how recent scientific analysis techniques have aided Yukon’s mineral exploration industry.
Jeff’s lifelong learning mindset and commitment to the field of geomorphology has served him well. From his curious beginnings as a youth interested in basic rock exploration in the Okotoks area of Alberta, to the wildlands of Canada’s northernmost territory, he’s been able to take his interest in geomorphology and cleave it into a fulfilling career of adventure and exploration.
As the head Surficial Geologist for the Yukon Geological Survey, Jeff has had the opportunity to explore regions of the territory that most people will rarely be able to access. No stranger to the outdoors and the risk/rewards that go with it, Jeff has taken it upon himself to formulate many a plan that would get him into the most remote areas of the Yukon. By accessing areas by water, hiking and air travel, he’s collected years of data in vast portions of the territory that are sometimes accompanied with the occasional ice water capsize, helicopter rescue, and random wildlife encounter.
To listen to the full M.A.Y.L. podcast show series, please click on MyAmazingYukonLife.com where you’ll find each weekly podcast link along with show notes and pictures related to each of the episodes. You can also download each episode from Buzzsprout or wherever you get your podcasts from. While you’re there, hit the subscribe button and leave me a comment on what you’d like to hear next on the show.
I encourage you to become a member of the My Amazing Yukon Life Facebook Group where our stories can come together as we build upon the collective memories of one another, recording and preserving personal stories of the Yukon's rich history and colourful life adventures.
I hope you enjoy this podcast and I thank you for joining me as a "M.A.Y.L. carrier”, as we proudly deliver our amazing Yukon life stories to the outside world.
Cheers
“Trapper Dan your Renaissance Man”
Daniel HalenSupport the show
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#016 – The passing of guitar legend Eddie Van Halen.
In today’s podcast, we jump back to the year 1984 with the rock band Van Halen. This was the time in musical history when guitar wielding, string bending, finger tapping virtuoso axeman Eddie Van Halen commanded the stage and rocked arenas around the world, not only with his incredible technique but with his stage presence and confident demeanour.
A true innovator in both technique and sound, his command of the instrument was nothing short of sheer genius. His signature guitar sound was sought after by dozens of guitar production companies in an attempt to replicate his tone by combining Fender and Gibson parts and pieces wrapped in a red, white and black stripped package. Try as they may, the sound emanating from Eddie’s guitar was 90% Van Halen and 10% instrument.
I was fortunate enough to have seen the band while living in Winnipeg during the 1984 tour and this certainly had a lasting impression on me. Primarily, Eddie’s ingenuity and creativeness not only with his style of playing but in his creativity and an instrument builder and sound crafter. The lasting impression from such an innovator certainly steered my desire to be creative with my hands.
Not only as a musician but as a builder and creator of all things in life, both musical and physical when it comes to craftsmanship and experimentation. I own a debt of gratitude to Eddie and to all of my mentors during my early years who were/are creative with their hands and minds.To listen to the full M.A.Y.L. podcast show series, please click on MyAmazingYukonLife.com where you’ll find each weekly podcast link along with show notes and pictures related to each of the episodes. You can also download each episode from Buzzsprout or wherever you get your podcasts from. While you’re there, hit the subscribe button and leave me a comment on what you’d like to hear next on the show.
I encourage you to become a member of the My Amazing Yukon Life Facebook Group where our stories can come together as we build upon the collective memories of one another, recording and preserving personal stories of the Yukon's rich history and colourful life adventures.
I hope you enjoy this podcast and I thank you for joining me as a "M.A.Y.L. carrier”, as we proudly deliver our amazing Yukon life stories to the outside world.
Cheers
“Trapper Dan your Renaissance Man”
Daniel HalenSupport the show
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#015 – Restoring the Fokker Super Universal CF-AAM aircraft to her halcyon days.
In today’s podcast with Donna Clayson, we learn about a research project she complied discussing the dedicated team of pilots, engineers, historians and many others behind the scenes who worked diligently for 18 years restoring one of the first aircraft to serve in the Yukon. The rebirth of the Fokker Super Universal CF-AAM became a labour of love to the dedicated restoration crew who then had the pleasure of flying her to numerous airshows throughout Canada and the United States.
CF-AAM is now on display at the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada in Winnipeg Manitoba where she receives the admiration of all who come to visit her. She’s a true Yukon “gold nugget” from the early years of aviation in the territory, as well as a testament to the grit, determination, passion and skill needed by the men and women who took it upon themselves to preserve and honour one of Canada’s most iconic Yukon bush planes.
To listen to the full M.A.Y.L. podcast show series, please click on MyAmazingYukonLife.com where you’ll find each weekly podcast link along with show notes and pictures related to each of the episodes. You can also download each episode from Buzzsprout or wherever you get your podcasts from. While you’re there, hit the subscribe button and leave me a comment on what you’d like to hear next on the show.
I encourage you to become a member of the My Amazing Yukon Life Facebook Group where our stories can come together as we build upon the collective memories of one another, recording and preserving personal stories of the Yukon's rich history and colourful life adventures.
I hope you enjoy this podcast and I thank you for joining me as a "M.A.Y.L. carrier”, as we proudly deliver our amazing Yukon life stories to the outside world.
Cheers
“Trapper Dan your Renaissance Man”
Daniel HalenSupport the show
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#014 – Bhangra Dancing in the Yukon with Gurdeep Pandher
Gurdeep Pandher arrived in Whitehorse with a burning desire to share the joyous and unique style of Bhangra dance to Yukoners in every town and remote community throughout the territory. When his first 2016 Canada Day Bhangra dance video went viral overnight on the Internet, he quickly realized that through his social media presence, he could bring the joy of Bhangra dance to not only Yukoners, but to millions of people around the world.
While conducting his dance classes, Gurdeep films the uniqueness and character of each participant and incorporates their smiles, positive energy, and incredible natural settings in each of his production. His future plans to have a cross Canada “Happiness Tour” in 2021 will certainly be a welcomed celebration of Bhangra dance, as he takes his show on the road from the left to the right coast. Stay tuned for future interviews with Gurdeep, as we follow him on his next great journey spreading the joy and celebration of this unique style of dance.
To listen to the full M.A.Y.L. podcast show series, please click on MyAmazingYukonLife.com where you’ll find each weekly podcast link along with show notes and pictures related to each of the episodes. You can also download each episode from Buzzsprout or wherever you get your podcasts from. While you’re there, hit the subscribe button and leave me a comment on what you’d like to hear next on the show.
I encourage you to become a member of the My Amazing Yukon Life Facebook Group where our stories can come together as we build upon the collective memories of one another, recording and preserving personal stories of the Yukon's rich history and colourful life adventures.
I hope you enjoy this podcast and I thank you for joining me as a "M.A.Y.L. carrier”, as we proudly deliver our amazing Yukon life stories to the outside world.
Cheers
“Trapper Dan your Renaissance Man”
Daniel HalenSupport the show
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#013 – Keeping Yukon's History Alive and Well. An interview with historian Donna Clayson.
In today’s podcast interview, we only began to scratch the surface of Donna Clayson’s lifelong passion and enthusiasm towards preserving the Yukon’s rich history. As an accomplished writer of short stories, news articles, research papers, and often times history presenter at the Yukon Transportation Museum, she undoubtedly has a natural way of drawing the listener into her adventures.
Donna speaks of her own life experiences and recounts the lives and adventures of the old timers who influenced her, along with the fact that she’s lived off the grid for many years in the quintessential “log cabin in the woods”, speaks volumes about her character and embracing nature to embracing nature.
Selecting upon her chance meetings with some of the most colourful 5% the Yukon has ever known, and how these people have influenced her commitment to preserve the history and adventuresome stories of these men and women from our community, Donna gives forth a deep sense of place, purpose, and solitude living in harmony with the Yukon.
We also discuss her role as an administrator for the Yukon History and Abandoned Places FaceBook group started by Murray Lundberg and how she continues to be involved as a researcher with an upcoming Yukon documentary film. This is only the beginning of what’s yet to come so please stay tuned for more interviews with Donna in the very near future.To listen to the full M.A.Y.L. podcast show series, please click on MyAmazingYukonLife.com where you’ll find each weekly podcast link along with show notes and pictures related to each of the episodes. You can also download each episode from Buzzsprout or wherever you get your podcasts from. While you’re there, hit the subscribe button and leave me a comment on what you’d like to hear next on the show.
I encourage you to become a member of the My Amazing Yukon Life Facebook Group where our stories can come together as we build upon the collective memories of one another, recording and preserving personal stories of the Yukon's rich history and colourful life adventures.
I hope you enjoy this podcast and I thank you for joining me as a "M.A.Y.L. carrier”, as we proudly deliver our amazing Yukon life stories to the outside world.
Cheers
“Trapper Dan your Renaissance Man”
Daniel HalenSupport the show
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#012 - Paragliding and Paramotoring Adventures in the Yukon – An interview with extreme outdoor adventurist Boštjan Škrlj
In today’s interview with Boštjan Škrlj, we get a bird’s eye view into the adventure sport of paragliding and paramotoring in the Yukon. Although the sport has been extremely popular throughout the world for many years, it’s relatively new to the territory and has drawn adventurists from all corners of the earth seeking to experience Yukon’s beauty from the air.
As a native of Slovenia, Boštjan was exposed to the paragliding craze in his youth with hundreds of people gliding overhead on any given day. Yet he didn’t pursue his passion for flying until arriving in Whitehorse a few years ago. Originally, he set out on a motorcycle trip around the world but was drawn to the Yukon on his way through to Alaska and through a chance meeting with paraglider instructor Trevor Mead Robins, Boštjan was quickly switching his riding boots to more comfortable landing gear for his feet.
The adventures continue as Boštjan continues to ride his BMW motorcycle to some of the most remote parts of Yukon in both the summer and winter. He’s often seen at – 40 C driving up the mountains to the ski slopes where he launches his paraglider to fly around Whitehorse in the dimly lit days around the Winter Solstice. He can also be seen out kite skiing on Yukon’s many frozen lakes pulling behind him ski polks to test both himself and his gear. He continues to test and refine his outdoor equipment since his next adventure will have him transiting the most remote parts of this northern continent by kite and ski this winter.
To listen to the full M.A.Y.L. podcast show series, please click on MyAmazingYukonLife.com where you’ll find each weekly podcast link along with show notes and pictures related to each of the episodes. You can also download each episode from Buzzsprout or wherever you get your podcasts from. While you’re there, hit the subscribe button and leave me a comment on what you’d like to hear next on the show.
I encourage you to become a member of the My Amazing Yukon Life Facebook Group where our stories can come together as we build upon the collective memories of one another, recording and preserving personal stories of the Yukon's rich history and colourful life adventures.
I hope you enjoy this podcast and I thank you for joining me as a "M.A.Y.L. carrier”, as we proudly deliver our amazing Yukon life stories to the outside world.
Cheers
“Trapper Dan your Renaissance Man”
Daniel HalenSupport the show
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