The Globe and Mail - 19.10.2019

P10 | PURSUITS O THEGLOBEANDMAIL| SATURDAY,OCTOBER19,2019

I

breathe a sigh of relief when

my left hiking boot leaves one

last slippery, lichen-covered

boulder and lands on brushy

tundra. I’ve made it through

what’s known as the broken-

nose zone without breaking my

nose. Ahead of me are four peo-

ple I’ve recently met, each carry-

ing backpacks filled to the brim

with tents, stoves, sleeping bags,

water filters, clothing and food

for four days of hiking in Yukon’s

Tombstone Territorial Park.

Our group of 10 is about three

kilometres from where we’ll

pitch our tents for the evening –

beside the stunning Grizzly Lake,

surrounded by jagged mountains

unlike any I’ve seen before and

tundra vegetation that’s painted

a vivid gold. At camp, we’ll use

our heavy, bear-resistant food

canisters (mandatory in this re-

mote park) as seats while we eat

pesto and sun-dried tomato pas-

ta. Over dinner, we’ll celebrate

our collective lack of injuries and

tears.

I’m out here to sample one of

the just-launched Arc’teryx Trips.

After three decades of making

meticulously designed, high-end

outdoor gear, the Vancouver-

based company has launched 11

multiday experiences in 10 rug-

ged landscapes around the globe.

“As we’ve grown as a company,

we’re selling product to a lot of

people that aren’t necessarily in-

to outdoor sport,” says John Ir-

vine, spokesman for Arc’teryx

Trips. The newly launched out-

door experiences build on other

initiatives, such as in-store semi-

nars, designed to help customers

use the company’s products for

what they were built for – moun-

taineering, trail running, climb-

ing and hiking/trekking. From

climbing Italy’s famed Dolomites

to hiking and camping here,

some 300 kilometres south of

the Arctic Circle, the program of-

fers small groups of strangers a

not-so-ordinary vacation experi-

ence led by professional guides.

Which brings me back to my

nose. Seven hours before setting

foot on the slippery boulder

field, we were briefed on our

backcountry adventure at the

Tombstone Interpretive Centre.

While I’m an avid and confident

hiker who frequents the Cana-

dian Rockies, my eyes widened

as an employee described what

to expect while carting 21 kilo-

grams on my back. The first day

of our trek will involve 797

metres of elevation gain, a “cry-

ing section” about three kilo-

metres in, and, later in the day,

the boulder field, where three

hikers have already broken their

noses this season after face-

planting. While we drink warm

rose hip, Labrador and cranberry

tea, she also warns of an ex-

tremely steep, “not fun” climb on

Day 2, bears, the risk of hypother-

mia – it’s mid-September, after

all – and feisty ground squirrels

who will eat anything they can

get their paws on.

The dramatic warnings make

sense given the range of visitors’

skill levels during the park’s busy

three-month backcountry camp-

ing season that begins in mid-

June. Officially established as a

2,200 square kilometre wilder-

ness park a decade ago, Tomb-

stone Territorial Park lies entirely

in the traditional territory of the

Tr’ondek Hwech’in First Nation,

who have hunted, lived and trad-

ed here for thousands of years.

Co-managed between the Tr’on-

dek Hwech’in and the Yukon

government, Tombstone has

been dubbed the Patagonia of

the North. Hikers ranging from

novice to expert travel from

around the world to experience

tundra tussocks, talus slopes and

steep vistas. Permits and registra-

tion are required to use the

park’s three hike-in campsites

that feature tent pads, cooking

shelters and outhouses sur-

rounded by a wind-carved

mountain range. “When was the

last time you didn’t have cell ser-

vice or WiFi for four days?” guide

Lilla Molnar asks at a snack break

on our first day. Not being able to

connect to the outside world and

the distractions that come with

constantly having a smartphone

in your pocket forces our group,

whose members range in age

from 29 to 56, to focus instead on

human connection. We really get

to know one another. We laugh a

lot, and we talk even more as our

feet navigate the varied terrain

and our eyes feast on the vivid

fall colours.

On the second day of our hike,

we complete a 300-metre climb

up Glissade Pass that guidebooks

describe as “daunting,” “ex-

tremely steep” and “strenuous.”

Captivating conversation com-

pletely distracts me from the

challenge.

Our campsites seem to only

get more beautiful as the days

progress and we hike further into

the park. After tackling the pass,

we spend our second night at Di-

vide Lake, nestled below Mount

Monolith. We wake up to a

sprawling body of water so still

and clear the surrounding peaks

are perfectly reflected on its sur-

face. We throw some extra layers

and snacks in day packs and hike

to a ridge above our camp to rel-

ish in expansive 360-degree

views of lakes and mountains as

far as the eye can see.

After an easy and relatively

flat six-kilometre hike through

alpine cirques, our third evening

is spent at Talus Lake, by far the

most dazzling (as well as the

windiest and chilliest) of the

three backcountry sites, with

tent pads sitting on an expansive

tundra, encircled by mountains

in every possible direction. A fel-

low media member high-fives

guide Sarah Hueniken when we

arrive with an enthusiastic “No

injuries!” before another camper

greets us with the accurate

words, “Welcome to paradise.”

The views of iconic Tombstone

Mountain are most impressive at

this site. Named for its striking

resemblance to a grave marker,

the mountain’s craggy granite

peak towers over our tents. An

entry in the guestbook (found in

the outhouse) includes the sen-

tence: “Otherworldly is an apt

description.” Another simply

states, “So glad we made it here.

Magic. Pure Magic!”

On our last evening of camp-

ing, our group sits around and

shares laughs as the sun sets be-

hind a mountain. The cloudy sky

fills with streaks of yellow and

pink. We’re surrounded by dra-

matic rock formations that glow

in the light of the sunset. “A day

well-lived,” says photographer

Angela Percival, as we take time

to soak it all in. The vistas in

Tombstone are truly something

else. Combine that with several

days connecting with strangers,

and such a wild place has a way

of spurring deep reflection.

The next morning, we wake to

mist and intense cloud that

make the already ethereal scene

that surrounds us feel moodier.

We don’t have to worry about

facing the dangerous boulder

field, climbing up the other side

of Glissade Pass, or hiking down

the crying zone as we have the

luxury of not walking out over

the 24 kilometres we’ve travelled

in. Instead, after a chilly break-

fast consumed while wearing ev-

ery layer of clothing I’ve brought,

we pack up and hop on a yellow

helicopter. Jaws drop as we travel

over top the breathtaking pinna-

cles that have surrounded us for

several days. Before we know it,

we’re back to the comforts of civ-

ilization such as running water,

heat, electricity, WiFi and even

ground where you don’t have to

worry about breaking your nose.

Special to The Globe and Mail

The writer was a guest of Arc’teryx

Trips. The company did not review

or approve this article.

Reachingnewheights

‘Adaywell-lived.’AnnaliseKlingbeilreflectsonagrouphikethroughYukon’sremoteTombstoneTerritorialPark

BennyBystrom,left,JosieMeadows,AnnaliseKlingbeilandSarahHuenikenspentfourdayshikinginYukon’s

TombstoneTerritorialParkaspartofArc’teryxTrips.TheVancouver-basedoutdoor-gearcompanyhas

launched11multidayexperiencesin10ruggedlandscapesaroundtheworld.PHOTOSBYANGELAPERCIVAL

Arc’teryx Trips has launched 11 immersive

travel experiences in 10 remote destina-

tions in North America and Europe, in-

cluding a hiking trip to Yukon’s Tombstone

Territorial Park next year.trips.arcteryx.com

Certified elite-level guides will also lead

climbing trips in 2020 to Chamonix,

France; Italy’s Dolomites; Alberta’s Ghost

River Valley; Wyoming’s Wind River

Range; and Wyoming’s Grand Tetons Na-

tional Park. The Arc’teryx Trips offered al-

so include trail running journeys through

British Columbia’s Chilcotins; Switzer-

land’s iconic Swiss Alps; Corsica in France;

and Wyoming’s Titcomb Basin.

Depending on the trip, group sizes will

range from four to 12 participants and ex-

periences will last three to 10 days. Regis-

tration began Tuesday for next summer

and fall’s packages.Prices range from

US$2,300 to US$7,600 a person, not includ-

ing transportation to the starting point.

YOURTURN