Expedition To An Old Plane Wreck

After completing the last job of my year of working and traveling in Canada, I decided to set out on an epic adventure: trying to reach an old airplane wreck in a very remote region in the Yukon — one of Canada's northernmost territories. It wouldn't be an easy task though, because there were no trails to the crash site, and it is located on a steep slope of one of the highest mountains in the area. After weeks of research, planning, and scouting out the region, I drafted a plan and set out on the trip.

The crash site: When planning my trip, I didn't even know the exact location of the wreckage.

I started my adventure at the nearest highway, planning to cycle on an ATV trail leading higher into the mountains to avoid extensive bushwhacking and cover more ground in a shorter amount of time. However, this was easier said than done — it was a narrow, muddy trail with a steep incline, creek crossings, and snowfields. In addition to that, I was carrying a very heavy backpack filled with food, camping gear, and camera equipment. After cycling and pushing the bicycle for about 40 kilometers, I reached the alpine and set up my camp for the night.
The next morning, I left the bicycle behind and continued my journey on foot along the open ridges. While hiking, I crossed many snowfields, scrambled up steep mountainsides, and bushwhacked through moorland. However, I was rewarded with the sight of multiple herds of caribou. In the late afternoon, after hiking for over 20 strenuous kilometers, I finally made it to the plane wreck. A large portion of it was surrounded by snow, and the inside was almost completely filled. Nevertheless, due to its remote location, many things were still left behind, and the plane in general was in surprisingly good shape.
As the day came to an end, I decided to trek down the mountainside and set up my camp for the night in the valley.

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Cycling on small ATV trails to reach the alpine

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Once on the open ridges, I ditched the bike

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Cold nights at high elevation

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The crash site by drone

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To get here, I had to cross many snowfields

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The plane was almost entirely surrounded by snow

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One of my camp spots in lower elevation

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The last two days I spent retracing my path back to the highway. I managed to do this without any major issues and ended up being faster than expected, as it was mostly downhill.
All in all, this was the perfect last adventure of my time working in th Yukon. However, it wasn't the end of my time in Canada; after this trip, I met up with a friend from Germany, who decided to accompany me for the first part of a 6,000-kilometer bike-packing adventure — traversing Canada from north to south. You can find out more about this trip HERE.