Yukon, North of Ordinary

A young Greg Karais literally followed a bread crumb trail north and landed in Dawson City, Yukon, where he parlayed his first great road trip into North of Ordinary Media. A conversation with host Karen McColl in late 2023 hints at where Greg and his beloved four-wheeled sidekick will be headed in the coming months as our road-tested podcast correspondent. 

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• Twitter and Facebook: @northofordinary
• Email: yukonpodcast@gmail.com

You can also read/subscribe to Yukon, North of Ordinary magazine.

Retired radio broadcaster Roch Shannon Fraser answers the inaugural audio version of our magazine’s long-running Yukon Questionnaire. He knows a prized caribou when he sees one and is among the few who know where the hell Rock River is. 

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• Twitter and Facebook: @northofordinary
• Email: yukonpodcast@gmail.com

You can also read/subscribe to Yukon, North of Ordinary magazine.

Photojournalist Peter Mather tours us through the dark streets of Whitehorse to look for urban foxes. Meanwhile, he shares about another project close to his heart: camera trapping the "ice" bears of Klukshu, who stay up late into the fall to feed on the salmon run.  

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• Twitter and Facebook: @northofordinary
• Email: yukonpodcast@gmail.com

You can also read/subscribe to Yukon, North of Ordinary magazine.

"I haven't had a single poetic thought about the Yukon wilderness since I've been home," says Peter Jickling in his poem, "Overdue Epistemology," which he reads from a balcony during a mid-winter poetry crawl in Whitehorse.

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• Twitter and Facebook: @northofordinary
• Email: yukonpodcast@gmail.com

You can also read/subscribe to Yukon, North of Ordinary magazine.

Yes, it's winter, but in this biz we're always planning ahead. Get ready for fresh sounds and approaches because we've made some changes to the podcast that we think you'll like. Meet our new producer, Mark Koepke, who believes the Yukon has an official smell, and Amy Kenny, the adventurous editor of our magazine who, for some crazy reason, signed up for a 700-km paddling race. 

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• Twitter and Facebook: @northofordinary
• Email: yukonpodcast@gmail.com

You can also read/subscribe to Yukon, North of Ordinary magazine.

A paddling trip on the remote, rugged, and beautiful Firth river will always be memorable. Add caribou—a lot of caribou—to the setting and it's like nowhere else on earth. But seeing the majestic porcupine caribou herd involves some hiking, and that's an issue for Chris Carli. He likes whitewater paddling and even whitewater swimming, but he does not like hiking. 

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• Twitter and Facebook: @northofordinary
• Email: yukonpodcast@gmail.com

You can also read/subscribe to Yukon, North of Ordinary magazine.

Replay*: What do you know about the Klondike Gold Rush? If you've been to Dawson City, you've probably heard about gold seekers and dance-hall girls. But what about the people displaced by greed and colonialism? Parks Canada is widening its lens and asking visitors to consider their own responsibility to reconciliation. 
*This episode first aired in August 2022.

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• Twitter and Facebook: @northofordinary
• Email: yukonpodcast@gmail.com

You can also read/subscribe to Yukon, North of Ordinary magazine.

It's been more than 30 years since Krystal Senyk was shot and killed at her home outside Carcross and Ronald Bax, her accused killer and the estranged husband of a friend, disappeared into the wilderness. In "I got a name," author Eliza Robertson tells Krystal's story, digs into why protection wasn't provided when Krystal asked for it, and shows how prevalent gender-based violence continues to be. 

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• Twitter and Facebook: @northofordinary
• Email: yukonpodcast@gmail.com

You can also read/subscribe to Yukon, North of Ordinary magazine.

The runways of Paris and New York are a long way from Ross River, Yukon, where Natasha Peter grew up. But that didn't stop her from making lofty goals of where she wanted to see her handcrafted fashion and jewellery on display. The creator behind Kaska Dena designs says her culture is a key element in her inspiration and success. 

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• Twitter and Facebook: @northofordinary
• Email: yukonpodcast@gmail.com

You can also read/subscribe to Yukon, North of Ordinary magazine.

When a bear starts running towards you, that's never a good thing. So began an uncomfortable standoff between three women on a backpacking trip and a grizzly bear. Karen debriefs this encounter with Yukon Conservation Officer Dean McLean, who shares his bear safely insights. Take a listen, it could save your life.  

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• Twitter and Facebook: @northofordinary
• Email: yukonpodcast@gmail.com

You can also read/subscribe to Yukon, North of Ordinary magazine.

Recent years have seen devastating fires in Albert and B.C. The Whitehorse South Fuel Break is part of a plan to prevent a similar disaster in Whitehorse. It won't stop a fire in its tracks but it will help firefighters respond. Jennifer Sharp and Carl Cibart of Yukon Wildland Fire Management tell us how it works.  

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• Twitter and Facebook: @northofordinary
• Email: yukonpodcast@gmail.com

You can also read/subscribe to Yukon, North of Ordinary magazine.

Cows Go Moo might sound like child's play, but when they hit the stage it's anything but. While other Yukoners struggled to let off steam during the pandemic, six pre-teen musicians cranked their amps to 11, practiced like hell, and honed a set of classic covers and original bangers. Since their debut performance in March 2022, the band has experienced remarkable growth—several inches at least. This is the story of Cows Go Moo, guest produced by "father of a Moo" Mark Koepke.

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• Twitter and Facebook: @northofordinary
• Email: yukonpodcast@gmail.com

You can also read/subscribe to Yukon, North of Ordinary magazine.

Cathy Brais lives at Eagle Plains, kilometre 370 of the Dempster Highway, just shy of the Arctic Circle. Her job as a highway foreperson often takes her into an infamous stretch of road known as "hurricane alley." What's it like living and working on one of the loneliest stretches of highway in the world? Cathy says a place is what you make it. 

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• Twitter and Facebook: @northofordinary
• Email: yukonpodcast@gmail.com

You can also read/subscribe to Yukon, North of Ordinary magazine.

Whitehorse journalist Haley Ritchie was curious why so many romance books are set in the North. What is it about the cold and dark that get the heart beating quicker? She unpacks three novels set in Alaska and Yukon. 

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• Twitter and Facebook: @northofordinary
• Email: yukonpodcast@gmail.com

You can also read/subscribe to Yukon, North of Ordinary magazine.

What does it take to make a good sandwich and a good video about making a good sandwiches? We ask Yukon-bred (pun intended) TikToker Jonathan Ostrander, AKA Sandwich Dad, and take a deep dive into the synergy created when various combinations of fillings and condiments are slapped between two pieces of bread. 
 

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• Twitter and Facebook: @northofordinary
• Email: yukonpodcast@gmail.com

You can also read/subscribe to Yukon, North of Ordinary magazine.

Each spring, northern rivers go from solid ice to flowing water. In the best-case scenario this process goes smoothly, but if ice jams form there could be trouble. That's why Holly Goulding keeps a close eye on conditions year round. The Yukon government hydrologist knows how ice, water, snow, and temperatures combine to create the perfect melt or flood conditions.  

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• Twitter and Facebook: @northofordinary
• Email: yukonpodcast@gmail.com

You can also read/subscribe to Yukon, North of Ordinary magazine.

The homecoming of a beautifully woven 19th-century Chilkat robe is cause for celebration and consideration for the Taku River Tlingit First Nation in Atlin, B.C. Why did they have to spend thousands of dollars to repatriate one of their own artefacts? Elder and carver Wayne Carlick explains how they bought the robe and what comes next. 

Contact us

• Twitter and Facebook: @northofordinary
• Email: yukonpodcast@gmail.com

You can also read/subscribe to Yukon, North of Ordinary magazine.

Spending 12 days alone in the wilderness in the depths of winter might seem crazy, but Jessie Gladish keeps going back for more. In previous years, she skied and walked the 430-mile (688-km) Montane Yukon Arctic Ultra between Whitehorse and Dawson City. This year, though, her biggest challenge yet: to complete the race by fat bike. Trail conditions will dictate how much riding she is able to do, versus pushing her bike through the snow as a glorified luggage cart.

Contact us

• Twitter and Facebook: @northofordinary
• Email: yukonpodcast@gmail.com

You can also read/subscribe to Yukon, North of Ordinary magazine.

Cold therapy is all the rage right now. Karen meets up with Valerie, who "dips" regularly in a pool chopped out of lake ice, to get the lowdown on how it works and why she and many others do this. Then,  Valerie coaches Karen through her first dip. 

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• Twitter and Facebook: @northofordinary
• Email: yukonpodcast@gmail.com

You can also read/subscribe to Yukon, North of Ordinary magazine.

Melanie Bennett grew up at Engineer Creek, 200 km up the Dempster Highway, when the road was being built. There were few neighbours of the human variety but the surrounding wilderness was her playground and schoolroom. That upbringing helps her maintain "one foot on the land" in her role as an educator.  
*This episode first aired in January 2022. 

Contact us

• Twitter and Facebook: @northofordinary
• Email: yukonpodcast@gmail.com

You can also read/subscribe to Yukon, North of Ordinary magazine.