Naturism in the Yukon – the Tutshi River
This was originally written for a new blog, about naturism/nudism in the Yukon, Alaska and the northwest corner of British Columbia. Although I’ve been an advocate – even an activist at times – for naturism for many years (see my nude hiking website), the blog didn’t go any further, simply because I had no time for another project.
If non-sexual nudity offends you, you probably want to move on to a different page…
Very few people see the far north – the Yukon, Alaska and the northwest corner of British Columbia – as being nudist-friendly. Isn’t it always cold?? And what about the legendary, enormous mosquitos??
Well, this region has been my home for the past 25 years, and in this blog I’d like to tell you, and show you, just how incredible the nude hiking and canoeing opportunities are. There will be some overlap of what I post in my “textile” blog, The ExploreNorth Blog but it will, of course, have some information and photos that are most suitable to nudist readers.
I’d like to start with a very short and simple walk into a beautiful river in British Columbia, the Tutshi. It’s a very short river that runs through a spectacular valley from near the Highways/Customs camp of Fraser (just north of Skagway, Alaska) to Tutshi Lake. The access is from the South Klondike Highway.
I shot this photo for a planned blog post about this hike, hinting strongly at how I normally “dress” here, but then never wrote that post.
There is no trail, and no parking lot – you simply park on the shoulder of the road and walk through the forest. This is very dry country, so there’s very little underbrush, and walking is easy. A thick screen of alder along the highway, though, allows you to get into your most comfortable walking gear within seconds of leaving your car. The hike that these photos are from were shot in late July, 2013.
The hike to the river only takes about 10 minutes, and crosses over an extremely old trail – perhaps a trapper’s or horse-loggers – with some corduroyed sections over wet areas. The prettiest section of the river to me is where the channel seen below runs off the main river at high water levels. A few days before this particular hike, I’d been here and had lost my SPOT GPS Messenger – another search for it was mainly what brought me down again.
As well as that search, I wanted to wade across the overflow channel to explore the island it creates, and the rapids that can be heard beyond it. I almost always hike alone, and carry a tripod to get the sort of photos you see here.
This is the rapids I hoped it would be. This is known as The Drop – I rafted it a few years ago with Tatshenshini Expediting, and it’s a very exciting trip. They said at the time that this is the highest commercially-run waterfall in North America. While it pales in comparison with what I rafted in New Zealand, it’s still an extremely good run.
Waterfalls are so much better in person. I can’t take you there, but I did shoot a short video so you can hear the power.
The final photo shows what I consider to be the best spot along the entire river for a day without clothes. This is right on the opposite side of the overflow channel from the second photo, and perhaps 100 yards from The Drop.
I hope that you’ve enjoyed this little wander with me. I’ve got so many more places to show you – can you imagine nude hiking to a glacier?
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