14 Days Solo Camping in the Yukon Wilderness - E.6 - Wild Edibles & Wilderness Danger

#boldrescue #Whtewatercanyon #bushcrafter
A whitewater canyon started the day off and after a rock climbing bushwhack, I was able to scout out the rapids in the canyon. Fortunately, I had the right outfitting with my spraydeck and I was able to paddle the rapids. The canyon was very beautiful and it wasn't long before I caught Arctic Grayling. After a long day of wilderness travel, I found a great campsite to stop for the night, started a fire and cooked my fish.

Beavers are a common sighting along the river and the next morning I got close to one. A while later I came up to a surprise rapid at a tight bend in the river. It was not marked on my 1:50,000 Canadian topographic map. Getting out of my canoe to scout it, I discovered a challenging rapid and decided to run it. After scouting, I left my digital camera out on a rapid-side rock and set it to take a picture every couple seconds. I had a lot of whitewater video footage, but I wanted a still image of me running a rapid for a magazine article I was going to have published on this trip (check out the winter addition of Explore magazine).

To get a good shot, I decided to run a line that was more challenging than necessary (poor decision). Back in the canoe, as I approached the wave train, I realized it was a lot larger and more irregular than anticipated. I dumped almost immediately and was quickly separated from my canoe in the strong, irregular current. Swept under water, I gasped for air a number of times - it was a pretty rough swim. I was a ways down river by the time I climbed out and I couldn't see my canoe anywhere. Walking back up river, I was relieved when I saw it lodged half up on shore in a large eddy, mid-way down the rapid. But by the time I reached it, it got kicked out of the eddy and I had to jump in the river and swim after it.

After a long hard swim that took me right past the spot I'd initially climbed out, I finally caught up to the canoe. Because of the strong current and the fact that I was holding a paddle in one hand, and a camera bracket in the other, I was 1km down river by the time I managed to finally wrestle the canoe to shore! Relieved that I'd avoided disaster, I now had to walk back up river to retrieve my camera. On the way, I found raspberries and wild sage, I had to do a little sketchy rock climbing in order to reach it the camera as well, and I also shared how to use the powder that young Poplar Trees produce on their trunks as a mild sunscreen.

Walking back to my canoe, after retrieving the camera, I was dive bombed a couple times by and angry seagull. Before to long, I finally made it back to my canoe and was ready to move on. What an ordeal! The whole thing was pretty scary but I managed to come out unscathed, saved for a scrape on my thumb and a lost GoPro.

Gear I used on the trip:

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[JimBairdAdventurer]

Thanks for watching. Be sure to check out the rest of the Yukon series on my channel. Please like the video and subscribe to my channel. And also check out my merchandise. Christmas is right around the corner ;). Thanks very much.

[arcticmorning]

This channel deserves 1M plus subscribers... Outstanding adventure and content.. ect ect ect

[PaulSchortemeyer]

Compared to your videos everything else looks boring. Best adventure series I've seen!

[MikeBabsBC]

I was wondering where every shot should go! Lol

Wow that was an intense day!

LOVING this series, such an amazing adventure, thanks for taking us along.

[onestepatatime]

Your simple, innocent spirit is what makes these videos special to me. Thank you.

[waltb]

Wow! How much drama can you experience in one episode. Really enjoying this series. You are the man Jim.

[TheMarnaiz]

I bloody love your nonchalant, devil-may-care attitude, Jim. My new fave channel! :-)

[roelmattheeussen]

This is Discovery Channel material! Genuine solo adventure. Very grateful that you are taking us along! Looking already forward to your winter plans. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[ralphwatten]

In your Baffin Island adventure you told Buck, "c'mon Buck, you can do it", over and over and he could do it. A positive attitude goes a long way. What a great episode.

[frankaczmarek]

Jim, a deep respect! In face of huge challenges you are able to still have a positive mindset

[christophersimpson]

Jim, better than anything that’s on tv. Thanks

[jogihaberle]

The amount of effort put into this is incredible. Another great episode

[clifffawcett]

Oh my gosh Jim! I couldn’t believe my eyes I saw you get hit by that first wave and then I saw you going over and I kept thinking there’s no way he’s not gonna flip is he? Man, what a situation. Dang! Props for dealing with it and even being so chill about it as to stop and pick raspberries. Thanks for being real and showing it all and talking about how you dealt with it. The cherry on top was when that freaking paddle just floats right by you while you’re standing there on the shore. 🙌🏻

[amazonpolyglot]

WellJim. Having an island of your own is one of the rewards reserved for those who go beyond their own limits. And just imagine: you're enjoying a small fraction of a whole lot of choices - and still - temporarily! In nature's lottery for being in a pleasant place at the best time - is the most generous I've ever seen. It's the way the yukon chose to be part of you, like you said in a previous video! I love the change for canyon land! And the graylings are back!

[amx]

I’m home on medical leave. Binge watching this series again. Even better the second time around!!

[amazonpolyglot]

I had a nasty feeling about those rapids, right at the first glance. And strangely, the canoe dump didn't surprise me as much as it normally should! But inevitably, that's one of the pieces of this game of possibilities. It simply happened. I'm glad you're fine and alive, JIM!

[loreneknight]

Cheech, Jim, the things u do 4 ur utube family!!! Much love & respect 2 u, kind sir. The struggle is real...even though I don't have a clue, thank you, thank you, thank you!! Keep on fighting the good fight!!!!

[joejoe]

WHEN you dumped in the river, I was so glad I had your emergency pack and knife, so glad ur, not injured.it's so easy to slip or strain an ankle on loose rock ..GOD IS WITH YOU JIM .UR, ON MY PRAYER LIST...BIG TIME NOW.WELL DONE INDEED..

[LakeVermilionDreams]

How do you remain so positive after a dump like that?! I suppose it's a gratefulness for getting most of your stuff back! You're a legend, Jim!

[lc]

24:30 that some adventure Jim!!!! Got to count your blessings, that the DSL camera was set up along shore snapping shots when you dumped and that your paddle comes straight to you along the shore as you’re talking to the camera after you recovered - that was truly amazing. You were lucky you only lost one of your go-pros, but it’s b/c of your skill that you were able to recover as much as you did. Truly amazing! Can’t wait to watch the rest of this series.