Alaska Part 2: Trials in Whitehorse
We left off in Part 1 with us arriving in Whitehorse, Yukon, after our friend Matt broke his arm in Whistler. While we had already faced a few challenges, things were about to get even more complicated. The next leg of our journey tested our resilience in ways we couldn’t have anticipated.
After spending a few days in Whitehorse, we were ready to hit the road again. We had camped at some of the most gorgeous spots, with views that felt straight out of a postcard. But van life can be unpredictable, and not everything was as picture-perfect as the scenery. That’s when our sweet pup, Sage, suddenly got really sick. She started throwing up and even pooping blood—something no pet parent ever wants to see. We were terrified and unsure of what was happening.
Alaska Part 2: Trials in the Yukon – When Everything Goes Wrong
With no choice but to stay put, we decided to extend our stay in Whitehorse to get Sage feeling better. After a few days of rest and care, she seemed to improve, so we cautiously packed up and made the short drive to Kluane National Park and Reserve, hoping the fresh air would do us all some good. But as soon as we arrived, Sage relapsed, and our hearts sank. With no vets in Haines Junction, we faced a tough decision: stay and wait it out, or head to Alaska early to find better veterinary care.
Whitehorse, Yukon
Reluctantly, we made the call to high tail it to Anchorage, for better vet options.
But, as if the stress of Sage’s health wasn’t enough, our van started having a braking issue just as we were preparing to leave.
We quickly learned that Haines Junction didn’t have any mechanics either. Feeling the weight of the situation, we asked Matt and Danielle to follow us back to Whitehorse, just in case something went wrong and we found ourselves stranded in the middle of nowhere.
Once we made it back to Whitehorse, we thought we’d be able to get the van fixed. Unfortunately, the Ford dealership there was booked until September! We couldn’t believe it. Stuck again, we turned our attention to Sage. There was only one vet in town, and they were also booked solid until July. The only option was to admit her for emergency care after hours—at double the cost. By this point, we felt totally defeated. The stress of Sage’s health, the van’s issues, and the uncertainty of what would happen next left us both emotionally drained.
After taking a moment to vent and calm down, we shifted into research mode. We decided to give Sage 24 hours before rushing her into emergency care, hoping her symptoms would subside. For the van, we did a little digging and found that the issue could be due to a vacuum leak. Luckily, we were able to order the necessary part, and it was something we could replace ourselves. We decided to stay in Whitehorse until the weekend to wait for the part, giving Sage a little more time to recover.
Matt and Danielle, needing to keep moving, decided to head on toward Alaska, agreeing to meet us once we were back on the road. If the part didn’t solve the braking issue, we had already started to make backup plans: either we’d try to drive the van home as carefully as possible or, in the worst-case scenario, leave the van and rent a car or fly home, abandoning our Alaska dream until service could be booked in September.
The uncertainty of everything weighed heavily on us, but we were trying to stay optimistic. Alaska was still waiting, and we hoped things would start looking up soon.
Stay Tuned for Part 3!
As you can imagine, this wasn’t the smoothest leg of our trip, but the journey wasn’t over yet! In Part 3, we’ll share how we finally made it into Alaska and the incredible experiences that made all the hardships worth it. Stay tuned!
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