After breakfast in Whitehorse, we'll pick you up, and after a coffee break, we'll hit the highway. Our first stop is the Yukon Wildlife Preserve, where you'll experience the Yukon's large animals up close. Next, we'll visit Long Ago Peoples Place and gain insight into how the Southern Tutchone traditionally lived on this land. We'll then continue to Haines Junction, where the Parks Canada Visitor Centre will provide us with fascinating information about the region's history and an introduction to the park. Finally, we'll set up camp at either Kathleen Lake or Pine Lake.

Today's program includes two acclimatization hikes. The first follows the St. Elias Lake Trail to a small lake (approximately 7 km round trip). The second is a short climb on the Rock Glacier Trail. This area boasts a unique, very dry microclimate because the meltwater immediately seeps between the rocks, allowing juniper and sage to thrive. In the evening, we'll prepare for the multi-day trek into the backcountry at camp.

In Haines Junction, we register for the backcountry tour. Then we set off on the Auriol Trail loop, camping at its highest point. The 7.5-kilometer hike is uphill, with an elevation gain of approximately 345 meters. We reach our destination in the mid- to late afternoon and pitch camp next to a beautiful mountain stream.

Today we leave the trail and ascend above the tree line into the alpine region. The higher we climb, the colder it gets. We hike to snow and ice fields directly below the glaciers that sculpted the sharp ridges and peaks of the Kluane Range, and see eternal ice clinging to the mountaintops. This gives you a real sense of what it's like to traverse the tundra in this rugged yet beautiful terrain. In the evening, we return to camp. Today's hike covers 5 to 7 kilometers and 300 to 400 meters of elevation gain.

We break camp and hike back to the trailhead along the other half of the loop. Along the way, we enjoy views of the large valleys of the Dezadeash and Kathleen Rivers, which converge at Haines Junction and flow into Kluane Lake. After the hike, we treat ourselves to a shower in the public showers at Haines Junction and dinner at the 1016 Mile Pub before heading to our campsite at either Kathleen Lake or Pine Lake.

We drive to Kluane Lake and hike up the Sheep Creek Trail (5 km one way, 10 km round trip, 485 meters elevation gain). With every step, more views open up into the valley of the Ä'äy Chù (Slims River) all the way to the end of the Kaskawulsh Glacier, and on the other side of the valley you can see more glaciers. With a bit of luck, we might spot Dall sheep on the mountainside. We spend the last night at the campground.

We pack up and drive to Haines Junction for breakfast and coffee at the Village Bakery. Afterward, we return to Kluane Lake and the tiny village of Silver City. Here, the highlight of the tour awaits: a scenic flight over the Kaskawulsh Glacier and usually over a large portion of the St. Elias Icefield, the largest non-polar icefield in the world, with a bit of luck, even as far as Mount Logan, Canada's highest mountain. We then visit the Thechal Dhal Visitor Centre, learn more about the region, and have another chance to see Dall sheep. We arrive in Whitehorse in the late afternoon or early evening.