Don’t let these photos fool you; for the first time, this mountain experience had me wondering if I was going to make it out alive.
The Tors. On Yukon Hiking this mountain is described as a difficult, 8hr, 13km hike.
We couldn’t drive to the start of the trail and had to walk an extra 3km to and from the trail head.
The incline quickly took our breath away, but I wouldn’t describe the terrain as Difficult. Until the snow.
One step, fall, get up, fall. Breaking trail For two hours with the summit in sight, We were up to our thighs in snow where trying to maintain an upright position on the slope was already exhausting our muscles.
4 hours and 36 minutes later with a high five and the clink of a beer, we plotted out the easiest, quickest route back. Descending the neighbouring peek’s snow-free face (DO NOT DO THIS).
With food and a beer fuelling happiness and the prospect of being over the difficulties, we made our descent. Once at the bottom of that range, we realized our mistake.
We were stuck in thick willow brush and sun-warmed packing snow up to our waists that not even the dogs could get through. We kept trying to cut across the mountain to stay away from deeper snow, but after four hours, we had no choice but to ascend to the ridge, hundreds of meters above, with deeper snow and thicker brush and boulders.
11 hours.
Hungry, soaked, shaking from exhaustion, we were finally on flat ground. We gave it another high five, what could possibly go wrong now?! How 'bout getting stuck in thick mud off the Alaska Highway, in the middle of the night.

*I do not recommend this trail if there is snow, it is EXTREMELY misleading.
*Bring a 4x4 down the "road" if it's soft, or you're in for a heck of a time.