Archive 2015
________________________________
#23 - Anniversary year 2015:
30 years Frances Lake Wilderness Lodge
Dear Friends and Guests
30 years Frances Lake Wilderness Lodge – what an anniversary! Enough
reason for us to browse in the past. Going through old guest books and
watching slides from the early days reveals a fascinating
picture of
our lodge's history. Many thanks to lodge founder Ed Festel
for
providing his picture library and particularly for the realisation of
his vision of a wilderness lodge at that time. What a great place to be
– both for visitors and for us to live!
  
Prior to 1985 there was already the lodge's main building, which was
previously used as a private residence and got completely rebuilt
inside, as well as two small cabins which were transformed into guest
cabins. With plenty of enthusiasm and physical manpower from various
helpers over a period of 15 years three more cozy guest
cabins and
various other buildings were constructed: dock and lakefront
seating
area, sauna, workshop and a large, two-storey owner's residence. It is
admirable how much was achieved with simple means and how the entire
lodge property was thoroughly
embedded into the pristine nature.
Pioneering early photovoltaic solar power was used and noisy, stinky
generators were consciously avoided. Also for us of the third owner's
generation, the principle of ecological business management and
environmentally-sensitive tourism is of great concern. We gladly
complete many tasks using our own physical energy, use resources
economically and sometimes just prefer simple ways over modern life
amenities.
  
Wilderness Tourism in the 1980s was
rather a novelty for the Yukon. Ed Festel and his team made it possible
that nature lovers and holiday adventurers could share their simple
life in a remote natural paradise and explore the pristine Canadian
wilderness under expert guidance without having to waive certain
comforts of the cozy lodge. Still today, our guests appreciate to blend
into a different world here at Frances Lake and live with the rhythm of
nature for a while. The luxury of pure nature, pleasant quietude and
seclusion, adventurous excursions, gorgeous scenery, homey rustic lodge
stay, culinary well-being and personal attention – this is the
30-year-old magic formula of Frances Lake Wilderness Lodge!
  
Some readers may remember past times when they explored the vast Yukon
wilderness on adventurous trips in their younger years. Ed's impressive
images of canoe and hiking trips are evidence of
such multi-day trips
and voyages into various regions of the Yukon, and sometimes even
across the territorial border. For instance, the Horton and Nahanni
Rivers were paddled, or photo journeys along the Dempster Hwy and into
Alaska were organized. Nowadays, we focus more on the southeast
Yukon
with rivers such as the Frances, Liard, Nisutlin or Pelly, or go hiking
from the Tungsten and Canol Road. But the ultimate hit since 30 years
is right in our backyard: a 2½-week tour named Wild Yukon, a combined
canoe and hiking trip at Frances Lake (Yusezyu River, Mount Hunt)
enriched with a few days at our comfortable lodge. An exciting
itinerary through untouched wilderness and far away from any other
tourists. There are still two vacancies for this year's trip from July
16 – August 2, 2015.
  
During various winters of the past, howling huskies
were often heard at
Frances Lake. In some winters around 1990 sled dogs were kept at the
lodge and multi-day trips into Frances Lake East Arm undertaken. But
the area was also explored with cross-country skis and on snowshoes,
the way we usually enjoy winter out here nowadays. What could be nicer
than roaming through pristine snowy forests followed by a hot relaxing
sauna, sitting in front of a crackling wood fire while sipping at a
soup and at night marvel at the extraordinary bright starry sky and,
with a bit of luck, observe the northern lights dancing across the
firmament.
  
We are thrilled and deeply impressed by the 30-year success
story of
Frances Lake Wilderness Lodge and it's fascinating to see what can
evolve from a dream, if one tackles a task energetically and fully
motivated. We are proud and happy to contribute to the lodge's
evolution since 8 years and look confidently into the future. More
information about the history of Frances Lake and the lodge is
available on our updated history page. And if you'd
like to convince
yourself (once again) of the qualities Frances Lake has to offer, this
summer we still have vacancies from late June to mid-July, and at times
in August and September, both at the full-service lodge and in
the
self-contained
rental cabin.
We look forward to welcoming you!
Kind regards,
Andrea & Martin Laternser
P.S. And finally, some works from our 30-year
art collection (drawings from old guestbooks).
   
________________________________
#24 - Summer 2015
Dear Friends and Guests
It's a rainy late summer day at Frances Lake and we have time to
looking back at the current guest season. Preparations began in April
with a two-week shopping trip to Edmonton, our
nearest city (2000 km
from here). The shopping list was not everyday's: water pumps, chain
saws, hoses, lights, big 12 volt batteries, fire extinguishers,
carpets, paddles, specialty foods and much more. We also took the
opportunity to attend a first aid refresher course. On our journey
south along the Alaska Hwy we enjoyed the lovely drive through the
Northern Rockies: great mountain scenery, the turquoise waters of
Muncho Lake and constant wildlife viewings such as stone sheep, bears,
caribous and bison. A must stop was at the Liard River Hot Springs,
famous for their natural setting in lush spruce forest. Our tip:
consider the attractive travel itinerary from Fort St John to Frances
Lake and on to Whitehorse (one-way rental possible). We gladly provide
more information.
  
Back in the Yukon the warm spring temperatures from down south
continued. May was extraordinarily hot and dry. Brilliant sunshine,
daytime temperatures of 26°C, no freezing nights, no rain at all. The
result was foreseeable: in the first heavy thunderstorm towards the end
of the month lightning struck close to Frances Lake. As a result of the
extreme dryness a hot, ravaging fire evolved and
rapidly spread towards
the historic trading post at the Narrows. The close fire wore on our
nerves! From which direction blows the wind? When will the long-awaited
rain set it? We prepared for the worst and installed and tested all our
firefighting equipment. The great relief came after 1½ days when a
24-hour, heavy downpour set in. A first survey of the burn area soon
afterwards revealed that we were very lucky. The scenery around the
lake is only marginally touched by the fire and in fact it's
fascinating to see how after 1 – 2 months already new greenery is
sprouting in the burnt forest area.
  
Because of the early onset of summer, well before the start of our
guest season, we were tackling various outdoor jobs.
A major project we
always wanted to do was the improvement of our outside seating area.
The place itself was filled up with (literally!) tons of gravel and
sand and the rock baskets protecting the dock were repaired and covered
with a nice wooden deck. The place now invites for sunbathing, being
lazy and chatting together while admiring the great views across the
lake.
  
On a sunny day in June we celebrated a very special event out here when
both former lodge owners, Christoph
Altherr and Ed
Festel, came
visiting us at Frances Lake. For the first time ever, all three
generations of previous and present lodge owners were together out
here. We were talking enthusiastically about the past 30 years of lodge
history sharing stories and little anecdotes. Ed and Christoph were
very pleased to see their legacy is being passed on worthily and
impressed by the many improvements made over the years.
  
After the brilliant start of spring, the actual summer months July and
August were extraordinarily rainy and chilly. For
the forest fire
situation the wet weather was a blessing, but not so much for
vacationers. Especially our 2½-week canoe and hiking
trip "Wild Yukon"
was hampered by excessive amounts of rainfall. But it was admirable to
see how the weather-hardened group maintained high spirits and
cherished every warming sunbeam and campfire. A memorable impression
for any participants will certainly be the many intensely coloured
rainbows.
  
By now, the first signs of autumn are already
visible – morning mist
over the lake, migratory birds heading south, the subtle colouring of
deciduous trees, snow-covered mountain tops, dark nights with the first
stars appearing after the ever-bright summer months. The many squirrels
around the lodge start preparing vigorously for winter and we often see
them flitting around with a mouthful of mushrooms or berries to hide in
their caches. But before we are going to close for this year's season,
we're looking forward to an enchanting fall hoping that our September
guests can experience the true fascination of this season!
Kind regards,
Andrea & Martin Laternser
________________________________
#25 - Review 2015
Dear Friends and Guests
The 30th summer season at Frances Lake Wilderness Lodge has been
successfully completed. As in all the previous years, during the past
few months we made many nice, new acquaintances and great experiences.
But every year is different and different memories
will be kept in our
minds. Interestingly, this year we had many single travellers and
guests from Australia. Feedback from solo travellers indicate that they
feel very comfortable with our personal care and well looked after in
small groups of other guests. Why not fulfilling your Yukon travel
dreams without a travel partner? With us you pay only 20% single
occupancy surcharge and get the full benefit of your own cozy log cabin
and individually guided day trips. Also our multi-day adventures in
small groups can be an attractive option for single travellers.
  
This year the weather was often a hot topic. Very
warm and dry spring
conditions in April and May made us worry about forest fires, and
indeed, a nearby fire (see Summer Newsletter) showed
us once again how
vulnerable we are out here to natural hazards. But soon afterwards the
weather tipped from one extreme to the other and July/August were
particularly wet. Persistent rainfall thoroughly stopped the fire
hazard though, but we were lacking the warming sunbeams for most of our
peak summer season.
  
However, the weather didn't deter the squirrels
from their hectic
hustle and bustle. They were always busy gathering the many mushrooms
and caching them high up in the trees. Weird animal encounters we had
with a woodpecker and a bat. The woodpecker made
itself rather infamous
by drumming repeatedly and over weeks always in the early morning hours
directly onto our bedroom walls. In spite of our repeated attempts in
pyjamas to repel it from our house, as soon as we were back in bed it
happily continued its morning concert. And another day a tiny little
bat got lost in our house. Shortly
before lighting up the stove we
heard a funny sound from the chimney – a bird, a large insect or even a
mouse? No, after we’ve taken apart the pipes a blinded, sooty little
bat escaped out into the living room.
  
Also beside our guest operation we were quite busy this year. With
plenty of enthusiasm and physical commitment we did lots of
improvements and renovations. It's a
true pleasure now to use the newly
renovated furnishings, to gaze through new windows with freshly painted
frames, to read in our cozy living room with new brilliant LED light
(solar power), to work in the refurbished kitchen or to holiday in the
lovingly renovated A-Frame Cabin. Also, it's a real treat to walk on
our freshly weeded trails – especially in wet weather.
  
In August, during a short period without guests, we took the
opportunity and paddled down the first 50 km of Frances River.
From the
lodge we first paddled down the lake to the outlet and then advanced on
the river. The uppermost section of the river we were familiar with,
but soon entered new territory. Full of joy of discovery we were
exploring the many side channels, gravel bars, islands and lakes of the
lovely river. We were mightily impressed by the scenic H-Lakes – a
peaceful oasis where the birds were gathering for their fall migration
south. On the last section of the river, shortly before the take-out at
the Campbell Hwy, we had to negotiate a swift set of rapids. It was
nice, after many years, to be once again on a canoe trip just the two
of us and to see that our teamwork still works fine, even in lively
rapids.
  
In the course of this summer quite a few representatives from
the
travel trade came out here to get a personal impression of
our lodge
business, in order to provide qualified information to their clients.
We're very pleased that our lodge is often rated as a special gem,
where pristine wilderness, comfortable accommodation and personal guest
care perfectly balance each other. A new experience for us was the
visit of photojournalist Thomas Sbampato. Over a
period of 20 years,
the well-known adventure and nature photographer has extensively
traveled Canada and Alaska and has realised several book projects and
multivision slide shows. In September he was visiting our lodge for a
few days photo shooting for his new "Best of Show" Canada
Alaska – North of Normal. So, if you would like to see and
hear us on big
screen, there will be soon an opportunity coming up. The show will be
touring Germany and Switzerland starting fall 2016.
  
As usual, by now our full program 2016 is online.
After 5 years also we
had to moderately increase our rates, but we're convinced still to
offer excellent value for your money. Have a look at our Trip
Advisor ratings (and many thanks to all those writing
reviews). We've slightly
changed our winter
itinerary and in future, winter guests will be
staying in our handsome, cozy self-contained log cabin enjoying plenty
of privacy and unrivalled opportunities to explore the pristine winter
scenery. Have a look at our richly illustrated website or visit us in
late January at the travel trade show FESPO Zurich in Switzerland!
Kind regards and a happy end-of-the-year,
Andrea & Martin Laternser
Top of Page
|