Hub
What's your next activity?
Kwanlin Dün First Nation
Katelyn Dawson
When Katelyn Dawson feels unmotivated during a run on one of the Yukon’s many trails, she slows down and touches the trees and plants she passes. “It feels like they’re high-fiving me and encouraging me to keep going,” she says laughing. It’s one of the reasons Dawson, a red seal carpenter, personal trainer, and youth outreach and wellness coordinator with the Kwanlin Dün First Nation (KDFN), chooses to run outdoors instead of on a treadmill at the gym. “You’re more connected to the land and more grounded,” Dawson says of the trails around Fish Lake, where she spent her childhood fishing, picking berries and hunting moose. “You’re actually going places and you’re seeing things. You’re tapping into all of your senses and noticing things when you’re running on the land—the scenery and the animals.”
Maybe even more than the recreational benefits, Dawson appreciates those trails for the teaching opportunities they offer. When she’s out on them, she pays attention to the plants she high-fives, so she can learn more about them later. In her role with KDFN, she visits the area during culture camps, to show youth how to fillet fish, set and pull nets, hunt, and share knowledge. The land has even informed how she wants to run her personal training business. Dawson aims to dovetail fitness with on-the-land activities, leading her clients through “that sacred little space” between her own culture, and western science and culture.
At Fish Lake, where she’s had incredible runs on her own, and even better talks with friends, she can feel the connection between mental and physical health. Fitness, with its ups, downs, emotions and lessons, can teach us a lot about life’s challenges. Dawson wants to introduce that understanding to others. “There’s something about just being in the mountains,” she says. “It’s like medicine.”
Olivia Gatensby
When it comes to visiting the Yukon, one of the biggest perks is how friendly everyone is.
“If you don’t exactly know what to do, there’s a very high chance that if you go into one of the local restaurants or bars, someone is going to have a suggestion for you,” says Olivia Gatensby, who grew up in the territory. “People will point you in the right direction.” Gatensby, who works in communications for the Kwanlin Dün First Nation (KDFN), says that’s true even if you don’t fit the outdoorsy mould people often associate with the Yukon. Gatensby doesn’t consider herself sporty but says some of her favourite activities end up taking place outdoors anyway—like walking the paved path that runs along the Yukon River in downtown Whitehorse, or swimming in one of many local lakes each summer, when you can stay out late and enjoy the midnight sun.
Beyond that, one of the highlights for her is the arts and cultural scene in Whitehorse. There’s always something happening at The Guild Hall, a theatre in the city’s Porter Creek neighbourhood, or Lefty’s Well, a downtown music venue. There are also plenty of summer music festivals and free outdoor live music events. Again, if you’re not sure how to find out what’s on when, Gatensby suggests just asking someone.
“The great thing about the Yukon is lots of people who live here came from somewhere else,” she says. “There’s no shortage. You’ll bump into one of them and they’re the best to ask because they had to learn it too.”
