#005 – Professional highway trucker and heavy equipment owner/operator Dan Throssell, has us sitting passenger as we drive up the Yukon’s Dempster Highway at -60 in a blinding snowstorm. His stories of cautious travel fraught with mechanical ordeals and nearly zero human contact on this 700 plus miles of lonely highway will keep you on the edge of your seat. In a land intersected by only a few gravel roads and infrequent encounters with wildlife along this barren highway, Dan recounts his years of travel, delivering everything from oversized heavy equipment, to pallets of eggs to some of the most remote places in Northern Canada, far beyond the paved highways.
Click the link for more information on Dan Throssell Services.
He refers to his adventures as “it’s just another Wednesday” with a chuckle in his voice, yet his cavalier demeanour is solidified by his stoic work ethic and years of comradery and patient mentorship from his skilled peers. No stranger to being on his own and relying on his bag of tricks to get the job done, Dan leaves us with a sense of pride for a job well done and a heartfelt appreciation for the people he’s leaned on to help him on his journey.
From humble beginnings of fixing machinery that “needs some love” along the way, to brand new iron, Dan has all the bases covered. Although his newest equipment is much shinier and sparkles down the highway, it his earlier days that Throssell reflects upon as ” the good old days” as his fridge door tests too.
Sometimes things go terribly wrong and then the real work begins. An axle falling off the trailer , or a propane leak and explosion in the refer that blows the trailer up and puts a person in the hospital. When things go wrong, it can truly be life threatening. ” Just another Wednesday!”
If it’s heavy with lead like the ore trucks used for the Faro Galena mine in the 1980’s and 90’s, then Dan is interested. He also has a love affair with yellow iron. Provided it’s large enough to present a challenge to move it.
I’d like to invite you to help us build the knowledge base for future shows by becoming a member of My Amazing Yukon Life Facebook Group. This is where our stories come together as we build upon the collective memories of one another to record and preserve personal stories of the Yukon’s rich history and colourful life adventures.
You can also download each episode from Buzzsprout or wherever you get your podcasts from. While you’re there, hit the subscribe button and leave me a comment on what you’d like to hear next on the show.
I hope you enjoyed this podcast and webpage and I thank you for joining me as a “M.A.Y.L. carrier, as we deliver our amazing Yukon life stories to the outside world.
Cheers
“Trapper Dan your Renaissance Man”
Daniel Halen