Raven joins road trip down Dempster Highway — for 45 minutes

The Dempster Highway in northern Yukon can be a lonely drive in winter, but one B.C. couple enjoyed some surprising company for part of their recent journey — a raven that flew along for about 45 minutes.

"It was quite an incredible experience," said Alex Lavoie, about the encounter.

Lavoie and his girlfriend Jodi Young were heading south on the Dempster Highway last Saturday when it happened. They had just finished a six-month stint working in Yukon and were heading home to Quadra Island, B.C.

Lavoie was at the wheel, cruising down the snowy highway at about 80 km/h, when he saw the bird suddenly "swoop down" and catch up to the truck.

"At first I was quite surprised. I didn't expect it to catch up with us for sure, and I was quite nervous that it was going to slow down too fast, or I was going to speed up too much," he said.

Young had been napping at first — but not for long.

"I pulled my phone out of my pocket, threw it on my girlfriend's lap and said, 'hey quick, wake up — you gotta record this!'" Lavoie said.

The bird seemed to be riding a draft by keeping close to the front of the truck. Occasionally, it would disappear from view, alongside the truck or in front, only to appear once again as if it were leading the way down the road.

After a while, Lavoie and Young decided to make a pit stop and feed their cat. The raven also took a break, so Lavoie also offered some Temptations cat treats to their new friend. The bird was eating "almost out of my hand," he said.

When they hit the road again, the bird did too, and flew along for another 20 minutes or so.

Eventually, another raven swooped in and the two birds flew off together.  

"They decided to go play in the snow, take off on their merry way," Lavoie said.

Lavoie and Young also carried on their merry way south, but the two are still astounded by the unusual encounter — even if they interpret it differently. 

"My girlfriend is seeing it as more of a spiritual event, seeing as it was our last trip down the Dempster," Lavoie said.

"I see it as just a really genius bird.... What's better than catching a ride for free?"

As It Happens4:45Raven escorts B.C. couple for 45 minutes on a northern highway

Travelling the 740-kilometre stretch between Dawson City, Yukon, and to Inuvik, N.W.T., can be a lonely trip. But that wasn’t the case for Alex Lavoie and Jodi Young. When the couple recently made the trip, they found themselves with an unexpected feathered companion. Lavoie told As It Happens host Nil Köksal he's never experienced anything like it.