Chilkoot Trail

The Chilkoot Trail was used by the gold rush stampeders in the late 1800's. It served as the most direct path to the gold mines, not necessarily the easiest. It starts out easy enough from Dyea, the first 12 miles go from flat to gradually increasing grade. Sheep Camp is the last campground before the pass, so it is the best place to stay before starting the difficult climb. The day I went over the pass, the weather was rather nasty; cold, rainy and foggy. Everyone from Sheep Camp started before me, so I was alone scrambling up steep rock piles and ascending icy snow fields, trying hard not to lose the trail in the fog. When I finally reached the hut at the Chilkoot Pass summit, I caught up to some other hikers and they were as soaked and exhausted as I was. The trail continues through the pass, where crater lakes looked likes oceans because the distant shores were not visible. It was all quite spectacular and surreal. Upon reaching my intended destination for the night, Happy Camp, the hut was crowded with wet hikers and dogs. I wanted to camp at a lower elevation where the wind, cold and rain would be less of a problem. Even though I was exhausted, wet and cold with aching feet, I left Happy Camp for a 2 mile hike down to Deep Lake, which was much nicer. The next day the weather broke clear and stayed nice for the remainder of the trip. The third day was a relatively easy 4 mile hike to Lindeman and the last day was a beautiful 6 mile hike to Bennett. The Bennett campground was a sandy beach surrounded by breathtaking mountains. I arrived about midday with temperatures well into the 70's and a blazing sun, so naturally I went for a swim in the glacier fed lake and then laid in the hot sun. The return to Skagway was by the White Pass railroad, which included a pre trip meal of beef stew. There was much camaraderie among the hikers gathered for the meal and train ride, knowing we all pushed ourselves to tackle a challenging, rewarding and historic trail.