Today we are leaving Skagway so we are up early. We grab breakfast at the local coffee shop and head to catch the transport to the White Pass Railway. I am excited about the trip over the White Pass. This is the way that hundreds of Gold Rush miners walked with their supplies. Canada required prospectors to carry a year’s supply (2,000 pounds) of food, and gear in order to cross the border to get to the Yukon and Klondike Gold Rush. I can’t wait to get a glimpse of the infamous trail.
The rail cars have simple wooden benches and large windows for viewing. There is also an outdoor platform for open air viewing. The air is quite brisk and it is drizzling rain, so any outdoor visits will be brief.
The train immediately makes an ascent. We climb the pass slowly and steadily. It doesn’t take long to see the Canadian border patrol building across the valley. It’s perched on the side of a different mountain and marks the border on the Chilkoot pass. The mountain proclaims “on to Alaska with Buchanan”. The sign was painted by kids on a youth tour program that ran in the 1920’s by a wealthy American, George Buchanan. Not Gold Rush related at all, but interesting.
The Mountain views are incredible. Tall fir trees obscure steep drops. Mountain streams, and cascades crash down the mountain slopes. (I discover that a cascade differs from a waterfall in that it is temporary and caused by snow melt. Who knew?)
There are train trestles visible all along the route. Our train is suspended thousands of feet in the air by timber. I venture outside to get a closer look. I don’t last long in the cold rain, but Wow!
A bit further along, at a place aptly named Gulch, we see another trestle that is no longer functioning. The entire center section is missing. Thankfully the conductor lets us know that it is the old track. We will be using a new bridge. (We just can’t see it yet.)
Eventually we reach the U.S. Canadian border. It is marked by a small shack beside the train track. A literal lone Ranger walks out to wave at the train. What a lonely job.
The old trail is just a thin ribbon snaking its way up the mountain next to the tracks. You can hike it, but with the comfort of the rail car going to the same place, only the hearty (or foolhardy) make the attempt. There is snow at this elevation and it often covers the trail. There are large boulders and treacherous loose chert.
Each round in the bend brings new vistas. This the most enjoyable train trip ever and such a good value. It is a historic route, but hard to imagine hundreds of prospectors making multiple trips on foot while carrying hundreds of pounds of supplies. Despite plenty of photographic evidence, it is hard to imagine the level of gold fever required to even attempt the climb.
As the train makes its way back down the path, I think about the native Alaskans and how they must have been confused by the influx of green horns. It must have been hilarious and alarming. Of course, the First Nations are still shaking their heads at the influx of cheechakos. Today we just hop the tourist train and hit up the gift shops.
