Skagway & Whitehorse

View from Klondike Highway

I took advantage of a four day weekend over Labor Day to take a short trip up to Skagway and Whitehorse.  The trip started off with beautiful weather and a very nice 6.5 hour ride on the ferry to Skagway.  After arriving in Skagway, I headed straight for Whitehorse over the White Pass on the Klondike Highway.  I had heard it was a nice drive, but I didn't realize how beautiful the drive was!!  I've been to some really nice places, but this was probably one of the most beautiful drives ever - more than New Zealand, Switzerland, or the Canadian Rockies.  There were lakes and mountains everywhere.  I stopped at just about every pull over for a look and photo.  It was such a nice drive that I was really disappointed to arrive in Whitehorse earlier than expected.  Even with all the stops it only took about 2.5 hours to get there (versus the three I expected).  I wish I had spent more time  getting there since it was all kinda downhill from there with the weather turning for the worst. 

Miles Canyon

Day two of the trip was gloom and doom.  Well, just gloom.  I managed to check out Miles Canyon, fish ladder, and S.S. Klondike in the morning before the bad weather started setting in.  By mid day it was cloudy, windy, and cold so I wasn't really much in the mood for exploring despite there being few other touristy things to do.  I ended up spending rest of the day getting through A Clash of Kings and chatting with some of the other travellers at Beez Knees hostel.  I met a lot of Canadians, including a woman who stereotypically kept saying "eh", a guy from Montreal, and another two who had just hiked the Chilkoot Trail (I want to do this some day).  I also met a Japanese guy who has been travelling for five straight years!!  I wish I could do something like that, but I'm not sure I could sleep in a tent for weeks on out or bike to Prudhoe Bay like this guy did.  Plus, I'd get home sick after a few months.  Kudos to him though for being able live such a lifestyle.  His blog (in Japanese) is at http://shimoba.jugem.jp/.  Then there was this Canadian couple who is traveling around the world on their motorbike.  I think they're just a few months into the trip, but plans to travel for the next five to 40 years.  They plan to work along the way, as the Japanese guy did, to fund their travel.  Their website is http://theperfectworld2012.webnode.com/. 

Day three was the drive back to Skagway.  Weather cleared up a bit and I was enjoying the beginning of the drive very much, although for some reason I wasn't recognizing the scenery.  I didn't think much of it though until about 50 miles later when I saw a sign saying "East" and hundred and some kilometers to a town I didn't even recognize... not Skagway.  By now I figured I was going the wrong way and pulled over to look at the map.  Sure enough, I had missed the turnoff to Klondike highway.  I wasn't paying much attention because I thought it was a straightshot, but it wasn't.  As I drove back the way I came, I wondered if I have enough gas to make it to Skagway.  I thought it'd be close, so I ended up driving back to Whitehorse to fill up.  Moral of the story: 1) pay attention to where you're going, and 2) fill up on gas whenever you can... just in case you make a wrong turn.

As I finally turned onto the right highway I saw a hitchhiker with sign for "Skagway."  Picking up hitch-hikers is not something I do much but I did this time.  He was Martin, a man probably in his mid or late 20's from Dresden, Germany.  He was scruffy, unshaven, and smelly, but a very nice guy.  We stopped at some view points along the way and at Carcross Desert, the world's smallest desert.  Once back in Skagway, Martin went on his way to find a camp spot, and I checked into Alaskan Soujourn Hostel.  This hostel, as well as Beez Knees, were very clean with ultra friendly staff.  They are highly recommended as a place to stay.  The only thing I really don't like about hostels these days though, is you can get stuck in a room with someone who snores.  Then again, half of my friends and my husband snores, so I can't really get away from it :( 

I didn't do a whole lot in Skagway since I was mostly interested in finding out a bit more about the Chilkoot trail.  I got some info from the visitors center and watched a 20 minute video on it.  Since I had to be at the ferry terminal at 0500, I turned down an invite to go hang out at the Red Onion by some other travellers.  I am probably going to make another trip to Skagway at some point to spend some more time there. 

I love ferries, but having to check in so early is pretty brutal.  The weather on this day was crap, so I slept pretty much most of the way back.