As some of you may already have heard, I am going to hike the Chilkoot Trail a week from today (August 4 - 9). This is pretty exciting news, because during the Klondike Gold Rush of 1897 - 1898, over 40,000 people hiked over this and the White Pass Trail to get to the Klondike Gold Fields. I guess I should include another post with some background history... (you can "Google" it for now!) Anyway, I will be hiking the same route these "stampeders" took over a hundred years ago! The trail is about 33 miles long, and begins about 10 miles west of Skagway, in a town called Dyea. From there, we'll hike to Lake Bennett, where the stampeders spent the winter of 1898 building small boats that would take them the rest of the 560 miles to the gold fields on the Yukon River. Here's a map of the Chilkoot Trail (click to enlarge - it's the one marked with a red dotted line):
(It's also exciting - and intimidating - because I've never backpacked before in my life... we'll see how it goes!)
Typically, experienced hikers do the trail in 3 to 5 days. I happen to be volunteering with the Skagway Recreation Center, along with a few fellow rangers, to take a few teens over the trail. We're stopping along the way for various activities, so we're doing it in about 6 days. I've attached the itinerary below; there are some service activities and other programs specifically geared for the teen hikers, but I'll be helping and attending them as well.
When I get back, I'll upload pictures from the trip! I have a few camera batteries to last me. Apparently, there are some spectacular views.
Chilkoot Hike Itinerary
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