Well this is it! Tomorrow I head to Alaska; I can hardly contain my excitement! While we’re there, I hope to explore Juneau and Skagway, but our primary goal is to hike the 33 mile Chilkoot trail.
The trail begins in Alaska, just outside of Skagway, and ends at Lake Bennett, in British Columbia, Canada. The trail is typically hiked in 3-5 days and Bill and I hope to do it in about three and a half. The trail was part of the Gold Rush back in the late 1800s and prospectors hungry for gold would traverse the trail, as it was the most direct route to get to the gold.
The hike is recommended for intermediate to advanced backpackers only:
(source)
The biggest challenge will definitely be going from Sheep Camp to Happy Camp. It’s a 7.5 mile trek, but the elevation change on the 4 miles to get to the summit is 2500 feet and it will be icy.
Ever seen this picture?
(source)
That’s the “Golden Staircase” on the Chilkoot. It won’t be that snowy, but that incline will definitely be the same. Gulp.
We plan to make the summit on Day 2 of our hike-the day after flying from Juneau to Skagway, having a trail orientation, catching a ride to the trailhead, and then hiking 13 miles on day 1. No big deal, right? 😉
Whatever happens, it will certainly be an adventure! I’m looking forward to every minute (well, maybe not those times when I’m freezing, which will hopefully be nonexistent) and can’t wait to share my experience with you!
In the meantime, I’ll be posting a series of posts/videos on what exactly we’ll be bringing with us on the hike!
Here’s the first video. Catch ya next time I’m in the lower 48!
Have an AWESOME trip up there girlie! You’re much braver than I 😉
Have so so much fun!! Can’t wait to see what it was like!!
Yay! Have fun 🙂 Looking forward to your recaps!
Have fun, stay warm, and stay safe,
Have FUN!! I can’t wait to hear all about it!!
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That is a good tip especially to those fresh
to the blogosphere. Brief but very accurate information… Many
thanks for sharing this one. A must read post!