Friday August 27

A quiet night. I didn't sleep well, having a 16 oz of Starbucks instant coffee at 4:30 P.M. didn't help matters. No rain last night and breakfast was Mountain Home dehydrated scrambled eggs and ham.  These dehydrated foods taste pretty good and at $5 - $7.00 per meal are a real bargin here in AK. Where a meal and a drink cost $15 - $20.00.

I am starting from Canyon City this morning and the camp ground is about 50 yards from the trail into

Canyon City ruins. I took a tour with the two ladies, and Jim.











There isn't much left to see, an occasional wood stove, lots of rusted cans,some old rotted shoes and a

gigantic old steam boiler, which prompted a discussion of how in the world it was moved there as the trail is steep, narrow, filled with rocks, boulders and massive tree roots. Having seen volunteers on WTA work parties move huge rocks out of the trail, and roll and carry large logs up a rocky beach, I envisioned logs used as rollers and skids. Also, this part of the trail isn't terrible, so horses and mules could be used to move that piece of equipment, but it still would have been a back braking and

dangerous task.

Whenever I visit an historic location or National Park, I am curious as to the history of the place and on the human side of the equation; what did the participants think and feel? Why were they there, what made them put their life in such precarious situation? Here on the Chilkoot it is the very primitive living conditions in extreme weather and cold; the tiring repetitive task of moving there supplies. At the Little Bighorn, it is what were the soldiers thinking when they saw all the Indians. Lewis and Clark parks once again bring questions of why someone would leave their home and families to travel and live in unknown areas in unknown dangers.

We returned to the campground and retrieved our equipment, my pack weighing a shade over 50lbs, is
not such a heavy burden. The weather is cool and overcast as we strike out on the trail for Sheep camp.

I started out hiking with my three companions, but as those that hike with me know, I take my time to
look around and to stop and take pictures, so I was soon left behind. After a short while, I see that the
girls and Jim were waiting for me and I felt a bit guilty for making them wait. I explained that They didn't have to wait for me, and I would see them at Sheep Camp, thankfully there was no argument and they seemed happy to take off on their own. There are at least two types of people that come to hike the trail – those that want to “Do the Chilkoot” and those that want to “Experience the Chilkoot.” I want to experience the Chilkoot, so I will take it slow and explore and let questions run through my mind. I will expect a spiritual experience or two.

There have been improvements made to the trail since 1898, in many places, large stones have been cut, shaped and moved into place as stairs in order to provide an easier experience for the modern day trekker and to reduce damage and erosion to the trail.
The trail is difficult, but can be easily covered if you pace yourself. The landscape is beautiful and serene, the soft and rolling hillsides, covered in lichen and moss, belie the actuality of the hostile and dangerous landscape that is made apparent by the conditions of the trail.  Rocks ranging from pebble size to ankle turning fist sized to boulder sized that you need to climb over or around.

Then there are the roots that inundate the trail; positioned across the trail as tripping hazards or laying parallel in the trail and are slick and as effective as ice in its potential to cause a slip. Another hazard is the fact that you are in bear country and you need to not only watch were your feet are being placed, but you need to be constantly aware of what is around you because you do not want to surprise a bear or walk between a mother and her cubs – she can be quite unforgiving.

The land-hills-trees-rocks and cliffs are adorned with a thick coating of moss and ferns and as I walk through a mini canyon, cliffs rising 10' above me on each side, with a vivid imagination I can see trolls or goblins ambushing me from above – a Tolkienish fantasy. Washed in emerald green my eyes behold a fairytale like fantasy land. Lush moss and ferns, exotic mushrooms from the ugly to the beautiful, from fragile to the stout and hearty, from black, to tan, to orange, yellow and red. They are cup shaped heart shaped, and toadstool shaped. I even saw one in the shape of a heart.

The trail is not a constant uphill, there are welcomed flat stretches that are far too short. My second

hiking day draws to a close as I arrive in Sheep Camp and locate sleeping platform. A sleeping platform is a good idea intended to protect the land and to keep hikers and their equipment out of the mud and water.  A word to the wise is to purchase a free standing tent in case you are lucky enough to use one of these platforms as you can not drive stakes into the wood.

As the 2nd day ends, I feel there is a bond forming between the hikers that met last night in Canyon City – a friendship or family feeling that forms among people that experience the same hardship. I have a concern for them and am glad to see them as they arrive in camp.
So much for the worry of my friends and family about me hiking the trail alone.

There is a meeting at 7:00 and the National Park ranger, Katie, explains the rigors of the trail that we will face tomorrow and answers questions. She then gives a little history lesson about the trail and some of the towns like Canyon City and Sheep Camp.

In 1897 there was famine in Dawson, the destination for all the miners. The Canadian Government sent a detachment to this area in order to keep the peace. The boundary between Canada and the US had not been formally decided at this time, Sanuel Steele, the head of the Mountie detachment selected a location and then on hos own decreed that any person wanting to climb the pass into Canada would need to bring in a years supply of goods, approximately 1 ton of supplies. This caused a bit of an uproar amongst the stampeders, but there was no problem because he had placed a Gatling gun on the summit to deter people from breaking the rule. He then sent word to the capital of Canada and asked for his decree to be made official government policy. It was, but by that time the rush was over. Having to carry a ton of supplies over the pass meant that the average miner had to make about 40 trips up and down that trail.

Disappointing news.

Katie looked at my Grizzly pictures and told me it was a black bear. :-{ The pointed face overrides the
hump on the back. 

Awarenesses

I have grown a lot in the last year. In the past I have been afraid to go places alone, to take chances, to
travel. It had to do with the way I was raised. This is the 2nd trip this year that I have taken on my own to new and exotic places.
Although I still need and want my alone time, I am finding that I enjoy being around people more.