Paying Hommage to the Historic Chilkoot Trail
Trip Start
Dec 28, 2008
1
68
187
Trip End
Ongoing
Skagway,
Alaska,
United States
Saturday, September 29, 2007
I am obviously not a historian so what I say has little meaning. But since this is a blog, I can nevertheless make judgments which can ultimately be called into question.
From the little research that I have done, and the evidence I have seen on the ground in Alaska and the Yukon, I will continue to refer to the Chilkoot Trail as the "holy grail" of Alaskan and Yukon history.
The Klondike Gold Rush is the historical event which defined both territories around the world as frontier destinations.
The Chilkoot Trail was the major conduit for the "stampeders" or "sourdoughs" to reach the Klondike gold fields
-Whitehorse to Skagway on South Klondike Hwy.
.The Chilkoot Pass is the "poster child" of the entire celebrated series of events which I discuss in some detail in Blog No. 58 - Whitehorse and the Klondike Gold Rush.
The image of the heavily laden "stampeders" struggling up snowy Chilkoot Pass ranks among the great historical photos of our time.
Therefore, when I saw the sign just outside Skagway pointing to the Chilkoot Trail, I could no more pass up this opportunity than I could pass up descending the steps under the cathedral in Santiago de Compostella to touch the sarcophagus of the Apostle James. (see Blog 62 - Whitehorse - Why I Lost It).
The religious significance associated with the latter is obvious. Elements of religious imagery can also be discerned in the former.
The crucible of the hardship associated with the Chilkoot Pass, and the "get rich at all cost" attitude of the stampeders, evokes an almost religious zeal. This seems to transcend secular bounds to attain the status of the historical "holy grail".
My desire to follow the Chilkoot Trail sign was also driven by a lack of any access to the Trail other than at the Log Cabin. My timidity prevented me from trekking by myself through the woods laced with bear warnings signs.
- from Whitehorse to Skagway
Beautiful is the only way to describe the half hour drive along the northern end of Lynn Inlet towards the Taiya Estuary. It is at the head of the estuary where the town of Dyea became the staging point for the assault on the Chilkoot Pass/Trail. The challenge was, of course, how to get "a ton of supplies" across the pass.
Today there is nothing left of Dyea except abundant historical markers which give a detailed glimpse into the harsh life of the "greenhorns".
Perhaps equally disappointing is the actual beginning of the Chilkoot Trail which has all the appearance of the walking trail that you may find behind your house. If it wasn't for a small marker indicating the actual start of the trail, you would not even notice it.
To really appreciate the Chilkoot Trail, one would have to hike the entire length of it from Dyea to Lake Bennett, a distance of 35 miles.
Signs warn modern day hikers of the difficulty of the hike and recent flood conditions make the hike a tricky proposition, best made in the company of others. Flying solo, this left me in a no-go position.
After having soaked in the historical atmosphere conveyed by the signs, it was now approaching 5:00 p.m. and with a little bit of luck, I was still hoping to maybe find a way out of Skagway that would not involve driving.
Coming Soon: Strategizing in Skagway
