#10 - The Yukon

It was a two-day trip with an overnight stop in Beaver Creek, Y.T., a very, very small town just over the border from Alaska. I made one of my few advance reservations for a room at Ida's Motel and Cafe, the least expensive motel in Beaver Creek. After the adjustment in rates, the cost was just $45, cheap for that part of the world. I was still recovering from the flu so I was very happy to have a room to myself. There is nothing to see in Beaver Creek so I ate my dinner and watched a movie on t.v. It was a bit on the warm side and Ida's has no air conditioning so even though I was very tired, sleeping was a bit difficult. 

Next morning we headed for Whitehorse. The road between Beaver Creek and Haines Junction passes through the Kluane National Park and is very scenic, with many trees, lakes, rivers, wildflowers and swans. 

The AlCan Highway (Alaska/Canada) was built in the 1940s and the original culverts made of redwood trees are still in use. We passed through mile after mile of black spruce trees. Our bus driver/travel guide told us that the trees are not logged, as transportation costs are too high. Thus, the trees have value only as firewood. The many forest fires that are started by lightning are left to burn themselves out. Firemen only get involved if the fire threatens a house. 

The city of Whitehorse is named after the historic rapids on the Yukon River which resembled the flowing manes of charging white horses. On the "Trail of '98" (the goldrush trail) the stampeders had to bypass the treacherous waters of Miles Canyon and White Horse Rapids, just south of present-day Whitehorse. At that time the rapids were the greatest peril along the trail; however, they no longer exist. The Whitehorse hydro-electric dam raised the level of the river and covered the rapids in 1958. The Yukon is now just a lazy river. 

After checking into the Whitehorse hostel along with one of my fellow bus travelers, I went out to explore the city. This member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, kindly posed for a picture. It was quite warm out so I imagine he was a bit heated in that red jacket and hat. As you can see, Whitehorse is a very clean city. It also has an incredibly low crime rate. The Mounties must be doing a great job. 

From Whitehorse my trip took me through the small town of Carcross and the Carcross Desert, complete with active sand dunes, then on to Fraser, B.C. where I caught the train. It started raining shortly after the train started its climb to White Pass, the headwaters of the mighty Yukon River, which was just a dribble at that point. Because of the low clouds, much of the view was obscured. There are many waterfalls along the route, one that falls 6,000 feet from the glaciers above. I did get to see that and it was awesome. Unfortunately, all my pictures from White Pass Summit to Wrangell were in my camera when it disappeared. But that's another story! 

These pictures are from the brochure and show views that I didn't get to see. Under less rainy conditions, you can see Dead Horse Gulch and the sun-bleached bones of the horses that died while attempting to climb this treacherous trail. 

This route follows the original foot-trail used by the stampeders making their way to the Klondike. The determination and persistence of these miners is inspiring. They were required to have a ton of supplies (yes, supplies that weighed a ton), enough to survive in the North for a year. These men climbed the 3000 foot pass in snow and ice many times each to get the required supplies to the mounted police check station at the summit. I just cannot imagine that kind of dedication! 

The building of the White Pass & Yukon Route was the engineering marvel of its time. It was completed in 1900 with British financing, Canadian contracting and American engineering. The climb to White Pass Summit is one of the steepest railroad grades in North America. From the sea level town of Skagway, the line climbs 2,865 feet in just 20 miles, with grades as much as 3.9% and cliff-hanging curves of 16 degrees. It was built in just 26 months during blinding snowstorms that brought drifts as high as 35 feet and in temperatures as low as -65 degrees F. 

The one-way bus/train trip from Whitehorse to Skagway, or vice-versa, normally costs $95, but with the AlaskaPass, you can get a 20% discount.