Sep 17 - Skagway

 Sep 17 - Skagway

Although we have been to this port on our last trip to Alaska in 2017, we have opted for the White Pass Railway again.  The scenery is spectacular and it is an experience to cross rivers and valleys on this narrow gauge railway.  Our excursion today also included gold panning and musher dogs!

Our tour began with  the train trip to the Summit where we crossed into Canada, made a loop, and then back into the US!  Our costumed guide, Klondike Mike, took on the persona of a gentleman from the Klondike era; he narrated the train trip, including some really bad jokes!  (It seems these groaners are part of the training for all of our guides!) We toasted reaching the summit (2885 ft) with sparkling apple cider and a little snack package containing cheese and crackers.  

After disembarking the train at the Skagway Depot we walked to a bus that took us on the short drive to the Klondike Centre where the program was set up with different activities.

Our first stop was the training camp where Klondike Mike talked about what it was like in the Gold Rush days when people dreamt of getting rich when they reached Dawson City.  The journey was gruelling; of the 100,000 people who tried to get there, only about 3000 were actually able to go.  The government had very strict rules, requiring potential prospectors to carry food for a year on their backs!  This meant taking provisions in loads of bout 50 lbs at a time.  If they couldn’t do this, they were turned away.  About 300 people actually made it, and for many, when they finally got there most of the claims had already been taken so their efforts were for naught!  So much for a get rich quick scheme!

The next area was an explanation of the sluices and how to know if a nugget was real gold.  Over time equipment got bigger enabling more gold to be extracted.

We then went on to a presentation about the musher dogs.  This was really interesting as Theresa explained what is involved in preparing for the Iditarod, an 1100 mile sled race from Anchorage to Nome that starts on the third Saturday in March every year.  

She showed us the equipment - the sleds, the gear, etc and a map of the route they take.  It is incredible that so many people actually survive this test of endurance and stamina with temperatures reaching as low as -75° F at some points!  BRRRR!!!   She demonstrated how the sleds are used for travel and for protection from the blizzards they encounter, especially in the last 250 miles! 

 They did a demonstration with 8 dogs hooked up to a sled on wheels to show how much the dogs love their ‘jobs’   The breeding of these Alaskan Huskies is a sophisticated process and it takes years to build a team and develop dogs that have the physical characteristics and stamina, dogs who work well together, and to find which position on the team each dog is best suited for.   This was such an interesting part of the tour.

Next we got to see the puppies!!  They just turned 7 weeks old and everyone got to cuddle an adorable puppy! 🥰

Here is a link to the website for Dark Horse Racing Kennel, the owners of the dogs we met: 

https://www.darkhorsesleddogs.com/the-dogs/

The last activity was a demonstration of Gold Panning and then everyone got to pan for their ‘fortune’!  I think Mary was the top prospector with a sample worth $35!  Now if only there was someplace to cash this in!!  LOL

This was another good excursion, but we were happy to get back to the ship and rest our weary bones!  

Now we have two sea days to relax and enjoy this beautiful ship.  We probably won’t have much to write about, but I will try and post an overview of this first leg of our Pacific Adventure over the next couple of days.

Love,

The Alaskan Explorers