Skagway, Alaska

We got up at 6am that day so that we could catch the White Pass Railway train up the Yukon Pass. It is the route that many people took during the gold rush days in the late 1800's. It goes from Skagway, Alaska, up 27 miles into Canada, and beyond.



We passed through beautiful scenery...


Went through long, dark tunnels...

And experienced a slight pucker-factor as we swayed back and forth along the tracks that hung on the edge of the cliffs. They even let us walk outside and stand on the platforms in-between the cars.

Once we crossed into Canada and were at the top of the summit, we met up with a team that planned to mountain-bike back down the highway into Skagway instead of riding in a van.


Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of us on our bikes or of our fellow biker buddies. The self-pity set in during this excursion when it dawned on me how sadly out of shape I was. The route was 80% downhill, but I was still exhausted at the end. I thought my lungs were going to collapse as I reached the top of one hill, huffing and puffing.

When we got back into town, we rode through the neighborhoods where everybody 'lived' and that's when I realized that the residents of Skagway are mountain people who are satisfied to live in tents in the middle of the forest. Some of them are only summer visitors, but others live like this year-round. I imagine it can get pretty uncomfortable when you have to go outside to pee or poo in the middle of a winter storm.