I headed down to Carcross and Skagway. What a beautiful ride. Just when I thought that I have seen so many different types of Canadian and Alaskan landscapes… they through you something incredible, wild, and stunningly beautiful.

There are a lot of fires right now. The Alaska Highway is shut down in a couple of places. Seeing the smoke rising from the trees across the lake provided an interesting view.

I am staying a couple of days at Chilcoot Trail Outpost. There once was the thriving town of Dyea here. So many would-be gold diggers passed through here on their way to Dawson.

The Chilcoot Trail Outpost has cabins and food at the trailhead. I took a walk where the town of Dyea used to be – almost nothing remains… no foundations. ghost town buildings, or broken down vehicles. Nature has taken this former townsite and is now forested pathways.

Tomorrow I will take a hike up the Chilcoot trail. It is a very popular backpacking pathway. Most people spend five days on the trail carrying 30 to 50 lbs with them. It is hard ro imagine hauling your one ton grub-stake over this pass.

The day after I will enjoy seeing the alternate path from Skagway to White Pass. This will be on the scenic White Pass and Yukon railroad.