The Chilkoot Trail is the goal. The other trips are a warm up but fun in themselves too.
Introduction
Equipment List
Dianne and Merlan each have a list of the gear they carried on their pages.
The list is what went on the Chilkoot trail for the 5 day 4 night trip. There was very little change for an overnight.
The equipment was based on the potential weather that could have been found on the trail.
Some key things we found out or saw others learning, often the hard way.
Expect rain, good rain gear and a pack cover, not just a garbage bag are important to keep dry. We saw many wet sleeping bags because of the lack of a real pack cover. One with cord lock on a draw string will help you secure it in the wind. I did see one that just had a self adjusting elastic come loose in the wind.
A quality tent is worth it, We saw a few “cheep tents” and the occupants got wet and their sleeping bags wet.
There are plenty of stream crossings after Sheep Camp. These are on rocks and in shallow water. A good pair of Gore-Tex lined boots will keep your feet dry. That is if you don’t slip in on the rocks.
Hiking poles are a real benefit on the snow and on the transitions between rocks and snow and well as for balance on the stream crossings, Dianne didn’t us the poles on the Golden Staircase, they were in her way. Merlan liked having them.
The poles were great for the down hill too. A real knee saver.
Gloves were found to be very useful by most everyone while climbing over the boulders on the Golden Staircase, The wind was blowing and it was near freezing.
Take your time and look around! The trail in Canada is spectacular.
Camp shoes where enjoyed by all. A good supply of moleskin, mole foam, band aids, duct tape and such for taking care of your feet is a necessity. Spend time breaking your feet in before the trip will minimize the chewed up feet. Two different lady’s feet were so blistered that they climbed up the Golden Staircase in those plastic clog shoes. For Real! This picture with the red shoes was taken at the summit hut just after they arrived.
Check out all the Trips!
Drink a lot along the trail and snack often. Then you will arrive into camp happy!
The box lunch on the train was good. You can only get the train on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Saturday they run the steam engine up to Lake Bennett which is neat and costs $10 more,
In the small group we were traveling with lots of lessons were learned. Think about where you take off your pack or other stuff, and how you leave it. One pack went tumbling down and the sleeping pad was lost. Another group lost their bagels in the river. Also lost were water bottles and other cooking/eating gear in swift rivers.
Menu Chilkoot
Lunch Day 1
Bagels & Cream Cheese
Diner Day 1
Chicken & Stuffing
Breakfast Day 2
Merlan’s Oatmeal
Lunch Day 2
Bagels & Cheese
Diner Day 2
Couscous & Shrimp
Breakfast Day 3
Merlan’s Oatmeal
Lunch Day 3
Cheese & Crackers
Diner Day 3
Couscous & Clams
Breakfast Day 4
Merlan’s Oatmeal
Freeze Dried Sausage
Lunch Day 4
Peanut butter & Jelly
Diner Day 4
Chicken & Pasta
Breakfast Day 5
Merlan’s Oatmeal
Lunch day 5
Box Lunch on train
Tang & Coffee
Trail Snacks
Berry Power Bars
Slim Jims
Hershey’s Nuggets
Trail mix
Dried Fruit
Snickers Bars
Happy Eating!
The Chilkoot Trail Trip
Sunday July 9th
We left Fairbanks about 11:30 AM. Drove to River Lake Campground in the Yukon
Monday July 10th
We Drove to Takhini Hot Springs outside of Whitehorse and camped there/
Tuesday July 11th
Drove to Skagway, picked up our trail permit, train tickets and set up camp at Dyea. At 5 PM we went to a bear safety talk at the park service.
Wednesday July 12th
The big day. We drove back into Skagway, had breakfast. Parked our car at the train station. They issued you a permit to park in the lot. We were picked up by the shuttle service at 9 AM in the parking lot and by 9:30 AM we were on the trail.
Our five days on the Chilkoot Trail
Day 1 - Dyea to Canyon City
Day 2 - not far to go today
Day 3 - Over the Pass
Day 4 - Down to Linderman City
Day 5 - To Bennett Lake and the train
Sunday July 16th
The train arrived in Skagway just after 4 PM. We cleared customs on the train and headed back to the car. We drove up to Whitehorse and spent the night at Takhini hot Spring again.
Monday July 17th
Long drive back to Fairbanks.
Time to Plan for the next adventure!
Useful Links or Phone Numbers
For the Chilkoot Trail Trip
National Park Pages
The Ride Back & Shuttle Services to Dyea
• Dyea Dave - 907-209-5031
Pick up at Log Cabin
We had a great time and if you have any questions about our trip, email me. Dianne@awc.fairbanks.ak.us
