- With the «Malaspina» ferry northwards via Haines to Skagway
- View retort wild west town of Skagway
- Drive back to Canada over the White Pass
My alarm clock rings shortly after 5 a.m., because the ferry to Skagway starts at 7 a.m. and it has to be loaded beforehand. Even if getting up is difficult after this short night, the dawn and the view of the Mendenhall Glacier may make up for it a little. Light veils adorn the sky, otherwise a splendid day awaits me today.
The glaciated mountains of the Inside Passage can be seen on both sides during the crossing with the «Malaspina» through the Lynn Chanel. After a stopover in Haines, I arrive at the extremely touristy Skagway around 2 p.m. The place lives almost exclusively from the cruise ships, so three ocean liners are anchored in the port. Nevertheless, the place has its charm. The time of the Klondike gold rush from 1898 is celebrated like nowhere else. In addition to the few remaining original buildings, practically all other shops in the center are kept in the Wild West style. Regardless of whether there is a jeweler, an Indian restaurant or simply one of the numerous souvenir shops. I let this special atmosphere sink in for a moment and stroll through the alleys.
Skagway is also the starting point for the famous Chilkoot Trail, which thousands of gold diggers undertook in the harsh winter of 1898 to get to the gold fields of Dawson City as quickly as possible. These hardships ultimately paid off only for very few.
Then the South Klondike Highway leads me quickly up to the 1003 m high White Pass. Often you can see from the street over to the railway line. The steam train of the White Pass-Yukon-Rail was already in operation in 1900 and is today a huge tourist attraction. The landscape is barren and some lakes shape the scenery. Soon the Canadian border will be reached. And the customs officers want to know this time. Where do I get the car from, how long do I stay, where do I get the money from, how much money I have with me, to name just a few of the questions. In any case, the customs officer is still searching the whole car. Finally I can continue my journey, sometimes with a smile, and sometimes shaking my head.
A few photo stops interrupt my journey towards Whitehorse. The headwaters of the mighty Yukon are also located in this area. On the way I look at an abandoned, rotting silver mine of the Venus Mills, which continued to operate until 1981. I make further stops at the Carcross Desert and at the colorful Emerald Lake. In the evening I reach the suburbs of Whitehorse where I spend the night at the Pioneer RV Park and cook leftovers. For a few dollars I can get high-speed internet and find out about the onward journey, update my blog and download new music for the long journeys.
