Summit Lake

The White Pass and Yukon Train chugged up the Skagway River valley through dense forests below towering peaks littered with blue and white hanging glaciers. Openings appeared along way revealing magnificent cascading falls, and even a wandering bear.

Eventually the railway crossed a great curving trestle bridge to double back and rise farther up the valley, then turn up the White Pass Fork. Across this valley were visible segments of the White Pass Trail that had been followed by thousands of men, women, and a few children during the gold rush of 1898 at a terrible cost to man and beast.

The railway rose above timberline and low, weather-beaten greenery dotted the glacier-scoured landscape. Flags and a rugged log cabin marked the summit of White Pass and the US-Canada border. The train followed along Summit Lake for a few miles, then circled back to return to Skagway.

Again we traced the path of the gold rushers and were reminded of their ordeal. While many who had passed through met with disaster and few found their their fortunes, for us the trip was golden.

#whitepass #skagway #goldrush