Chilkoot Trail in Alaska
In 1897 the “ship full of gold” landed in Seattle and started the Klondike Gold Rush. About one hundred thousand get rich quick miners headed for the Yukon Territory and Alaska, about 4,000 actually found gold but only a few hundred got rich. Many of the gold rush prospectors traveled the Chilkoot Trail to the Yukon goldfields.
Troop 100 has traveled the Chilkoot Trail twice before and we intend to do it again in 2016.
The Chilkoot trailhead starts several miles outside of Skagway Alaska, crosses into British Columbia at the Chilkoot Pass and ends on the shores of Lake Bennett. Since you are walking away from civilization, once you start the trail it is difficult and expensive to turn around and get back to Skagway.
The Chilkoot Trail is tough and requires physical training in order to enjoy it. Starting at sea level, the Chikoot Trail is 33 miles long and gains 3,500 feet in altitude. Most of the altitude gain (about 2,500 feet of it) is expected to be accomplished in one morning on the trail between Sheep Camp and Happy Camp. The bad news is that after you have reached the summit of Chilkoot Pass you are only halfway to your campsite for the night at Happy Camp. This will be the worst day of the trip.
