Returning to Skagway, Alaska in a week 2019/Carlos Pueblo

Returning to Skagway, Alaska in a week 2019/Carlos Pueblo

The cruise ship left Hoonah, Alaska at about 5:00 pm in the afternoon an set sail to the Lynn Canal via the Icy Straight. Skagway is at the far end to the north through the Taiya Inlet according to the map provided by the Glacier Bay National Park. It is very interesting of the daylight schedule of this area of the world, 3:53 am to 10:06 pm. I guess the words of the bay, the canal, and the inlet are all the good English vocabulary to describe the size of the waterway created by the global worming of the glaciers. Skagway is about the same latitude to Yakutat, Alaska yet a different longitude on the east. It has been established during the gold rush era like Juneau and Ketchikan which are three important ports to the Alaska cruises.There are at least six selections for tourists to visit this area, by the helicopter, by the propeller plane, by the light rail train, by the bus or the shuttle van, by a rental car, and hiking by foot, etc. I always choose the last one.

There is a modern helicopter port by the containers port where the cruise ship moored. The helicopter is very convenient to view the huge ice field, glaciers, and rivers, etc. If so desire to see higher, the light propeller plane is needed. A small and new airfield is right by a new bridge over the Skagway River. The plane can cover more territory such as the Tongass National Forest, the Glacier Bay National Park, and all the glaciers in the area including the Mendenhall at Juneau.

The White Pass and Yukon Route Railroad is still operational with several schedule daily. This is the old light rail for the gold rush era from the downtown of Skagway to the mine field climbing up to the mountain. Yukon is a territory in Canada and a junction to a Canadian Highway to the pot area of Alaska like Anchorage and Fairbanks, etc. There are also shuttle vans service provided by some sole proprietors from the lower 48 States who are aware of the business in direct competition with the arrangement of the cruise excursion. Of course, there is always some rental car choice to tour the area freely.

I always choose to the Lower Dewey Lake Hiking Trail. I did attempt to reach a water fall at the Upper Deway Lake and very close on my last visit. A brief walk along the White Pass rail track parallel to an upstream of the Skagway River, I make a turn to enter the mountain. The Lower Dewey Lake is the drinking water resource of the city. It is a little bit steep rock path up to the lake level. I feel a bit difficult this time and take several stops to ketch my breath. At the division point, I select the counter clock direction to go a smooth path before a more difficult one yet a better mountain view. I still can see the abandon rail track for the gold mine transportation back that time, then the path is getting steep again and I need some trees trunks to maintain my balance. There is a spot where I can sit on a big piece of rock to view a snow cap mountain. I think that snow cap can be defined as a glacier which is always in my mind of Alaska.

I try to avoid the hardness an long duration of the down hill back to the town and select the service road instead. I have been thrown into a panic by that route which is designed to be for the four wheel drive. A new friend from the ship was on the White Pass train waiting for the take off asked me what happen when I passed by. I showed him my sweat wet leather jacket and repeated my story more in detail later in the cafe. Until three years ago, I still could make two hiking, one at the Lower Dewey Lake and the other one down to the Smuggler's Cove. I can only do one this time and feel bad about it. The Skagway River and the park is very lovely where I can imagine salmons swim back to their up stream home.