Hiking to International Falls, between BC and Alaska

August 22, 2022 by Catherine Forest in Alaska, British Columbia, Hiking, Yukon

The International Falls hike starts near the White Pass Summit and is most often in the clouds. We lucked out on a rare bluebird day! The trail starts on the Canadian side of the border and crosses into Alaska, hence its name.

It’s a beautiful hike especially on a sunny day. Be warned that there is a pretty steep descent (with rope assist) at the beginning and a few creek crossing (hiking poles were useful, an extra pair of shoes/socks might be a good idea if the water level is high). You can find all the driving direction and hike info here.

The rest of the trail is an easy gradual climb along the falls and then you can hike as far as you want once you hit the alpine plateau. It’s so beautiful, you just want to keep going, but be mindful that you need to retrace your steps back to the car!

Note: Coming from Whitehorse, you need to cross the Canadian customs (don’t forget your passport or ID), but since the hike starts before the US customs, you don’t need to fill in the ArriveCan documents.

Tour de Skagway, AK

May 30, 2019 by Catherine Forest in Alaska, Yukon, Road biking

You know the mountains are big when the bus looks that small.

The head peloton composed for 3 strong men + Mara getting ready to tackle the climb to the summit on the lap race on Saturday.

Trena, Ava, Tori and Mathilde getting fast on the downhill.

11 pm in the Pass. Summer here is truly disorienting. I really struggle to sleep well and enough. Even after so many years of practice, having dark curtains and putting myself in the dark around 9:30 pm (+ using a buff on my eyes + earplugs to not e… — 11 pm in the Pass. Summer here is truly disorienting. I really struggle to sleep well and enough. Even after so many years of practice, having dark curtains and putting myself in the dark around 9:30 pm (+ using a buff on my eyes + earplugs to not ear the birds signing at 3 am…), I still have a restless light sleep. My body is really influenced by light as I have shared many times here and too much light is not better than not enough light for me. I have to cut down on my coffee intake because I truly feel like I’m hyper agitated by all this light. That being said, the midnight sun is something you have to experience at least once in your lifetime.

The start of the hill climb on Sunday morning in the green and lush Coastal forest of Skagway, AK.

Mara and Lukas stuck together for the whole climb and finished super strong hand in hand! I love to see this kind of team spirit!

Westy made it to the summit! That in itself is an accomplishment.

Mathilde was able to finish the hill climb thanks to this awesome young girl who kept encouraging her and stayed with her the whole time. They also got an extra adrenaline boost thanks to a close encounter (4 meters!) with a black bear cub on the si… — Mathilde was able to finish the hill climb thanks to this awesome young girl who kept encouraging her and stayed with her the whole time. They also got an extra adrenaline boost thanks to a close encounter (4 meters!) with a black bear cub on the side of the road

We’re just back from an incredible weekend of racing the Tour de Skagway in the White Pass between Alaska and the Yukon. The weather was perfect, which is rarely the case there, and the riders were strong and ready for a challenge. Because a challenge, it was. On the first day, there was a 20 km Time Trial and a 72 km lap race (24 or 48 km for some), and on the second day, there was the hill climb, which started from Skagway, AK, at sea level all the way to the White Pass summit at 3292 feet. It is rated the second hardest hill climb in Canada!

Stewart, BC/Hyder, AK + Salmon Glacier

August 13, 2017 by Catherine Forest in Camping spots, British Columbia, Alaska

Lake Clements Rec Site is another free camping paradise, 13 km from Stewart, BC.

So many thimbleberries! Thimbleberries taste like raspberry yogurt. We LOVE them.

Waiting for bears to come and eat salmon along Fish Creek in Hyder, AK.

If you look at the map of Northern BC, you can see that Stewart, BC, really is the end of the road. There is no US customs to enter Hyder, Alaska, and no customs again as you reenter BC to get to Salmon Glacier. Hyder really has this end of the road feel. A lot of houses are unfinished or abandoned. We have seen a few buses turned into houses with structures built on top of them. This must be the only place where you can enter the United States without identification. The reason being, is that once you are in Hyder Alaska, there is no place else to go except back to Canada. (You will need a passport or Canadian ID to get back into Canada).

This article published in the NY Times really gives an accurate portrait of Hyder, AK.

For $5 per adult, you can go see bears catch salmons along Fish Creek. At this time of year, you are pretty much guaranteed to see them since the salmons are running.

If you keep driving up towards the mine, you will eventually reach Salmon Glacier (people might tell you that the road is rough, but it's not; you can get there in a 2WD vehicle). Trust me, it's well worth the drive. The view of the Glacier is stunning. And well, it might not still be there in 50 years. You can see here how much the glacier has retreated since 1975.

**You can see on the map that I circled the places I talked about in my previous posts for reference.

Hiking the Chilkoot Trail

July 04, 2016 by Catherine Forest in Alaska, Yukon, Hiking

The Chilkoot Trail is a 33-mile (53 km) trail through the Coast Mountains that leads from Dyea, Alaska, in the United States, to Bennett, British Columbia, in Canada. It was a major access route from the coast to Yukon goldfields in the late 1890s. Tlingit Indians used the trail as a vital trade route to trade for resources available in the interior from the Dene people.

The trail begins in Dyea, a ghost town and campground, 15 minutes from Skagway. From the trailhead, the route winds through coastal rainforest along to the Taiya River. The first campsite is Finnegan's Point (from Wikipedia).

That was Day 1 for us and the beginning of the adventure! Here's a map of the whole trail, as well as a profile map so you can follow along!

DAY 1: FROM DYEA CAMPGROUND TO FINNEGAN'S POINT - 7,7 km (5 miles)

As you might have heard, there was a bear situation on the trail when we left. The week prior, a black bear had broken into a staff cabin at Lindeman City and raided the fridge. They evacuated all the hikers from the trail and closed the trail for 5 days while they dealt with the situation. They had just reopened the trail when we started the hike (it is a very popular trail that requires reservations a long time in advance, so it was not an option for us to just wait it out) and 3 of the 9 camps on the trail were still closed, which would have made our last day a 13 miles (20 km) hike since we would have had to hike all the way from Happy Camp to Bennett (our last night was in Bare Loon, but it was closed at the time of departure). The other option was that they boat us out from Lindeman City to Bennett Lake.

They sent us out to the trailhead, after a long talk about bear safety, telling us that we would get updated about the situation at Sheep Camp and Happy Camp.

There are lots of boardwalks over marshes on that first part of the trail. Some are slippery and bouncy and that not always so great when you are still getting used to having a big pack on your back!

First thing to do when you get to camp: put all the food, toileteries and anything that smells in the food cache. Second, write in your journal.

The cook shack at Finnegan's Point. Far enough from the tent pads and equipped with a wood stove.

The beautiful sand bar at Finnegan's Point with a view of Irene Glacier, a great place to relax!

JF was in a 2 person tent with Mathilde and I was with the twins in another tent. We talked late into the night about boys crush and first love in front of an audience of mosquitoes lined up in the roof screen, who were just waiting for one of us to need to pee.

I got up at 1 am under a light sprinkle. Our tent platform was surrounded by Devils Club and I was smiling to myself as I used my SheWee (that I like to call my Pee-Miss) and pee like a man, standing on the platform instead of having to put my shoes, go down the platform and crouch down in the prickly wet plants.

DAY 2: FROM FINNEGAN'S POINT TO SHEEP CAMP - 12, 6 km (7,8 miles)

We stopped at Canyon City on the way, where most people spend the first night (12 km from the start). It is a bigger camp with a nice log cabin with bunks and some artefacts from the Gold Rush. After Canyon City, the trail starts climbing steadily u… — We stopped at Canyon City on the way, where most people spend the first night (12 km from the start). It is a bigger camp with a nice log cabin with bunks and some artefacts from the Gold Rush. After Canyon City, the trail starts climbing steadily upward.

Pedestrian suspension bridge at Canyon City.

Snack break in the beautiful Alaskan Coastal Forest.

The trail follows the Taiya River all the way to Sheep Camp.

Second night at Sheep Camp. Sheep camp is the last campground on the American side of the trail as well as the final resting stop before the trek up Chilkoot Pass. It is the largest of the campsites on the American side of the trail. A Ranger comes … — Second night at Sheep Camp. Sheep camp is the last campground on the American side of the trail as well as the final resting stop before the trek up Chilkoot Pass. It is the largest of the campsites on the American side of the trail. A Ranger comes to Sheep camp every night at around 7 pm to talk about the day ahead and how to prepare for it. She had no updates about the bear situation. That night we met Charlotte, 7, and her dad who were doing the Chilkoot alone together.

DAY 3: FROM SHEEP CAMP TO HAPPY CAMP - 12 km (7,5 miles) but with an elevation gain of 2,500 feet over 7,7 km!

Within sight of the pass, and at the base of the "Golden Stairs" (the long difficult incline that leads to the pass), are The Scales. The Scales were a weight station where freight would be reweighed before the final trek to the pass. There are lots… — Within sight of the pass, and at the base of the "Golden Stairs" (the long difficult incline that leads to the pass), are The Scales. The Scales were a weight station where freight would be reweighed before the final trek to the pass. There are lots of artefacts there since a lot of people left things there and turned back or tried to lighten their load to make the final push...

No image better conjures the human drama of the 1898 gold rush than the lines of prospectors struggling over the dreaded Golden Stairs. As we climbed the golden stairs ourselves, all I could think was: people did that for gold, how crazy! Followed b… — No image better conjures the human drama of the 1898 gold rush than the lines of prospectors struggling over the dreaded Golden Stairs. As we climbed the golden stairs ourselves, all I could think was: people did that for gold, how crazy! Followed by: you know what’s even crazier: doing that for a holiday!

JF facing the base of the Golden Stairs. There are two false summits before you reach the actual summit.

We made it to the summit! And just like many women feel after childbirth and forget about it a mere few months later, once you make warm coffee and eat a bite, you're ready to talk about the next big trip, forgetting the grueling feeling you had jus… — We made it to the summit! And just like many women feel after childbirth and forget about it a mere few months later, once you make warm coffee and eat a bite, you're ready to talk about the next big trip, forgetting the grueling feeling you had just an hour ago, when you promised yourself you would never do that again...

The view from the Chilkoot Pass. USA behind. Canada ahead.

The trail wends its way by a series of alpine lakes: First Crater Lake, Morrow Lake, and finally Happy Camp.

And the beauty never stops. We walk and walk and walk, through snow and rocks, oohing and aahing all the way.

Lips of snow under the water look royal blue or turquoise.

Happy Camp! Once you see it after one of many bend in the trail, you understand why it's called that way. You are so ridiculously happy to see it come into sight!

We got into camp at around 5:30 pm (we had left Sheep Camp at 6:30 am), granted, we took our time and lots of break, but it still is the longest day on the Chilkoot. Charlotte and her dad were not there yet and the Ranger who had met us at the warming cabin at the summit said Charlotte was struggling a lot after the Stairs. The Ranger had given Charlotte magic candies to eat along the trail and stickers to put on the trail markers. At 7, she called a meeting to let us know that Bare Loon camp was now open. We were exstatic! We could do the whole Chilkoot! However, we still had to be in groups of at least 4 adults, so many people had to pair up together, because there was no confirmation that the right bear had been shot yet. An man from Italy was not happy about the whole pairing/bear situation and was trying to argue in broken English with the Ranger. Since I speak Italian, I offered my help as a translator and got caught in an interesting arugument that went from Trump-is-the-new-Berlusconi to arguing that the bear was long gone and would not come back (because we know that Italian know a lot about bear behaviors...).

At 8:30, we were getting ready to leave camp to go meet Charlotte and her dad who were still not back to camp. Just as we were putting our wet shoes on, they walked into camp, looking exhausted. What a trooper that little girl was. I offered them to join us for tomorrow's hike since they could not walk alone and since I thought it would lift Charlotte's spirit to be with other children. The plan was for them to stop at Lindeman City and see if they could safely spend the night there with a ranger.

DAY 4: FROM HAPPY CAMP TO BARE LOON - 13,7 km (8,5 miles)

Breakfast inside the Happy Camp cooking shelter.

There are lots and lots of river crossing... Almost impossible not to get your feet wet... To the right: doing dishes.

Bare Loon Camp, where we spent our last night on the trail. One of my favorite camps!

DAY 5: FROM BARE LOON TO BENNETT - 6,4 km (4 miles)

Last day was only 4 short miles to Bennett Lake.

We made it! We finished the Chilkoot. The renovated St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church is the only gold rush-era building still standing along the trail today. — We made it! We finished the Chilkoot. The renovated St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church is the only gold rush-era building still standing along the trail today.

The trail station in Bennett, BC. As we get into the station, Mila, the Philipino woman in charge of cleaning the station, offers us a cup of warm tea and tells us all sorts of fascinating story about her life. As the girls and I step into the bathr… — The trail station in Bennett, BC. As we get into the station, Mila, the Philipino woman in charge of cleaning the station, offers us a cup of warm tea and tells us all sorts of fascinating story about her life. As the girls and I step into the bathroom, we all have the same reaction as we look into the mirror. Ellie says it first: Ah! It's weird! I haven't seen myself in 5 days!

At the station, we found out through a ranger that Charlotte and her dad would be taken out by boat from Lindeman City. She was too tired to finish the trail.

A beautiful 2 hour train ride from Bennett, BC, to Carcross, YT.

We even made it in town in time for the girls bike meet!

To call the Chilkoot a trail is an understatement. For the tens of thousands of desperate gold rushers who followed it, the trail was a saga that forever changed their souls, and cost many their very lives.

To Haines, Alaska

August 29, 2014 by Catherine Forest in Alaska, Camping spots

Haines is only an hour from Skagway by ferry, so we decided to do the loop and go visit that town that we love so much. Haines is not on the cruise ships run, so it has a very different and authentic feel. We used to come to Haines every summer with the girls when they were little. If you want a better idea of this small town feel, read this great book called If you lived here, I'd know your name by Heather Lende.

There, we met another traveling family that we connected with online. Joy and her two boys have spent the last 3 winters in Costa Rica, Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Peru and Ecuador. We connected instantly and spent most of our time there around the bonfire, talking. It is so awesome to meet like-minded family on the road.

On the way back, we stopped at Kluane National Park to make dinner in the shelter and enjoy beautiful Kathleen Lake.

Skagway, Alaska, the heart of the Gold Rush

August 26, 2014 by Catherine Forest in Alaska, Camping spots

In the first couple of years of the Gold Rush, the city of Skagway was the type of frontier town we see in western movies. It had makeshifts buildings with false fronts, gambling halls, saloons and dance halls.

We personnally do not go to Skagway to visit the now fake Gold Rush cardboard town. We go because the road between Whitehorse and Skagway is one of the most amazing roads one can drive. We go because we love to see how the landscape changes dramatically in less than 200 km as we cross over the Pass into the valley and down to sea level.

Skagway is now a cruise ship town and when we arrived, there were 3 cruise ships at the dock. The town was overflowing with tourists from all over the world, buying souvenirs by the dozen. We retreated to the Starfire, the local thai food restaurant, that felt so exotic when we lived in thai-food restaurant deprived Whitehorse. When we left, the town was empty again, the stores were closing and the locals were biking down Broadway Street again. They had their city back, until the next cruise ships...

We camped at the National Park Service Dyea campground, the heart of the ancient Gold Rush town and talked a lot about that amazing piece of history with the girls. We picked giant American bush cranberries, saw a seal playing in the sea right beside our campground in the Lynn Canal, spotted a few bald eagles and filled our lungs with the wet salty air. It reminded me of how we came to Skagway every spring, when it was still winter in Whitehorse and our bodies were hungry for the warmth of the sun, our dry skin drinking in the humidity of the Coast.

Dyea was much less developed than its sister town Skagway. The first stampeders who arrived at Dyea Harbor found endless tidal flats stretching before them. A 2 mile long bridge was built on the flats for the stampeders to use to carry their 1,500 pounds of provision off the flats. Little remains of Dyea today, as it only existed for a single year and was deserted when the White Pass and Yukon Route Railway was completed in 1899. The upright post that you see in the sand in the next photo are all that remains of the pier that jutted across the flats of the shallow harbor. When the people left, they brought back all the wood they had used to build the houses and now, and nature has reclaimed Dyea.

As you can imagine, standing right there in the middle of the flats sparked really interesting conversations with the girls, as we tried to imagine how busy it once was here when there were 8 000 people getting ready to leave for the gold fields. Four years ago, we briefly participated in a documentary/reality show made for TVO with the historian Gerges Hébert-Germain on the Gold Rush. We will watch it with the girls in the next few weeks, so they really get a feel of the stampeders' reality (and see their dad and themselves in it for a few seconds!).

The only real remnants of this era is the Slide Cemetery, in memory of the many people who died in an Avalanche on the Chilkoot Trail, trying to reach the gold fields.