Chilkoot Trail

Well here we are, ready for the five-day ordeal. We will follow the same route the Klondike gold seekers followed in the late 1890's.

There was a great deal of smoke from fires in the interior the first day. Luckily the smoke occurred at a time when the views were obscured by trees. The air cleared up during the second day, and the weather was perfect all the way.

Starting out the first day the team still looks pretty fresh. Here we are passing through a burnout on a floating bridge.

The second day included a stop at Canyon City. Artifacts were plentiful in this old stopover from the Klondike gold rush. How they were able to transport things like this cast iron stove is open to conjecture.

The team stops for a photo shoot starting out day-two. Backpacks were still very heavy at this time. Our first day was a very short hike because of the ferry arriving late. Consequently, this second day will be longer than planned.

As promised, I brought no cooking implements along. However I snuck in a couple of MRE's just to see how the kids would react. Julie decided it was worth a photo as evidence that I enjoyed a warm meal on the trip.

This is a place called "The Scales". Here gold seekers weighed their loads before the ascent up the Golden Staircase. Anything extra they left behind. Artifacts like these were plentiful in this area.

Looking up at "False Top" from the bottom of the "Golden Staircase". Looks daunting, and there are two more False Tops after this.

Spencer just getting under way for the top. He'll shed this long-sleeved shirt before too many more steps.

Mid-way up you see our team going hand over hand up the boulder strewn staircase.

Stampeders headed for the Klondike actually preferred the winter ascent because the steps cut into the snow were easier to climb on than these boulders.







Spencer poses near the top on the Golden Staircase for a picture. He, in his BYU tee shirt, should be posted on the BYU website.

Jessica, having already rested at the top, comes back to rescue a distressed backpacker who wrenched her knee, and stops to pose for a photograph with the oldest member of our team.

This monument marks the summit and the dividing line between Alaska and Canada. Usually this area is blanketed in fog. For us it was beautiful sunny skies and a wonderful view.

Spencer's ill-conceived notion to overturn the out-house was was photographed by his Aunt Julie. I imagine Papa Glen was in the out-house at the time.

By this time in the hike, people would resort to anything to improve their body odor -- even the use of bug spray. Juliet demonstrates the technique here.








The bridge near Deep Lake. Everybody is still doing fine. By this time the two old men have developed blisters however and are hobbling just a little.

The Canadian side was treeless for much of the way -- being at about 3,000 feet, which is above the tree level at this latitude. The landscape was marked with glacial snow that provided fresh snow melt all along the way.

Jessica was quite conscious of her appearance along the way because some of the backpackers from other parties were pretty good looking. I'm glad someone was, because many of the rest of us smelled like horses "rode heavy and put away wet".




Long Lake behind this hardy backpacker was a beautiful site, as were the numerous other lakes on the Canadian side of the boarder.

Spencer's backpack was a big as he is but that didn't slow him down. He was the first one to arrive at Bennett Lake, and when he passed me he was running.

The last night was spent at Bare Loon Lake. Some of the brave ones decided they were tired of smelling bad -- time for washing up. The swim out to this little island required passage through leach-infested waters. None of them seemed daunted by the the danger.

True to its name, there were loons in this Lake. Their beautiful sounds made this a much more enjoyable stopover.

The group pauses to pose before this old cabin that reminded us of what the good old days were like. The end of the trail is barely a mile from here.

This was the final day of the hike, and most of us show it.

Nearing the end now. The lake in the background is Lindeman.

Many of the stampeders built boats here only to see them dashed to pieces on the rapids between here and Bennett Lake. The wiser ones pushed on to Bennett before building their boats.

With only two more miles to go, we pushed on as well -- somewhat reluctant to see this wonderful adventure drawing to a close.

The end of the trail. The trail marker now points the way back to Skagway. They don't look too worse for the wear do they?

33 miles of unbelievable terrain as far as scenic beauty. We finished with a much greater appreciation for what the stampeders went through in the search for gold that put Alaska on the map.

The Kids Are Home Again -- At Least Three of Them

Well, the 3 youngest have come back to the Frozen North -- at least for the summer.

It looks like rest and recuperation are the first thing on the agenda.

We had a warm and sunny Independence Day and the parade was as big as ever. Two times around the block make it seem twice as long and make each entry unforgettable.

We drove out to Banana Point to help Jeff remember just how large the island is (that's a joke). We gathered rocks for a landscaping project I had, and found time for some rope swinging.

Not much time spent with Jordan. He's been out commercial fishing -- first with Kirt Marsh and then with Scott Newman.

Fishing has been pretty good, so if the prices hold up he should have a profitable summer.

The Ohmer Creek Trail was our first training hike for the big Chilkoot Trail scheduled for the end of this month.

The obvious exertion is overwhelming.

The next event was the tote race. Jessica teamed up with three of her friends and showed unsurpassed skill in winning this close race.

Next, Jeff shows that New Yorkers have outdoor skills too, teaming up with his sister for a humiliating loss.

No wonder they lost. They're doing it wrong.

Next the Kid from the Bronx shows off his skill at the log roll.

The agony of defeat.

Baby sister shows him how it's done, easily upsetting her first opponent.

But now it's her turn to taste the cold consequences of defeat.

No pictures are available for the 4.6 mile walk in which Jessica took third for 15-29 age group; and Jeff took 5th for the 50 years and over group. Wow, New York has really aged him.

The summer has been fun -- and it's not over yet. More to follow.

Must Do's Part One

When you are a regular to the "world", there are a few things that you must check off your list, otherwise... you can't feel good about going home. Pirates of the Caribbean is a definite "Must-do". Even though it has changed from when we knew it as kids it is still swashbucklin' good fun. The Disneyland version is better but the queue for WDW is cooler as in temperature and themed a bit better. I dare you to leave the ride w/o humming "Yo Ho Yo Ho A pirates life for me"!

Yes my faint hearted friend this is a must-do...even for this lily livered mother. The queue is amazingly entertaining (those Imagineers had fun with this one!) The story is so clever and he ride is exhilarating...if you can make it through w/o having a panic attack. I am deathly...I repeat DEATHLY afraid of heights. When we were in Europe I repeatedly had panic attacks when we had to climb in the bell towers of old churches, and up onto Fortresses. I have no idea where this fear originated but it is very real to me....BUT, I could ride this ride over and over. Each time it is different because it is ran by a computer and you never know if you will go up or down, or how many times it will bring you up only to drop you again. I heart this ride!

Toy Story Mania. Never knew what the hype was all about but Shane and I gave it a try last Fall at California Adventure park in California. We ran onto this ride after our first time. We were addicted to it and the only thing that had us walk away on to a different ride was that our arms were so sore from pulling the rope trying to beat each others score. Yes I did beat Shane...once. That is all I needed to keep him humble and not claim that he is "Undefeatable!" Here we are in line as Mr. Potato head tells jokes. Yes I beat Spencer 2 outta 3. Probably won't happen again.

Must-do's most definitely include food. This magical elixir is known as a Dole Whip. You can find this sweet concoction in Adventureland at a hut called Aloha Isle. They sell it in three flavors but there might as well only be one...Pineapple. Ask anyone and they will agree it is a mighty refreshing way to cool down on a hot day,...or night as this case may be. MMMmmm good! Stay tuned for the next installment of WDW Must-do's. For me it is all a must do but I am trying to limit myself. Not. Easy.

Scopa Towers

Researching where we were going to call home on our visit to the world was pretty easy. We knew we had to get two rooms with the size of our family so it had to be a value resort. Let me back up...when we go to Disney World we stay in one of their resorts for a number of reasons 1. Usage of Extra Magic Hours 2. Usage of bus transportation
3. Once you have done both it is hard to go off property again. With the value resorts you have a few choices: All Star Music, All Star Sports, All Star Movies, or Pop Century. We chose Pop (or if you listen to the podcast WDWToday it is affectionately known as Scopa Towers), because it is the newest and has the best concessions hands down of all the others. The idea of Pop Century is that there is the 50's the 60's the 70's the 80's and the 90's buildings. The older decades are still under construction. We requested the 80's for the obvious reasons that the 80's were awesome...but also because it was close to the buses and the pool was the less populated. We wanted a quieter area to nap the kids midday (a must when you tour the smart way).

The stairs are cleverly disguised by an icon of that era. This is one from the 50's. The pool for the 50's had a giant Jukebox and was the shape of a bowling pin.

Here is our way cool staircase. Halley and I had to go up and down it each day because it was so cool. A side note...I still can't solve those w/o pulling off the stickers. Anyway we were on the third floor again to get a quieter area for napping. What you can't see is the Pac-man on the sides of the 80's buildings with the power dots and ghosts as well. Way fun! Our pool was shaped like a computer and there were fun sayings everywhere like: "Gag me", "Fer sure", "Don't have a cow", and "Preppy". Shane and I also enjoyed the 80's music that would play around the pool like good ol' Huey Lewis and the Bengals.

Each day the "mousekeeping" would make cute little animals out of wash clothes and playfully lay out our stuffed animals that we had purchased. Of coarse we had to leave them a little extra something for their extra effort. But when you know these poor gals are from Haiti trying to provide for a family you can't help but share what you have been blessed with. The clean, cool room was soo inviting after a long hot day at the park. Thumbs up for Pop!

Coolest Dad Award

How lucky was I to be able to spend Father's Day with my Dad. I can't tell you how many years it has been spent by a phone call and me trying to share through the Satellite how special I think he is. We came off of our WDW trip and got to spend the next day at Mill Creek Falls and Avenue of the Boulders. I loved that place as a kid so it was very fitting to go back with my parents. One thing my Dad gave me was a love for the outdoors. Fun to go back!
Unfortunately with L.J. coming off vacation with pneumonia we couldn't really do a whole lot more but even just being at home with my parents is soul food for me. I love waking up to see my Dad playing with one of my kids or tinkering on his laptop...and seeing my Mom start breakfast...a chore I admittedly never do. I loved waking up this morning to make creme brulee french toast for Shane and my Dad...although I was way too sleepy at church as a result. I also loved making a big dinner to honor the two Dad's in my life. A good day for all until I had to see them off at the airport...not fun :( Dad I love you and I am grateful for the role you play in my life.

Happiest Place on Earth

It all started with a car ride to Portland and a 4 1/2 hour plane ride to Atlanta then a 1 1/2 hour plane ride to Orlando. Kids did great but we still got stares where'ere we went. Must be something to do with 7 people, 2 strollers, 1 car seat, and 7 rolling bags.

The Orlando airport is such a fun airport to fly into. You can feel the magic as soon as you leave the plane.

We always begin our trip at the Magic Kingdom. If you have never been to the "world" this is the park that is most like Disneyland with Main Street, Fantasyland, Frontierland, Adventureland etc. My girls are feeling the magic walking through Frontierland as we hear a hoedown about to begin. All my kids got tagged to participate in the event. They got to square dance with Bear Country characters and cast.

This year WDW has the theme of "What Are You Celebrating?" Everywhere you went it felt like a party...even down to the flowers. We went simply celebrating being a family. What a party we had!!!