Whitehorse

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April 25th

On to Whitehorse. Now over 60 degrees north latitude. I arrived in the Cessna ahead of the road-bound travelers, but unfortunately, as has been the case in most locales, the museums are closed for the winter. Reopenings are typically posted as mid-May. There was a theater advertising what looked to be an interesting experience in Watson Lake yesterday, but it was not open for the season yet.

What a spectacular flight it was today. Most of what I saw on the flight today was indistinguishable to me from Alaska. After Scott and Maria arrived, I took her for a local flight to see the Yukon River and the mountains. A minute of so after liftoff, we shared a small bit of airspace with a magnificent golden eagle. Its wingspan looked to be in the neighborhood of seven feet.

We plan to take tomorrow off and either drive or fly down to Skagway for our first taste of Alaska. Skagway was the major jumping off point for gold rush prospectors 110 years ago. The famed Chilkoot Trail begins nearby. Gold rush trekkers had to carry a year’s worth of supplies up this steep and treacherous trail just to begin the journey to the Yukon. Scott and Doug climbed part of the Chilkoot at the beginning of our 2001 Alaska trip. I have yet to see it.

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