So I didn't really have an adventure in Brazil. Despite how things look, I didn't spend a lazy week sunning myself on white sands, next to sparkling blue waters... The nice golden glow and streaks of blonde in my hair are snow glare induced. Ken and I and two neighbors (i.e. Token, Weggers, Skookum, and Rocky) just returned from our Chilkoot Adventure...
We left last Saturday for the drive to Whitehorse, attempting to sleep despite the frost heaves (silly us! how can you sleep when one leg and both arms must be used to brace yourself in your seat, lest you slump to the floor despite wearing your seat belt or bash your head against the window...), and were just in time to find hardly any restaurants open. Not that it was late... I think it was just after 7 pm on a Saturday night. While I longed to dine in the sushi restaurant downtown, or the little Indian restaurant tucked out of the way and on the periphery, Boston Pizza was one of the few places open. So Saturday night at Boston Pizza it was. It's a bitter pill to swallow when you leave Fairbanks only to eat at one of the few restaurants we have in Fairbanks!
Sunday morning somewhat made up for Saturday. We dashed around town to find a good cup of coffee, Tim Horton's donuts to satisfy Rocky's craving, 222s for Ken (who is notorious for breaking bones and not going to the doctor for a variety of reasons, so Canada's OTC policy- and health care system in general- works out well), and the sale at Coast Mountain Sports for those last minute must-haves and really good deals. (Unfortunately, with the exchange rate at nearly 1:1, those really good deals that I remember from a few years ago were a lot harder to find!) And of course, we couldn't leave town without stopping at the Yukon Brewing Company. It's Rocky's favorite, and Yvette and I were curious about a couple of the specialty beers. A taste test was in order, even if it was only 10:30 am, and I had walked in with my morning coffee still in hand! I figured it was ok, since the last beer in the line up was the Midnight Sun Espresso Stout. Just like coffee, no? I like Whitehorse a lot. It's much more cosmopolitain than Fairbanks, despite being less than half the size.
Emerald Lake, on the road to Skagway, was the highlight of our drive!
We had a two and a half hour drive to Skagway and permits yet to buy, so we headed down the road before the morning slipped away. We obtained our permits and listened to warnings about avalanche danger and the necessity of snowshoes, discovered there would only be one other group on the trail at our chosen camp spots, and wandered off to find lunch and drinks. It was a hot day in Skagway, but you wouldn't have known it: a "boat" was in, and the thousands of tourists wandering around town were all wearing jackets and long pants. By "boat" I mean cruise ship, and by cruise ship I mean vessel larger than any building in Skagway.
This isn't actually a photo that I took, but it looks right (except it's missing the glaring sun, and the four of us sweating to death with as few clothes on as we could manage). I guess we must have really stuck out from the crowd in our shorts... that and the fact that we were walking in the middle of the road like Ester yokels, as much because that's what we do at home as it was to avoid the crowds... because I was asked for directions more than once.
After lunching, visiting the local outdoor store (the Mountain Shop) to see what was on sale and grab last minute things (notice a theme?), we headed to the hotel lawn to unpack our backpacks and repack our backpacks.
As if we wouldn't do enough of that over the next few days... but that's how it is before a trip into the backcountry, long or short. Gear in order, we headed into our sweltering hotel for a fitful but early night of sleep. We knew falling and remaining asleep would be difficult given our state of excitement, but this is what we faced after breakfast the next morning:
Stay tuned for Day 1 on the trail...
