Office workers, who’d never been in the back country, came north by the thousands, to find gold in the Klondike in 1898. They built 7,000 boats along Lake Bennett, many having never built a thing in their life before this. Kevin demonstrates how things can go wrong in the far north, when you tangle with a whip saw!

It’s springtime in the Yukon, and the Dall Sheep are being seen low on Dall Mt. I used to think Dall Mt was named after the sheep, but it is actually named after the first miner to mine for silver in the area!

Anyways, there are Dall Sheep and Mt Goat low on the mountain this time of year. Soon, tho… they will head for the hills, to protect their young from bear. They have their young high in the cliffs. It’s a bit different than when we have our young. Unlike us, they let the kids play on cliffs for fun!

The day after we sighted our first bear of the season along the Klondike Hwy, we spotted one in our living room! Levi was in love with him, talking to “Bear” and laughing with him. How lucky I am, to get to spend the summer with my grandson; between tours, of course!

This black bear must have had a lot of scratching to do after he crawled out of hibernation.  We approached him, as he walked towards us down the Klondike Hwy yesterday. He comes to the guardrail, and I’m thinking he’ll crawl over it and run into the bushes. But no, there was some serious scratching to be done. First, he rubs his under belly on the guardrail, then  he backs up against the stake for a back scratch. Still not satisfied, he backs into a small tree, grabs the tip of the tree in his paw, pulling the tree against him and commences to using prickly pine needles to scratch with!

All this, before he finally stopped to dine on newly sprouted greens, growing along the shoulder of the road.
The bears are out!

The small town of Carcross, Yukon, likes not far across the border from us, in Skagway, USA. I love taking you there in the summer for several reasons! It is beautiful, quiet and peaceful if you get there before the big busses arrive, (which I do)! The girls who work at the visitor center are the most friendly, informative women I know!  Keith the carver works in his shop there, and he and his apprentices are super, and do wonderful work.  I love learning new things about their culture there.

AND the sun is almost always shining there, no matter what it’s doing in Skagway!

Although this looks like a toy train heading into a tunnel, it is life size! The White’s Pass Yukon Route built on narrow gauge tracks, has been touring it’s way north towards the Klondike since the gold rush in 1900, but only going as far as Carcross now. You can book the train by calling 907-983-2217 and I can connect with you for an SUV tour. Be sure to ask me if I’m available first!

There’s been two bear sightings in the Skagway area, so far this spring! They are coming out of hibernation and will soon be dining on Dandelions that grow along the Klondike Hwy. I find it amazing that the very flowers that people brought to the shoulder of the road, from seeds that fall from their tire treads, are the same flowers that also bring people here to watch the bears dine on them!

The once sleepy town of Skagway, is waking up more each day. Business owners are bustling in town, to get their shops beautiful by Friday! Why Friday? That is the first day of our cruise ship season and the first day of business for many shop owners, for 2012. Hurry, hurry, it’s not long now!  Our weather’s been nice, and we are all excited for your arrival!

Building an Inukshuk take careful precision! Two legs, two arms and a head are in order.

Emerald Lake doesn’t look like this just yet, but by mid May, this is the lake during spring thaw! It won’t be long now. The greens of the lake seem amplified when viewed through the thin ice! I can’t wait, can you?

Keith, who is a friend of mine, is happy to talk to our small group if we call ahead to let him know we are coming. He works at the carving shed in the small town of Carcross, and is quite an accomplished totem pole carver. He enjoys sharing about carving, and the history of the First Nation People of the Carcross area. If you have an interest in a visit with Keith, let me know when you book with me.

I’ve recently booked a few of my afternoon tours with my new son in law, Brian. He has been a summer kayak guide in Seward for the past three years, has fallen in love with our great State of Alaska AND my daughter! They now have a son together, my first grandson! Needless to say, I am very happy to have them coming to Skagway this summer and to have Brian on board to give me a break on  some of my afternoon tours, when Kate can’t make it!  This family of three will be here in one week and I am very excited!

This photo was taken last summer, while on a walk on one of our scenic Alaskan beaches.

I love Alaskan kids, and how their parents get them outside in all kinds of weather. This was taken a few weeks ago, at one of our ski races. Mom and Dad actually took her out on a ten day canoe trip when she was two months old! She has been on more outdoor adventures in her short life than most enjoy in their long lifetimes!

The White’s Pass Train goes as far as Carcross. Although most people do not want to remain on the train this long, it is a very pretty ride! If you are interested, ask me about the train schedule. I can pick you up from or drop you off in Skagway, Fraser or Carcross, for any train ride combination that you’d like to choose. It makes a nice combination; SUV tour and train ride!

Kate is a rafting guide here in Skagway, and also my daughter! I’m introducing her to you, because some of you might have her for your tour guide, if you booked an afternoon tour in my SUV. I have so many double day bookings this summer, I am realizing that I would have to be a super hero to take both morning and afternoon tours everyday.  Kate, who is 29 years old in 2012, is a very capable CDL Driver, and smart about her Klondike Gold Rush History, She knows what it’s like to live year round, in Alaska. Don’t worry tho, if I have not told you that she’ll be your guide, I will be your guide, barring an extreme emergency.  By the way, the three hugging in the background are my other three children, Meg, Brian and Klondike Kevin. On the right, is my neice, Michelle, who lives in Wasilla!

Yes! We do have some nice summer days here, warm enough for alpine lake swimming. Perhaps you’ll choose a day Beyond Skagway, where it is warm enough to swim in an alpine lake! Are you up for it? You only live once!

You’ll stop at Bridal Veil Falls, less than a half hour away from Skagway! By the time you get here in May, the falls will be flowing with melted snow from above. Torrents of water are about to melt down all the mountains surrounding Skagway, raising the level of our Skagway River, but not to the point of flooding! That’s our hope, anyways! The dike has held every year since they built it to protect our small SE Alaskan town.

Jeff, Kevin and I spent an hour, cross country skiing out to where the US and Canadian Borders meet, where the train tracks run thru it. Only, when there’s 30 feet of snow, there are no tracks to be found. Only snow! There’s a bit of melting yet to go before tourists get to see bare ground in this spot. It is beautiful, no matter how much snow  you might find here.

Here’s my “boys”, about to hit the starting line up for the Buckwheat Ski Race, held at Log Cabin. We’ll pass this historic Log Cabin area while on your tour to Emerald Lake. This area used to be Canadian Customs during the Gold Rush, where the miners had to have their supplies weighed before they could continue to Dawson. If they did indeed, have their ton of goods, they could continue. If they didn’t, they were turned back. The Canadians did not want the Americans starving to death during their stay in the Yukon.

You won’t have to worry about starving when on your tour with me! I’ll make sure you get some grits along the way!

I went dog sledding last week, which was very exciting for me! Muktuk Adventures are open year round, near Whitehorse, but they only take folks out dog sledding when there’s snow on the ground! I got to spend last week, going out three different days, on the trail, with a dog sled team! What fun! If any of you think you’d like to try this, I can arrange a trip to see Muktuk Adventures, “off the grid” home of Frank Turner and his wife, with their dogs, in the summer, (it’s on my tours page), or get you there in the springtime, when there’s still snow! Just give me a shout and we’ll work out the details!