Phil said he wanted to see a few photos from the Chilkoot. The first one is our bilingual "certificate" for doing the Chilkoot during its centennial year. The second is a photo of a frame I made about the trip. Hope they're clear enough to help relive the journey.
Upper left is me trudging up the "Golden Stairs". Phil had gallantly offered to carry my pack to the top. I said. "hell no. I can do this." Phil had scrambled to the top (the scales) and was waiting for B and I. He got tired of waiting and dropped his pack and scrambled back down. I don't know how the hell you did that, Phil. (Note to Phil's kids... your dad's a bear of a guy... always a kind and thoughtful bear.)
Phil, that was a kind offer and, in retrospect, I should have taken advantage of it.
Lower left. That's me and B ascending the "Golden Stairs". This is the classic shot of the Chilkoot, i.e., AK license plate. Jack London wrote of the unending line of climbers, "One could hear the loud huffing long before anything came into view."
Upper right. Resting at the summit. That look of desperation on my face? I was six weeks from my first three coronary stents.
Middle right. The summit shack which sits on the US / Yukon border. Here is where the Canadian scales sat, thus determining if each climber had his 1000 lbs of gear.
Lower right. The three of us waiting for our ride back to civilization. This is 28+ miles later... after Lake Bennett and miles and miles of those damn narrow gauge tracks.
It was a grand trip.
Jack
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