White Pass Summit

All Aboard!
May 14, 2013

... waiting for the engine to start ...

... capturing part of our train as we round the bend ...

The Scenic Railway of the World. White Pass Summit.

Board the train and then watch out the window as the following pass by: the Gold Rush Cemetery, Black Cross Rock, Bridal Veil Falls, Dead Horse Gulch, the Steel Bridge. Greg reminded me that Dave Wood has been wanting to take this trip for years – but my car.

Moiya always says, “Go, but I am not getting in the car.”

After the railroad ride, I can see why Wyona and Greg are taking the railroad trip for the second time ... and why Dave might want to go there.

Stunning to climb the side of the mountain until the summit is before you with its trees, hundreds of years old but not able to grow higher than six feet tall because of the climate.

... the conductor takes our ticket ...

An excellent part of the trip was when the train broke down.

At the end of the line, people were told they could get off in town and walk around, or stay on the train and be delivered back to the vessel. Greg got off.

We elected to stay on the train. The engine was to come around from the back to the front of the train for that journey, but the engine wouldn’t start.

The next thing we heard was an announcement that 3 coaches were coming to take us back to the boat.

I decided to get off and walk – a test to see if could walk back faster than the coaches could make it back after loading all of those people.

I beat Wyona back, though she was stopped on the gangplank by a woman in front of her who collapsed to her knees.

Travelling with old people?

... the top of White Pass Summit ...

There is often drama, just in climbing stairs. 

Someone collapsed on the stairs. 

Wyona was the one who caught her as she was going down and called for help.

... water tumbling down the hills ...

Tonight we are sailing down the Lynn Canal, part of the inside passage of the Pacific Ocean.

Tomorrow morning we will wake up in Hoonah, Alaska.

The port is so small that you can get to the ship from anywhere in town, in 10 minutes.

As the activities director said today, “In a couple of hours, you can see the whole town ... twice.”

Arta