An early start saw us back on a train, this time the White Horse and Yukon Railroad. Our trip today was to follow the route the 49ers took getting to the Yukon goldfields from Skagway

Starting thru the conifer forests we climbed upwards towards the snow line, seeing the rail tracks in the distance, high up on the mountain.

The further we got the colder it was, with snow on the peaks flowing down gully’s towards us.

By now we were reaching Dead Horse Gulch. The 49ers had to drag a ton of supplies up to the USA / Canada border before being allowed to proceed further. It saved a lot of miners later on, but thousands of horses died doing it, as a horse was cheaper than the hay it needed.

Once over the pass we were into a very bleak landscape. The 49ers had to build rafts and float down rivers and lakes, before making their way to Dawson City. Some did strike it rich, but many turned back, died or had to go elsewhere to seek their fortune.

After visiting a suspension bridge we made our way back to the ship, via a coach. The high markers are to guide the snow ploughs, (white and your ok, red and your dead), they can get 14 foot of snow in a single fall, and up to 40 foot over winter.