The Chilkoot Trail,

Happy Camp to Lindeman City

Thursday 16^th July

I slept really well that night. It was only a short trek, perhaps three hours of perhaps 8kms to the next camp. The weather continued to be good and it was pleasant to have some bright sunshine after a few days of cloud and rain. There were cairns to follow to mark the route as we made our way along side Long Lake.

 

By Long Lake the the trail followed the valley some distance away from the lake shore to avoid several promontories and cliffs that plunged straight into the water. There were a few trees but it was largely alpine meadow style of scenery.

 

 Next was Deep Lake, not that the prospectors knew how deep it was but it was a dark blue colour indicating that it was fairly deep. There were a lot of colourful flowers and some ducks on the lake including a mother duck, a Looney that appears on the Canadian one dollar coin and her ducklings.

 There had been reportings of both black and grizzly bears in the area but we were alert and saw none. At the end of Deep Lake there is a gorge and a waterfall and another long gorge. One prospecting party left their boat here in favour of carrying their goods down the valley rather than risk the rapids in the gorge.

 There had been reportings of both black and grizzly bears in the area but we were alert and saw none. At the end of Deep Lake there is a gorge and a waterfall and another long gorge. One prospecting party left their boat here in favour of carrying their goods down the valley rather than risk the rapids in the gorge.

 

 The camp ground was set on the lake shore with a cabin to warm up in and to cook in over looking the lake. It is hard to believe that this wooded area was home to over four thousand stampeders, living under canvas who had chopped down all the trees within a days hiking distance for fuel or construction.