Canadian Adventure- Part 5: Riding the White Pass Railroad & Laughton Glacier Cabin

Returning through the U.S. border proved to be even easier than getting into Canada, and after a few requisite questions about where we'd been and what we were bringing back (nothing), we were on our way.

We arrived into town by around 9:30 a.m. and stopped at the Mountain View RV Park we did laundry at on our last Skagway trip.  There, we re-packed for the trip to the cabin. There was a picnic table to lay our supplies out on and survey what food to bring.

Then we drove to the ferry terminal to leave the car until the next day. I had wondered about possible theft of our raft or bikes (the latter of which we locked to the car), but with people constantly coming and going it was about the safest place in town.











We hoisted on our backpacks and made the short walk into town to check in at the train depot for our ride to the Laughton Glacier Cabin. This part of the trip was the next most expensive, after our ferry tickets. The train ride cost $67 per person round trip to the Glacier, but at over 15 miles from town it was too far to walk for the time we had. And I was looking forward to riding the train.

Of course, the first thing we did was get on the wrong car. Fortunately, the train's employees are used to directing tourists all summer long and got us off that car and onto the right one. Just goes to prove that even "locals" can get confused. :)

Before we got on the train, a train employee took our backpacks for storing. We were also asked to show our passports, because although we wouldn't be going into Canada again, we still would be checked by US Customs on the way back into Skagway. And then we settled in for the ride.

The White Pass & Yukon Route railroad goes from Skagway to Carcross, Yukon. It's 67.5 miles one way. At Carcross, passengers (most from cruise ships docked in Skagway) have the option of taking a bus into Whitehorse or on several other excursions (read more here). We would only being going about 15 miles along the route to access the trailhead to the Laughton Glacier Cabin. 

    Waiting to board the train at the Skagway depot

           Railside                                                                                                      Warming up by the heater on the train  

Scotty and I have been here before, in early spring 2010. On that trip we walked the tracks to stay at the Denver Caboose. It's an old caboose available for reservations that has been converted into a cabin, complete with an oil-drip stove and a cupola sleeping left. When we stayed here the first few days of May, there was still patchy snow on the ground and the trains were one week away from opening for the summer season. 

Denver Caboose

On the train ride we could see the highway we had traveled just that morning across the river gorge. Below, white water rapids churned. The train's narrator told us that no one had ever successfully kayaked the the river. (He didn't mention whether there were any unsuccessful attempts.)

View of the river gorge between railroad and highway

Upon reaching the Laughton Glacier trailhead, the train stopped to let us off, along with another couple, who told us they were day-hiking up the glacier. Then, a man who had helped us off the train started to put up the folding steps to leave and we still didn't have our backpacks. "Um, we need our backpacks," we reminded him.

"Your backpacks?" He appeared mystified. We described the lady we had given them to. After a few minutes of of apparent searching someone finally brought them to us. Afterwards Scotty and I laughed at the awkwardness and agreed that it would have been very bad if they left without giving us our stuff for the night.

Laughton Glacier trailhead

The hike to the cabin was an easy one, only two miles away. We both noticed how well-maintained the trail was, with nice rock steps. Someone had done a great job of making it a nice one. Along the way we stopped to filter water from the fast-moving river. The water comes from glacier reservoirs in the mountains and was icy and delicious. Even with the stop, the hike took us about 45 minutes.

Hiking into the wilderness

As we approached the cabin we saw that we had company. Some people had started a fire down by the river on the hill below and we wondered if they would be there throughout the night. As we unpacked our sleeping gear inside, one of the guys walked through our front door.

A weird thing about cabins that I may never get used to is that they are open to public use during the day. Which means that between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. anyone can walk in and make himself comfortable. For a person who likes hanging out in their pajamas and drinking coffee until Noon on a random Sunday, this means I have to get dressed at an early hour. Scotty, in true sailor fashion, likes to be completed packed up by the time of allowed public use. But people who frequent the cabins are generally very nice and respectful and this guy was too. He told us he and his friends were working in Skagway for the summer (many young people are) and just out for a day hike.

As dinnertime approached a steady rain set in. The "pan-abode" style cabin is of a type of construction made for this part of the country and included a nice overhang of the roof  creating a dry front porch. We sat there and ate our dinner, listening to the rushing of the river.

Laughton Glacier Cabin

Check back Monday for a wrap-up of our trip and news of another upcoming adventure!