Day 8 - Skagway

I woke up around 7:30 so I could slowly get ready and grab a bite to eat in the courtyard before my tour left. I found out a grandfather and two of his grandkids staying in the suite next to me were going on the same tour, so I followed them off the boat only to find that our tour had been cancelled due to the heavy cloud cover. The helicopters needed to be able to see the camp in order to land, so we were out of luck for the day. They offered us a glacier tour via helicopter instead, so I figured I was up for anything, but still disappointed I wouldn’t get to go dog sledding. There were about 6 helicopters in our group and I was placed with a family of 5 from Miami. The pilot looked to be about 16 years old – which made me quite nervous! The ride was incredible! It was some of the most beautiful and breathtaking sights I have ever seen in my life! The helicopter landed on the Meade Glacier and it was amazing how small everyone felt standing on the huge mass of ice. Our guide gathered everyone up and went over a few safety tips (like don’t walk backwards) and we were off on a quick hike. He pointed out a deep crevasse which seemed to go down forever! There were a couple of mulans which were small rivulets of water that flowed through the ice and made stunning little waterfalls as it cascaded through the crevasses. We hiked up towards a small pool of bubbling water that gave everyone a chance to drink the fresh glacier water – it was delicious!

The flight back was just as incredible and I took so many pictures I almost filled up my camera! I was really glad I opted for the trip to the top of the glacier because I don’t think I would have picked it and it was truly once in a lifetime experience!

I went back to the ship to find Peyton and my Mom snuggled up on a viewing bed on deck 12 relaxing to the sights of Skagway. We grabbed a quick bite to eat and went back to the room to rest before our afternoon tour.

We left the ship around 4:30 to catch the White Pass Yukon Railroad. I didn’t think anything could rival the helicopter tour, but the train ride up to White Pass summit, gave it a run for the money. The train slowly ambled up the scenic mountain providing vista after vista. We saw the Skagway River with its class six rapids broiling beneath us and several waterfalls tumbling down the mountain. As we climbed higher, more snow dotted the sides of the path and the landscape became rockier and less dense with foliage. We passed Dead Horse Gulch which was where thousands of pack animals lost their lives from the deadly trail of the gold rush. We could even see the path that the men had to climb with one ton of supplies to pass through the summit.

The top of White Pass was amazing. There were pools of melting snow and ice covering the pass that sparkled like diamonds in the sunlight. The train’s engine had to move on the switchback rail which gave us several minutes to take in the surrounding views before we were headed back down the mountain again. On the way down, there was a commotion behind me with one person saying there was a bear up ahead. Sure enough, a little black bear with an adorable brown face tumbled though the trees right next to the passing train. I basically got a fuzzy black spot on the video camera, but he was just as cute as can be! I am sure if I was not safe on the train, I would have felt very different about seeing a bear.

By the time the train arrived back at the ship, we were exhausted, but Peyton pleaded with us to go to kid’s camp. I dropped him off around 8:00 and Mom and I watched a movie in the room and ordered dinner from the Mexican restaurant onboard. It was delicious! I think it was my favorite meal so far.

I went down to get Peyton around 10:00 – of course he begged to stay longer. The casino was calling me again, so I played for about 30 minutes where I won some more money and then headed back to get him so we could all get to bed.