Late Summer in the White Pass
Yesterday turned out much better than the forecast had indicated, and so the drive to Skagway and back was a much longer trip than I had expected. We stopped on the way to Skagway for a bit of a run at Tutshi Lake as usual, and then for a longer walk at Summit Lake, just to get out and enjoy the sunshine. The wind had a bite to it, but it was still warm enough for just a t-shirt and vest, and I wished that I’d brought my sandals instead of heavy rain shoes.
Most people probably have a hard time imagining border crossings being fun, but they often are here – a brief conversation with people I see regularly, and often cookies for the dogs (Kayla and Monty figure that the border is just another take-out window!).
The ship that I saw arriving on the WP&YR webcam turned out to be the Norwegian Pearl, the newest ship running Alaska routes. I love the Norwegian paint schemes, and the ships seem to be as much fun as the paint would indicate. The Pearl has a rock climbing wall and bowling alley, and some incredible “staterooms” called Garden and Courtyard Villas – they’re up to 5,000 square feet and the Garden Villas have a private garden with hot tub, and access to a private courtyard with pool. Now that’s luxurious cruising!
Heading North again, I decided to go for a real hike at the summit – the weather got better and better as we passed the summit, though, and we finally stopped in the sunshine at Summit Lake again. As you can see in this photo looking back at the summit, there is fresh snow on many of the peaks now – down to about the 5,500-foot level.
One of the plants that I really enjoy is reindeer moss – I love the look of it and the feel of it. It’s at its peak health right now, both on our property and in the White Pass, where it really brightens up the landscape despite it’s virtual lack of colour.
Once we managed to get to the fine gravel beach of Summit Lake, the dogs went crazy playing in the shallow water!
Summit Lake is quite unique in the way the colour of the water changes half-way down the lake. The upper end is crystal-clear meltwater, while the lower end is turquoise once Summit Creek dumps its glacial waters into the lake.
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