We sleep well to the sound of the Tutshi River flowing by our campsite. It rains intermittently, but when we wake and look outside the tent, there are patches of blue in the sky. The air is cold and has an earthy fragrance from the rain falling on the forest floor. We enjoy hot coffee watching the river and eat our customary camp breakfast of oatmeal, today’s version sprinkled with walnuts and dried plums. As we depart, we see a red fox dash by, its long and voluminous orange-red tail following it into the forest.

The road takes us through an alpine wilderness studded with clear blue lakes and rivers. The mountains rise in every direction and a cold wind whips off the snow fields. We climb towards White Pass and the US-Canada border.

At the border, we begin an almost 20 kilometer descent to Skagway from 1,000 meters to sea level. It’s a pleasure to just coast and watch the beautiful scenery pass by.

Skagway is a bit of a culture shock. Once the jumping off point for Klondike gold miners, it is now a stop for Alaska cruises. The vast majority of the population is transient, most here for just a few hours, some for a season or two. When we roll into town, there are theee massive cruise ships in the small harbor, towering over everything and the streets are lined with every manner of tourist trap conceivable. The July 4th parade is about to begin, so we find a small cafe off main street and watch the flow of humanity.

After lunch, we head to the ferry terminal, change clothes and board the Hubbard, which is dwarfed by the cruise ships, for the seven hour trip to Juneau down the Chilcoot Inlet and Favorite Passage.

The ferry has a solarium with heat lamps, so we find two beach chairs and kick back to enjoy the views. It’s a relaxing and fun way to end this fantastic adventure. And the sun even breaks through.