Hike along the pristine glaciers of Kluane National Park.

n August 17, 1896, gold was discovered in the Klondike Valley. Only a few flakes were found but it was enough to trigger the most incredible stampede for riches the world has ever known. Landing at Skagway, Alaska, fortune hunters had a choice of hiking 35 miles over the 3500-foot Chilkhoot Pass or 45 miles over the 2400-foot summit of White Pass. The trip took up to 90 days and marked only the beginning of a 500-mile journey down the Yukon River shooting dangerous rapids on a log raft to the gold fields.

In 1896, 1700 Klondike prospectors panned $300,000 worth of gold. By Spring of 1898, a single line of stampeders inched along the narrow Chilkhoot Trail between Skagway and Lake Bennett. Notwithstanding that three in four gave up the dream and turned back, by 1900, when the White Pass & Yukon Railway service began, close to 50,000 souls removed more than $22.2 million worth of gold from Yukon soil.

Hundreds lost their lives in the quest for gold. It is said that not one of the 3,000 pack animals purchased in Skagway to carry the mandatory ton of supplies by each stampeder reached the end of the trail alive. Dead Horse Gulch, located 17.5 miles from Skagway, was named for these victims of neglect and overloading.

A test of endurance
Every year in September, hundreds of runners congregate in Whitehorse, Yukon and Skagway, Alaska to commemorate the Spirit of ’98 and to test their endurance in a gruelling road relay that, in part, roughly parallels the still visible Chilkhoot Trail etched into the mountainside by the stream of gold seekers who came to pan for gold in Dawson City so long ago.

The MV Schwatka takes visitors through picturesque Miles Canyon.

The relay covers the 176.4-kilometre Klondike Trail of ‘98 International Road Relay between Skagway, Alaska and Whitehorse in the Yukon–an average of 17.6 kilometres for each team member! Clearly, this is not for the weak-willed or faint-of-heart.

The race begins with a 'carbo-loading banquet' in Skagway, Alaska at 11:00 pm (YT) on Friday. As if running up mountains over great distances isn't enough to contend with, the first half of the relay race is covered in the dead of the night. This is the same terrain where coyotes, grizzly bears and wolves stake out territory. Then, there's always the weather factor.

Putting all this behind them, the first runners embark on their lonely uphill trek past Skagway tourist shops and the Gold Rush Cemetery, over the Skagway River to Rocky Point’s unparalleled vistas of Skagway and the Lynn Canal.

The race profile for Stage 2 described this portion as 'Steep Hill!!' In fact, it’s a sheer cliff that runs straight up for 9.3 kilometres to an elevation of 3,292 feet at the U.S./Canada border. It was here, in 1898, that RCMP waved on only those stampeders with a ton of supplies, enough to survive in the North for one year. And, it is here, with team mates offering words of encouragement from warm vans, that runners race towards the desolate snowshed that houses Canadian Customs at Fraser, B.C.

Emerald Lake is a favourite rest and lunch stop for Yukon travellers.

Into the night, runners challenge undulating terrain past Bernard Lake to Bennett where a brown bear had been sighted only hours earlier. Bennett, once a thriving city, was where boats were built for the long trip down the Yukon River to the Klondike. Now, nothing is left but the ruin of a half-built church and an abandoned railroad station.

As dawn breaks, the immense northern skies fill with glorious sunshine and brilliant fall colours explode throughout the countryside. Oblivous to picture-book snow-capped mountains and the panoramic views that surround them, hearing nothing but the sound of their feet marking the way and time, runner after runner forges ahead.

They glide by Carcross, originally known as Caribou Crossing, past the World’s Smallest Desert with its windswept sand dunes, and on to the sparkling waters of Emerald Lake. By 4:00 p.m., Saturday, the last eligible runners cross the finish line in Whitehorse, hands raised in triumphant victory, 18 hours after the race began.

Their running times may not be outstanding, but the teamwork is inspired. Faces beam as team pictures are snapped. At that moment, there isn't a mountain they can't conquer.

Air Canada and Canadian provide daily service to Vancouver, Calgary and Winnipeg where daily air service is offered to Whitehorse. Accommodations range from hotels and motels to hunting and fishing lodges, ranches, campgrounds with RV stalls as well as the Northern Network of Bed & Breakfasts. Call Yukon Tourism at (867) 667-5340. Travel the narrow-gauge railway between Fraser, B.C. and Skagway, Alaska–truly one of the world's great train journeys. We highly recommend a Glacier Air Tour in Burwash, Yukon or Skagway, Alaska. While you’re in Whitehorse, don’t miss a 2-1/2 hour cruise on the MV Schwatka through Miles Canyon. For details on the Klondike Trail of ‘98 International Road Relay, call (867) 668-4236.

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