Valderee, Valderah!

Living where any visit to town requires a mile and a quarter hike out and back, you’d think we wouldn’t consider hiking a recreational activity. But when you live in a really beautiful place, it’s well worth it!

The Three Guardsmen from across (and considerably above) the Haines Highway (Photo: Mark Zeiger).

Yesterday we joined friends for a hike in Chilkat Pass (Chilkat Pass is the Haines Highway route to points elsewhere. Chilkoot Pass is the famous Gold Rush-era hiking trail. Don’t be confused!) We crossed the Canadian border into British Columbia and drove up to a mountain called The Three Guardsmen. We headed out overland west of the highway, but soon found a rough mining road, which we followed (more or less) to the (presumably unnamed) peaks above the highway. Incredible vistas that stretched for miles all around us, while at our feet, tiny alpine flowers grew.

We hiked for about 6 hours, ending at 8:00 pm, with as much daylight as I saw at about 4:00 pm when I recently visited Oregon. I don’t know for sure where we were, or how far we hiked—that data is being gathered by the kids as a homeschooling project. It’s not important; we got out and enjoyed our surroundings and our friends’ company—that’s important!

A small ice pond just below one of the summits (Photo: Mark Zeiger).

Where to look? The small figure in the foreground is Aly, photographing alpine wildflowers less than an inch tall (Photo: Mark Zeiger).

Sir Edmund Hilary said it best! (l to r): Russ, Sheeshao, Cindy, Eli, Michelle, Mark, Aly (Photo: Eli White).

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