Summit to Sea in Skagway

Wednesday 10th July
Skagway is a lovely little town! It is the most northerly ice free port in Alaska and it is tiny, with painted wooden buildings and a picturesque railway that goes up into the mountains. It is very near the Yukon in Canada so has a gold-mining history. We had booked a tour to go cycling from the Canadian border all the way back down to Skagway, which is 15 miles. We were transported up the mountain with the same group of young people that we went sea-kayaking with in Ketchikan. After some safety instructions from our friendly guide Knikki (yes, that is how she spells it, and the K is silent!) we started whizzing down the hill, stopping at various viewpoints. This was not strenuous because gravity was doing all the work, however it was rather alarming because we were going very fast and we were cycling on the (admittedly quiet) highway! At the first stop one of the young people chose to get back into the van (which followed us) because it was too scary for him. However the rest of us continued and it was great to be cycling down through the mountains, seeing waterfalls and snowfields. We had to go back through the American border but we were just waved through and didn't have to show our passports. When we arrived back in the outskirts of Skagway we got to do a little proper cycling, by which I mean using the pedals! It was a beautiful sunny day, and it was really warm in the town. One of the young people was telling me that she has lost 50 pounds in the last year which is amazing because she looks as if she has always been slim. I said congratulations and that I have lost a stone and a half myself, and she said "Way to go, us!" and high fived me, which I thought was very sweet.
After we handed in the bikes we got hold of a trail map and went on a three mile walk up to and around Lower Dewey Lake. It was a good wee hike, rough going in places but beautiful views and lots of wild flowers beside the lake. We sat beside the water for a while and made our first acquaintance of Alaskan mosquitos which were pesky. Back down the hill we went and had a wander round the tiny town before hopping back onto the ship.
We went for a swim at the Sanctuary pool beside the spa and found that it is a "lap pool". This means that you press a button which sets off a current that you can swim against. I loved it! We also made use of the hot tub and read our books. Excellent day!