Into the thick of Summer in Haines Alaska

Field of the Dandelion weeds at the Ghost Town of
Porcupine City. My Dad on one of my tours.

I cant believe we are already into July.  Summer flies when your having fun in Haines Alaska and Tour Guiding seals the deal!  I’m having a ball taking people to the Schnabel’s Big Nugget Mine where we pan for gold and find nice nuggets.  This is a great tour for the young and the young at heart!

Elizabeth from California takes a snap of
her cousin, local cutie, 4 yr old Hayden with his
gold nugget he panned all by himself

We have seen black bears on Porcupine Road…

Black Bear take off quick on Porcupine Road,
it is hard to get a good snap of them

Bald Eagles in the Bald Eagle Preserve and Celebrities (in the making) at Big Nugget Gold Mine.

Each tour is unique and unpredictable…special in its own way.  I’ve met interesting people from all over the world.

Hilarious “good ole boys” from New York.  They came to Alaska
for the summer to gold prospect.  They are big fans of the TV show.
Yes – Roger is offering John Schnabel some
chewing tobacco.  John kindly refused saying,
“I don’t drink or smoke, nor does
my grandson Parker”

I feel fortunate to go out to Porcupine Creek as often as I do because each day the scenery is different….no joke.  With super long days in Alaska the flora and fauna bloom rapidly, and go to seed just as quickly as they come.

The elusive Chocolate Lilly – they have come and goneI have seen Lupine and Wild Iris all over the last week or two, and I have already seen the Fireweed start to bloom, which is the sign that summer will be coming to a close before we know it.Bunchberry – they were here the last 3 weeks

Haines Alaska is a beautiful wonder to behold.  I love guiding these tours, it is a historical journey of the Dalton Trail and I have the privilege of reliving the adventure of the Porcupine Creek Gold Rush of 1898, on every tour.  It is amazing to think of the determination and dedication the pioneers of this wild frontier possessed, giving us the luxuries we have today.

Views of the Dalton Trail Route (general area)

It takes us 30 minutes to drive to Porcupine Creek from Haines.  In 1915 they bragged that it only took 4 hours in the first cars of the area.  That was fast compared to the month long trek of the Gold Prospectors of 1898.  They would pull their gear in sleds while the rivers were still frozen.  Most of the prospectors made the 34 mile journey by foot, totaling 350 walking miles after they went back and forth, hauling multiple loads of gold mining and camping gear for the summer.

1898 Johnson Party Gold Prospectors – from “Gold Seeking on the
Dalton Trail”That’s all for now folks….Happy Forth of July!  Celebrate our freedom to follow the American Dream!

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