the Lutak Inlet in the Chilkoot Lake Recreational Park
soon after this shot the salmon was stolen by another eagle
time to try another catch
a view of Haines from the Chilkoot Inlet
the road ends at the waterfront in Haines
we approach the top of the Chilkat pass at 1070 meters
at higher altitudes only the hardy white spruce can survive
the road seems to lead strait into Dezadeash Lake
we see an eagle landing a huge fresh catch
from here the road follows the Klehini river, with many dead trees in its stream
When traveling the Alaska Highway west of Whitehorse, do make a detour into the Alaska Panhandle by taking the Haines
Highway at Haines Junction.
During the Klondike Gold Rush the hardy prospectors had to walk 400 strenuous kms on
the Dalton Trail from Haines to Fort Selkirk at the Yukon River, where they boarded makeshift rafts to Dawson City.
Nowadays
the highway is a well paved and very scenic road and includes the Chilkat Pass that tops at 1065 meters.
After the pass you
cross the Canadian-US border and start the descend into the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve, where in autumn and winter large numbers
of eagles gather to feed on salmon.
When we traveled here at the end of May 2007 there was still plenty of snow at the higher
segments of the road.
In Haines we had booked a scenic flight to Glacier Bay including a walk along the beach but unfortunately
the weather was to bad to fly out.
We visited the Chilkat State Park and the Chilkoot Lake Park, where we witnessed bald eagles
fight over a fresh catch.
the St Elias Mountains lurk in the distance
now that is an outhouse with a view
we cross the Canadian-US border near Pleasant Camp
not much to do in Haines harbor
another bald eagle keeps a keen eye on us
in the Chilkat State Park they warn for bears but we did not see a single one, maybe they do not like rain?
