#12: Misadventures in Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park
Matt and Karen are joined by friends John and Lolly to recount their misadventure on the Chilkoot Trail as they retrace the footsteps of the prospectors of the Klondike Gold Rush.
Over 120 years ago, the Klondike Gold Rush attracted more than 100,000 people from around the world with the lure of wealth and adventure. All that stood in the way of the prospectors’ dream of finding gold was a year-long journey to a remote area in the Yukon Territory, which included a treacherous 33-mile trail over a steep mountain pass in Alaska. Today, that trail—the Chilkoot Trail—lies within a national park; half in the U.S. and half in Canada. In this episode, we talk about our 2018 attempt to trace the gold rushers' footsteps and backpack the famous trail with our friends, John and Lolly. We share the story of an epic hike in the wilderness of Alaska that turned out to be one of our biggest adventures to date.
Some highlights from this episode include:
- How we got the idea in the first place to hike the Chilkoot Trail
- A brief history of the Klondike Gold Rush and what it was like for the prospectors who braved the journey
- Planning our trip and the logistics involved
- What it was like hiking the trail in August during one of the most torrential rainstorms in decades
- What went very wrong on the third day, as we attempted to summit Chilkoot Pass
- How we made it through our ordeal with the help of three excellent NPS rangers
- And hear from our special guests, John and Lolly, who join us on this episode
Links to more information:
- To see photos from our travels, visit our
- Instagram account, or
- TikTok account
- NPS site for the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park Seattle Unit and Skagway Unit
- Where to learn more about our books and travels
- Join the conversation on Facebook
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Listen On
