Santa Fe daily New Mexican., 1897-12-23
THE CHILKAT PASS.
ALFRED DALY'S EXPERIENCES ON A
TRIP OVER 1T.

He Claims 1t Is Not Very Difficult, Even
For q Woman-Walking Shoes the Best
Footgear = Little Talking on the Jour.
ney--Indian Packers.
Alfred J. DAILY, assistant United
States attorney for the district of Alas
ka, recently returned from trip over
the Chilkat pass to Lake Lindeman.
Mr.. Daily was convinced by his expert
ence that great deal of the hue and
cry about the danger of the Chilkat
pass and the difficulty Of getting over it
comes from men who have faint hearts
and soft muscles He declares that there
is not the least danger for any person
reasonably active in attempting the
journey and that any woman who is not
frightened at the prospect of roughing
it in a moderate degree can get over
the pass with comparative ease and COM
fort.
In speaking Of his experience the 9TH
er day Mr.. DAILY said: "We started
from Dyea about 10 o'clock in the morn
ing, and the first thing we had to do
was to cross the river. You could al
most throw stone across, but we had
to pay so cents to be ferried. The trail
crosses the river several times before
getting to the head of canoe navigation,
and every time it cost so cents for fer
ry, although in some places one can al
most jump across.
Il wore light tan shoes We had
been told by some persons who had been
over the trail that the best thing to do
was to wear light shoes and to take an
extra pair, SO as to have dry ones. 9th
ers said to wear rubber boots. We
found that the men who were in favor
of light shoes had the best of it. The
trail is very rocky and hard on thin
soled shoes, but if one wore good stout
walking boots he would be all right
Our first stop after leaving Dyea was at
Finnegan's Point, where the wagons
stop packing, Then we went on to the
head Of canoe navigation, where there
was tent doing restaurant business.
We stopped to get square meal, but
they had run out Of everything but
mince pie and coffee. From the head of
canoe navigation on to the head OF the
canyon the trail was sandy and rather
good. At the head Of the canyon there
is bridge, over which there is sign
saying that Chief Isaacs had built it
free for public use. There the gradual
ascent begins up to Sheep Camp. Part
Of this stage has been corduroyed, and
that part was fine
"We got into Sheep Camp about
o'clock and found it a place of about
200 tents. The trail from the canyon
up was very muddy, and having on low
shoes we had to step from rock to
rock or log to log, which made the way
very long The trail finally narrowed
down to nothing but a footpath in
among the powders. We had supper at
Sheep Camp-bacon and beans. We
staid in shanty where they had a
floor. 1t was kind Of hotel You paid
for the privilege of sleeping Oh the
floor. We turned in right after supper,
because the proprietor told us that if we
didn't get our blankets down Oh the
floor very quickly we couldn't get room.
He was right. The floor was full very
soon.
cat Z o'clock the next morning we
started for the place where Stone House
used to be- The ascent was very much
sleeper, and the trail was very muddy
On the right as one goes up the trail
there are two glaciers, one Of them quite
large. 1t covers the mountain and is
not apparently held on by anything, 1t
looks as il it would let go at any mo-
ment and come down. The first stop
after leaving Stone House was at
place called the Scales, because there is
q tradition that some time or other
there was q pair of scales there where
they weighed out the packs for the
packers to take over the summit. At
the Scales packing by horse ceases; and
the packs 60 on the backs Of the men.
An average pack is from 100 to $50
pounds. heard some stories about In
dians carrying $50 pounds and about
Swede who carried 275, but it takes a
big man to carry from 100 to 100. The
Indians usually carry right through the
whole trip, but the white packers carry
from point to point and double on the
trail. When Indian packers are en-
ployed, the dicker is usually made with
Chief Isaacs, who controls the packing.
He arranges with the miners and deals
with the Indians The packs are made
ont and checks are given showing how
many pounds there are in each one. The
prices for packing were running very
high when we were there, so cents
pound in some cases. After the Indians
take the packs you have nothing more
to do with them and nothing to do
yourself but to get to the lake, claim
your packs and pay of the packers.
The Indians usually get there first.
After leaving the Scales the ascent
begins ia dead earnest. The face Of the
hill is covered with large rocks, and you
step from one stoile to another. It makes
You think Of q great pair Of stairs. You
just keep raising one foot above the
other, but the constant going up with
pack on the back gets very tiresome in
very short time There is not a danger
ous place on the trail that could sea
They take horses and sheep and cattle
over the summit.
1.-THE descent is much easier than the
climb. It leads right down to Crater
lake. where there were few tents
Crater 10 q very irregular little lake.
with few small islands in it. We met
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