Skagway Excursion #1: Paddle and Saddle, part I

This was the day I had been waiting for (ok, all the others were great too but this one was particularly exciting). I would forgo my now early morning ritual of stretching and aerobics classes. Instead I made a b-line for the Garden Cafe for a(nother) hardy breakfast. Then I dashed off to meet my excursion mates at the end of the pier @ 7:20am. We were all Yukon Ho! bound, where we would paddle on a prestine lake in canoes and explore the countryside on horseback. It was approximately an hour and a half drive, every minute beautiful and thoroughly enjoyable.
First, let me say that we had an AMAZING guide, Paul, who was not only a comedian but also very well informed about the region we were traveling through. He provided in-depth background about the gold rush, it's main players and towns, great stories of exhilarating success but more often devastating loss. He did a number of voices including Jimmy Stewart, bits from Saturday Night Live episodes (back from the good 'ol days) and told us wonderful personal tales the whole way there and back.

Our entourage was so large we split into two groups, my group would be the first to paddle. I had made fast friends with Ann Marie and Mike from (of all places) Long Island during our ride to the lodge. Oh my gosh, they are two of the nicest people on the planet!


Since I was without a partner I was paired up with our guide, Mike, who has been an Alaskan resident for more than 30 years. I felt pretty fortunate because I learned a lot and got to hear more up-close and personal stories. He took us to get our gear together and we made the short trek to the lake. Mike taught us all about the indigenous trees, shrubs, berries and habits of the local wildlife (you'd be amazed at what bears will eat when they're hungry!)
We quickly reached the canoe launch and were just awestruck by the prestine beauty of the still waters, colorful foliage and towering mountains. Our paddle would last 75 minutes (I wished it could have been MUCH longer) before we had to wrap it up so we'd be on-time for a homemade lunch (clocks jump ahead when you cross over from Alaska into the Yukon). We learned that Fritzy (aided by her husband, whose name escapes me) was right out of the Seinfeld "soup" episode and so we followed our guide and his instructions to the "t" as no one wanted to be eliminated from line, especially before she dished out her famous and FABULOUS homemade pie offerings. After a brief break we were off to part II of our excursion. Next: The Corral.