The Forgotten Trail

Allen H. Soroka is assistant law librarian at the University of British
Columbia Law Library.

The year 1997 marked the 100th anniversary of the Klondike stampede,
that frenzied trek to the gold fields of Dawson City, Yukon. There were
three main routes to Dawson City: via the Chilkoot Pass; via the White
Pass; and via the all-Canadian route, the Stikine. Despite the fact that
it was the most popular way to the Klondike, the Stikine route has been
ignored by tourist groups and the heritage societies.

Larry Pynn, environmental reporter for the Vancouver Sun and an
experienced outdoor adventurer, has written an entertaining account of
his 1992 retracing of the “forgotten” Stikine route. The book is
filled with stories of raging waters, mad trappers, and dangerous
encounters with bears. Tales from the last century are seamlessly
intertwined with those from the present day. Well-chosen photographs
accompany the text. This book will whet your appetite for your own trek
along the forgotten trail.