From Dyea, which is the timber-line, he packs his outfit to the foot of the Taiya Pass—­the length of which to the summit is about 15 miles.  He must now carry his outfit up the Pass, which he generally does in two or more trips according to the weight of his outfit, unless he is able to hire Indians or mules; but so far there are very few Indians to be hired and still fewer mules.

He now starts for Lake Lindeman from the head of the Pass, a distance of eight miles—­the distance from Dyea to Lake Lindeman being 31 miles.

At Lake Lindeman he commences to make his boat, for which he has brought the proper supplies in his outfit, with the exception of the timber, which he finds at Lake Lindeman.  He spends one week at Lake Lindeman making his boat and getting ready for the long trip down the waterways to Dawson City, the heart of the Klondyke region.  The trip through Lake Lindeman is short, the lake being only five miles long.  At the foot of the lake he must portage to Lake Bennet, the portage however being very short, less than a mile.

Lake Bennet is 28 miles long, while going through this lake the traveller crosses the boundary between British Columbia and the Northwest Territory.

After going down Lake Bennet the traveller comes to Caribou Crossing—­about four miles long, which takes him to Lake Tagish, twenty miles in length.  After leaving Tagish he finds himself in Mud or Marsh Lake, 24 miles long, then into the Lynx River, on which he continues for 27 miles till he comes to Miles Canyon, five-eighths of a mile long.

Immediately on leaving Miles Canyon he has three miles of what is called bad river work, which, while not hazardous, is dangerous from the swift current and from being very rocky.  Great care has to be taken in going down this part of the river.

He now finds himself in White Horse Canyon the rapids of which are three-eighths of a mile in length and one of the most dangerous places on the trip, a man is here guarded by a sign, “Keep a good lookout.”

No stranger or novice should try to run the White Horse Rapids alone in a boat.  He should let his boat drop down the river guided by a rope with which he has provided himself in his outfit and which should be 150 feet long.  It would be better if the traveller should portage here, the miners having constructed a portage road on the west side and put down roller-ways in some places on which they roll their boats over.  They have also made some windlasses with which they haul their boat up the hill till they are at the foot of the canyon.  The White Horse Canyon is very rocky and dangerous and the current extremely swift.