Halfway to Fairbanks!

Days Walking - 82

A little more than halfway, actually factually. We've reached Mile 175 of the Dalton Highway, and arrived in Coldfoot! It's really just a group of buildings in the middle of nowhere. It's nice to see something of civilization, and the hustle and bustle therin.



We were hoping to secure lodging for one person/one bed, and then sneak in and let everyone shower, one by one. But no. The Inn's rooms are $165 a night, and despite our charismatic charms, there was no haggling that would improve the price.

So we hit the RV Park, getting our camp shower on.
Better than nothing.

Laundry!! Almost more succulent than being able to bathe is having clean clothes. These three guys ahead of us hogged the machines for like four hours. Hey, what can you do, first come first served.

Coldfoot is a welcome respite from hiking, let me tell you! Only thirteen people live here, and the rest are folks passing through. The name Coldfoot comes from the gold prospecting days of the early 1900's. It seems a lot of would-be can-do types reached this point and turned around and went home. Can't say I blame them.

Today's Coldfoot has an inn, a restaurant, a gift shop, a gas station, an automotive repair shop, a truckstop, and an airstrip. Oh and there's a visitor's center, but it's closed for a few more weeks. You know, until Spring gets here.



The sign reads:
"Welcome to Coldfoot Camp. You are 55 miles north of the Arctic Circle on the east bank of the Middle Fork Koyukuk River at the mouth of Slate Creek, which drains to the east. This is the site of the former gold mining community of Coldfoot, which was built here at the turn of the century. According to historical records, the original town of Coldfoot got its name in the Summer of 1900 when one of the waves of green stampeders got as far up the Koyukuk at this point, then got cold feet, turned around and ran."

I'm going to take another shower now. Wheeee!

Litany Webb, signing off

Jump to Start..........FAQ..........Previous Post..........Next Post