C Ihe Ladies c cu. V'VVAN - History and Classics, Department of

We Plan theJournry 7and then only for hardy and seasoned travellers. He states that to organise acomfortable summer trip over it supplies would have to be distributed duringthe previous winter, and a whole host of packers required with the tourists,which would be very expensive, if the packers could be secured, which hedoubts. We think that it would be unwise to recommend this route, andcannot put a time or cost estimate on it.Trip (c) Liard, Cassiar and Stikine River to Wrangell, Alaska. We think thatit should be placed in the same category as Trip (b), therefore unwise torecommend. We have not the data to give a time or cost estimate.We beg to attach you copy of memorandum furnished by Mr H.A.O.Warner of this city, which is very complete and we think reliable, as Mr Warnermade the trip via the Rat, Bell and Porcupine Rivers. He also made the tripover the police route from McPherson, but in winter. We will endeavour tofind out dates Jackson Brothers' gas boat will leave La Pierre House, callingdates of steamers at Fort Yukon, going up and downstream, and forward sameto you upon receipt.When Colonel Cornwall went across to the Yukon, he followed the sameroute as Mr Warner describes in attached memorandum. Apart from specialclothing, the equipment for the trip would be found at our Posts.Yours faithfully,(sgd.) L. Romanet,GENERAL MANAGER.We were to find in Mr Brabant a staunch friend when we tackled our outfittingat Edmonton and in due course we were to discover that the Rat River, so cursorilymentioned in this letter, proved to be our most formidable obstacle in thewhole journey. The memorandum by Mr Warner was a detailed document of 15pages which gave invaluable information about the McPherson, Husky, Rat, LaPierre House and Fort Yukon route that we now decided to follow.When we had both read the letter and then the memorandum it seemed as ifwe were already halfway to Alaska. We looked at each other. Gwen remarked:"Sounds all right." I do not remember what I said but I never can forget what Ifelt. Was the road to the Islands of the Blest opening before us?During the next few months Mr Cunliffe kept up a lively correspondence withhis friends in Canada; he gave us an introduction to Mr Brabant in Edmonton,