Jason's Gold

A stampeder’s “outfit” consists of all the food, supplies, tools, clothing, and gear they will need to travel to the Klondike and subsist there as they dig and pan for gold. As the novel proceeds, Jason soon learns that the Canadian Mounties have specifications for the weight and contents of one’s outfit; for example, concerned about starvation, they insist that each person entering Canada have at least 700 pounds of food. An outfit is a motif that highlights the ironic burden each stampeder carries with them: The pace and ease of the trip substantially increase without a heavy outfit to slow them down, but without a heavy outfit, arrival in Canada is pointless, as food and supplies are unavailable.

In keeping with the novel’s many ironies, some of the seemingly best-equipped stampeders meet with quick failure or loss of investment on the trails over the Alaskan mountains; either they cannot move a heavy outfit over White Pass and give up, or they must abandon their pack animals at the foot of the Chilkoot Pass and “pack” their outfits over the steep pass with the help of packers or, if going solo, one load at a time. This method works for those in good physical condition and with the necessary