August 19 - September 1, 1990.
Contact: Neil Hartling - NAHANNI RIVER ADVENTURES
visit their web site at www.nahanni.com
We left Toronto on August 8th, 1990 in our 1984 Pontiac station wagon and drove over 2900 miles (4850 km) arriving in Fort Simpson without incident on August 17th. Once there we had to get a rear tire fixed in a well-equipped gas station by a gal named Bertha who looked to have the strength to lift the car with one hand. It also took about 2 hours with an air powered hose to wash off the baked-on mud from the gravel roads between Hay River and Fort Simpson. A note here that a CB radio is a good thing to have in your car up north as pay phones are few and far between and cellular phone service is non-existent.
Our route took us through Sault St. Marie, Thunder Bay, Winnipeg, Regina, North Battleford, Edmonton, Peace River, Hay River and a ferry crossing the Liard River to get to Fort Simpson which is at the confluence of the Liard and MacKenzie rivers. ( Saw the new High School in Hay River where the students were asked what colour it was to be - so PURPLE it became.)
At Fort Simpson, we stayed at the Nahanni Inn August 17th & 18th at $ 125 per day and enjoyed good cooking at their restaurant including a cariboo stew. We met Terry and Lisa, who were our guides, and help load up the Twin Otter with about everything including a portable stove, oven and camp chairs. Packing our gear was a real experience. Under their expert guidance, you carefully plan what to bring, separate it into 2 piles, then select one of them. Pack half of that pile into a plastic garbage bag, seal it after expelling all the air then repack it into another plastic bag, seal it and pack that into your flexible camping bag. The second pile and the remainder of the first pile was stowed back into our car which was securely parked inside the airport property. We also each had a waterproof container - actually a 2 gallon plastic barrel that was used originally to transport olives - with backstraps where we kept our cameras and other valuables. This was stowed under our canoe seat.
August 19th - mid afternoon we took off and flew about 2 hours over spectacular scenery to a gravel bar on the river about 10 km north of the Park boundary. There were the two of us, Terry and another gal named Linda and all 6 canoes. The landing, to say the least, was skillfully done by the Simpson Air pilot and we watched with awe as he then took off around boulders and tree stumps after unloading the cargo. We setup camp and found the main use of the shovel - no outhouses there!. Supper was "tuna farce" and in bed by 11pm after raising our tent for what was to be the first of 12 times.
August 20th - Another Twin Otter landed this time on the river at 12:30 with the other 8 happy campers. Feet got wet transporting goods ashore and we all appreciated how cold the water was. We soon broke camp and paddled down to the Park entrance and camped across from the Warden's landing. Such was our first day on the mighty Nahanni experiencing boils and whirlpools which, after the first few, amounted to nothing more than a pleasant joggle to the canoe. What really was important, and continually stressed by the guides, was to stay clear of fallen trees near the shores. These sweepers could hold a canoe under water if you tangled with one. All of us paid close attention and the lead canoe would signal when one was sighted.
August 21st - We practiced our ferrying technique to get across the river to meet Fred the warden who guided us to the beautiful Tufu Mounds at Rabbitkettle Hotsprings. That 3 km walk included pulling ourselves - 6 at a time - across the swift 10 m wide Rabbitkettle River in a cable ferry boat. Safe but thrilling! These marvelous but fragile Tufu Mounds are only climbed in bare feet so small cuts were not uncommon. The North Mount is 27 m high and 70 m in diameter and they are the largest of their kind in Canada. About noon we loaded everything and had lunch floating downstream. Floating at about 10 knots but safe with all canoes locked together by our legs and feet with the outer canoes doing the steering. We did about 30 km that day.
Well, we were not and still are not real good paddlers. I did quite alot of paddling, during the summer when I was a kid at my grandparents' Otoreke home north of Montreal, and am quite comfortable in a canoe. Marina, on the other hand, did not have much opportunity to become "canoe oriented" so we both took a course from the regional community college. We spent 2 full days learning the basics on still water then the following weekend we spent on a river that had some small rapids. Here we learned how to ferry across the river, read the river for eddies and quiet water and then we went down the rapids for a few miles. Well the rapids were very small and at times I had to push our canoe over the rocks. It did give us a feel for white water and the basic movements and strokes. That was all we needed for the Nahanni - basic strokes, a feeling of being comfortable in a canoe and always but always wearing a PFD. As the man said - "Paddling skills are an advantage but not a priority, although physical fitness and comfort on moving water are important. If this makes you hesitant you may wish to consider the 'Voyageur Canoe' option".
Above Virginia Falls the river is fast but safe with turns and straight sections. You must keep your eyes open and have your canoe under control at all times. The canoes are 16 foot long and are packed securely with about 3 to 4 hundred pounds of gear - yours and a portion of the common stuff like the stove, food and the all important shovel. Below the falls the river runs faster and that is where the real fun begins. You find yourselves in a series of canyons that run about 145 km. The water bounces off these walls and meets in the centre creating standing-waves that, at times, reach 2 - 3 meters. ( You really swear they reach 3 - 5 meters but that's another story). These standing-waves are really quite safe to travel through and you are rewarded with an up and down roller-coaster ride. The key point here is never but never put your hands on the gunnel of the canoe to steady yourself. Being in the rear I watched Marina go right up to the top of the next wave while I was at the bottom of the previous one. Then the whole canoe would transit to the next one and when I was on the top I would look ahead for the lead canoe and make any minor corrections in our direction. No one ever tipped or even got wet except when, later in the trip, we purposedly went through the centre of the riffles to enjoy the thrill. What really amazed us both was that after that run through the first section - about 5 km -we wanted to try it again. But the thought of trying to paddle back up against the current quickly cured us of that.
August 22nd - Rain greeted us in the morning but cleared up by noon. First look at a moose swimming the river and a few bald eagles in a nest plus continuous paddling got us warm in no time. Camped at "Club 87" and had a delicious supper of beef stroganoff, salad, apple raisin cake and a few cups of Terry's Nahanni coffee. No, don't asked what's in it but it sure tasted great and it smelled real good at 7am every morning. There is absolutely no truth to the rumour that it contained leftovers from previous camp fires.
August 23rd - Heard wolves early this morning - tried to sing to them but rest of camp suggested I leave my howling to when no one was around. It was very cold with some snow on the tent and foggy. Lunch was at the Stone Blood warden landing where a nice fire was built to warm us up. Lunch was sardines and oysters and, of course, cookies. At 4pm we arrived at the Virginia Falls takeout where we enjoyed nice camp sites and "outhouses". The Falls are a spectacular sight to see. Nearly twice the height of Niagara, they roar with complete authority and commitment to anything venturing into the raging sluice above them. We were in bed by 9pm, completely exhausted and wishing for a hot shower.
August 24th - Got up at 10:45 after a good night sleep. Most of the others had either hiked to see Marengo Falls about 5 miles away or ferried across the river to climb Stone Blood Mountain and its beautiful view. Dan, Deb, Lisa and the two of us worked around the camp and made a supper of lasagna, salad, trout and grayling caught that day and topped off with a delightful chocolate pudding. Deb also met a cariboo face-to-face on the trail and she said it was just a magnificient sight to see. That evening we made plans for the next day portage.
August 25th - Portaged all gear down the 2 mile steep and switchback trail to the canyon floor at the base of the falls. Lunch was viewed by some as their last meal after looking at the speed of the river but after loading the canoes, now fitted with splash covers, we ferried across to the other side for further instructions. Lisa would go first followed by the two of us and then the rest all in single file with Terry at the end. Two fellows from France also joined the flotilla for safety in numbers. (We also gave them some food as animals had got into their packs.) When all was set, we pealed off in single file and headed downstream at a rate that made the banks a blur. Turning left around a corner then a right turn about another half km we looked straight into the Five Mile Canyon's white water of standing waves. '"Keep paddling straight ahead", I said calmly to Marina "and don't look up." Well we made it to Marengo Beach for a brief rest. We continued through other smaller standing waves and currents until we reached the Figure 8 Rapids. After a good look at this left turn, right turn, left turn maze, we decided to portage around it while the others ran through it successfully. The others drew straws and Dan and Bill won the right to take our canoe through while everyone took pictures. We spent the night at Rock Beach just above Flat River with a supper known as Headless Creek Ham Pot and cheesecake. Some souls endured the cold water for a quick swim.
August 26th - Up at 8am to a gorgeous day, a cup of Terry's coffee and hot porridge. Nice 40 km paddle to The Gate with its famous Pulpit Rock. Next to Virginia Falls, this site is simply magnificent to see and experience. Watching a canoe go through The Gate with its smooth water you quickly realize the size of the cliffs on both sides compared to the very small canoe with 2 people in it. You really must experience it to believe it. Pictures only start to describe this fabulous area. We continued to paddle through the Third Canyon and camped at 5pm with a great supper of spaghetti and apple sauce cake. We were now in the midst of the Funeral Range of mountains after paddling 185 km from day 1.
August 27th - After another great breakfast we left at 9:30am towards the infamous Deadmen Valley which turned out to be a beautiful area between Second and First Canyons. After setting up camp at Sheaf Creek, some ferried across the river and tried their fishing skills in the many small streams of Prairie Creek. A supper of fresh trout, grayling, minestrone soup and cinnamon rolls was just simply splendid. We decided not to post a guard through the night even though erie sounds were heard from close quarters. Turned out it was Kevin snoring again.
August 28th - This morning we tackled George's Riffles and had lunch at White Spray Springs. These springs shoot out from the base of the mountain at a tremendous rate and fresh drinking water was enjoyed by all. Every available container was filled with this delicious water. After lunch we loaded the canoes with fire wood and drove through Lafferty's Riffles at full speed for what was to be the last fast water we would encounter. Suddenly we emerged from the canyons into a quiet spot called Kraus Hotsprings. Even though the hot water smelled of rotten eggs, it felt very relaxing to tired muscles just lying in a pool that the wardens had built up over the years. A few hardy members (Dan, Linda, Bill and Ralph) walked a canoe back up the river bank to run Lafferty's Riffles once more. Our relaxing time was interrupted by the onslaught of the notorious Nahanni wind that just suddenly roared out of the canyon's mouth like a belching locomotive. Noticing our tent was about to take off into the wild blue yonder, I jumped out of the pool and was completely blown dry by the time I ran 10 m to grab the tent. Now there are many stories about this wind but I firmly believe that it is the voices of the missing heads of prospectors warning us to never venture upstream. Pizza, soup and fish for supper and we spotted a small black bear down the river a bit. We had paddled 265 km so far.
August 29th - Woke up to a mixture of sun, rain and wind. Stuffed ourselves with pancakes then after striking camp, we ventured out in the canoes to tackle the Splits. This is flat country where the Nahanni splits into different channels. Selecting the wrong one leads you to a wall of cobble and gravel where the water disappears under it. Terry and Lisa knew how to read the signs and they picked the right channel every time. We made quick camp after noticing a huge storm fast overtaking us and we crawled into our sleeping bags in our tent for a nice warm snooze just before the rain hit. Supper was a very hot chili, baking powder biscuits, popcorn and Lisa's (famous?) green dessert.
August 30th - On the river at 10:30 for a brief paddle to the Park Headquarters at Nahanni Butte. Saw Fred the warden again and said our goodbyes. I bought and enjoyed a chocolate bar from the local store. After a few more km the Nahanni emptied into the vast Liard River which was to be our waterway for the next 2 days. This wide meandering river has some surprises as its sand bars suddenly rise up to ground your canoe. So water watching for colour changes became the challenge. A great picture of several paddlers walking their canoes across these bars in the middle of the river is quite a sight. We camped near Swan's Landing where we had to contend with shore mud up to our knees. Supper saw the remainder of the food made into a tuna noodle stew along with Terry's special desserts. And alas, the last campfire! And the last night for star gazing.
August 31st - Up at 6:15am and packed the tent for the last time. Breakfast of "birdseed" and coffee. Nice easy paddle down the Liard to Blackstone Landing where we hauled the canoes out for the last time. While waiting a few hours for Bert to arrive with the van and trailer we enjoyed visiting this Park's buildings with the warden, Clarence Villeneuve. He showed us pictures of his trips guiding many celebrities around this vast area including one of him underwater holding a canoe fast while the "unnamed celebrity" had his picture taken in the middle of a small rapids. Bert arrived at 4 pm and we loaded everything for a 3 hour road trip back to Fort Simpson. Supper was at the Nahanni Inn after a quick shower and sleep came soon to all. Total canoeing distance was about 390 km.
September 1st - Up at 6am, said our goodbyes to everyone, packed the station wagon and headed out on the new gravel two lane highway to Fort Nelson. Stopped at Fort Liard for gas and lunch. This is a very beautiful 515 km drive through stands of trees where the road periodically widens out to 4 lanes for a mile or so. Signs say watch for landing airplanes but we did not see any. Enjoyed a great swim and steak supper at the Fort Nelson Motor Inn.
September 2nd - 11th - Gradually made our way back to Toronto through Jasper, Banff, Calgary and all points east. We actually rented a canoe for a quick paddle at Lake Louise but gave up half way across the lake because the wind kept turning us around. We arrived home safe and sound after completing over 10,000 km.
Being the oldest ones on the trip, then in our mid fifties, we graciously appreciated the friendship and help from our fellow trippers who were:
Terry and Lisa Palechuck, Bill and Deb Barrett, Dan de Souza, Kevin Doyle, Pam and Ralph Reichenbach, Linda Watkinson and Gerry Winters.
The Nahanni River is just another fine example of the natural beauty of Canada. It is a rugged, beautiful, scary, ever changing Heritage Site that must remain as is for all to enjoy.
Enjoy it as we did!
Cheers! click here for some pics
Marina and Rick Francis
VA3OXX VE3OXX
(705) 325-6737 marick@sympatico.ca