BW/Qer on the Nahanni.
by Leland Moore, Florida, U.S.A

During our 20 years of paddling in the BW and Quetico I have always been dreaming of paddling the South Nahanni (pronounced with soft a's by the locals). The finest canoe river in this hemisphere I think Bill Mason called it.

It is a world heritage site, the first one of them.

There are many articles and books and internet trip logs which add to the mystique of gold, headless bodies and people who have disappeared etc.

Dick turner's "Nahanni" is my favorite along with the video of the original iron man, Albert Faille. R.M. Patterson's "Dangerous River" is also excellent.

My longtime bow person and wife, Beverly, got talked into going with me partly because no one else could go and more importantly she loves almost all the same things I do.  She took it on faith I'd get her through it and that it would be worth the effort.  She is a -0- whitewater type.

As both of us are social security aged veterans, grandparents, we decided this was THE year to do it.  I set out and got all the tickets, reservations a year in advance.  Much of it was done easily by email.  "Met" some cool people too.

Since the river trip was to be 10-14 days (Rabbit Kettle - Blackstone) we figured our usual Quetico approach would do fine for this river trip.  It differed only in our carrying a canoe spray cover, shorty wetsuits, 2 extra paddles and BEAR SPRAY!  These along with a garbage can lid to build fires in/on brought our weight of gear and food to 125# instead of our usual 90-100# which we usually pack into a 18' Wenonah Jensen.  Still a very light load compared to all I saw.

In 2002 at the Ely Blueberry Festival we bought a well used 17' Wenonah RX Sundowner w/skid plates (ex rental boat)from Mark and Bob Olson at Canoe Country Outfitters.  I felt that it'd be the perfect "ride" for a Nahanni descent.  Most commonly used are Old Town Trippers, big Prospectors or Spirit IIs.  I figured what I gave away in the whitewater (turning ability) I'd more than make up for in the slow water and "splits".  The boat worked beautifully as did a ZRE bent paddle.

The entire trek was from 7/28/04--8/31/04, 8205 MILES. (The river trip was 8/9-8/19, 10 days, 200 miles+/-).
We drove up in our 6 cyl. LWB Toyota Tundra with a topper.  We travel light on purpose and it was very simple truck camping.  No problems.

THE TRIP UP:
Old man river, the Mississippi ,has a fascination for us and we traveled up the east side above St. Louis to Mark Twain's Hannibal, Mo, this after camping at "Cave in the Rock "in southeast Illinois.

Since the wagon trails west also are a thing I study we toured Nauvoo ,Ill. What a place! What people! What an experience.  From there we eased into Iowa on the back roads and ran into RAGBRAI!, all those bicycles! Wow!... on the way to New Hampton to visit Wilderness mama/papa. We paddled a beautiful part of the Upper Iowa (super!! like a scaled down Buffalo River in Arkansas, but with water!).  Also, we were fortunate in meeting Ted and May Ager and the inimitable Nibi Mocs! We saw some of his beautiful photography first hand.

Everyone who loves wooden boats should see Marshall and Heather’s creations.  Their workmanship is flawless and they are true artists in wood. I had suspected it and the visit confirmed it. Heather also has, along with her North Country decorating theme, the most beautiful quilt you ever saw. Naturally she made it herself. Wow!!

After church we said goodbyes and headed Northwest....Sunday 8/1/04
 

Yes!! It is all you've heard and read and much, much, more! Photos can't do it justice. IT'S SO BIG!  It's billed as the "trip of a lifetime" I'd agree and I'd recommend it to all my fellow BW/Q paddling companions.  I'll share anything and will do a trip report of some kind but email me if you have questions i can help with....you ALL need to do it! Bill Mason was right!  Yes, we used our self-rescue skills! added to adventure.  From Iowa we headed to Cabela's in Owatonna, Mn for a bison burger (recommended by Wilderness mom/pop) and to check out the neat stuff.  We did and it was very good! We camped at Sibley State Park near Willmar.

Next was the border crossing, it was a story in itself which I'll leave till later on. @#^&*!!! ooh.

The road then took us to Weyburn, a good place and a nice city campground. Thence on to Regina, and Saskatoon.  Skirted Edmonton the NE side and camped at Long Lake Prov. Park (which was too close to a big city, crowded noisy etc).  The Peace River area is really pretty country as are the fields around Edmonton. Canola with the bright yellow against blue skies, white clouds and green.

Things thinned out quickly as we reached the 60 degree latitude and the NWT. Hay River on the Great Slave Lake was the next camping stop.  The lake is awesome but in a totally different way than the Gitchee Gumee, big seawater, Superior.

All the way up and back we used the time honored, timber cruiser, woods worker approach to "dining out".  We ate where the locals ate! and it was good grub and good experiences-both ways. No chains, no McDonalds. We did this for breakfasts and sometimes supper but we ate lunch on the move in most cases.

From Hay River the road led to the Ft. Providence ferry and the road to Yellowknife.  We looked it over and decided to forego the 300 mile plus trip and head on toward Ft. Simpson. The roads which we'd heard so much about were actually quite good...graded gravel, well maintained. The only anxious moments came meeting big trucks /trailers which at times slung the gravel. We 'd pull over and slow down but it was a concern.  No headlights or windshield damage thankfully.

While camping at Sambaa Deh Falls we had a wonderful experience with the operator and his family.  After their work was done we all got to go to the falls for a swim and a "pfd river float".  Two daughters, aged 11 and 14, were like otters in the water. The girls and Beverly, became real buddies and we all had a great time together.  This park and most all of them up there are run by First Nation-Athabasca Indians. They do a super job and this park and Blackstone were immaculately clean and beautifully maintained.

You ride a ferry to Ft. Simpson. Simpson is a small town, one hotel and restaurant and no touristy shops at all that we saw.  A visit to the Canada Parks Office was an objective to officially "check in" and meet a neat lady, named Jacky, who had been a tremendous help in setting all of it up.  The visitor center is a must see although the videos will tend to unnerve you.  The campsite was near the river and we had a nice evening walk on the beach. The Liard and McKenzie come together there. Also, while there we paid the balance on our charter with Simpson Air ways flight into Rabbit Kettle.  Also, at the visitor center we met other "fellow travelers "that fate would put us together with in the days to come, (didn't know it at the time).

Blackstone Park was prettier than we had imagined. Views of the mountains in the distance to the west and the Liard flowing by made a beautiful setting.  The Park and Lindberg Landing downriver are the start-finish point for us and some others, but most people fly out of Ft. Simpson. Any canoer likes to keep his shuttles simple so I planned to fly into the park from Blackstone ($100 extra but worth it)and paddle back to it and the truck so when you're off the river you're headed in the right direction south to Ft. Liard, instead of a shuttle in the wrong direction.

The visitor center at Blackstone was maybe the best exhibit of pertinent info and items that we saw.  Very well done.  You also officially "de register" here at the completion of your river trip. Their excellent coffee and cookies and river videos added to the pleasure.

The families of Edward and Sue Lindberg and Paul and Margaret Jones ARE Lindberg Landing.  They are all bigger than life-size, modern day pioneers with a direct connection to their special land and way of life.  Words again aren't adequate to tell how much we enjoyed being with them.  We rented some stuff and benefited from their warm hospitality and wise counsel.  The stories and tales shared were great.  Ed and Paul had more cool "guy toys" and mechanical equipment than anyone could imagine, a museum actually!! and a sawmill of course!… and the ladies had beautiful gardens...and much more!

While there the morning before we were to fly out on the next day ... we watched then met and helped load a group flying out. What a joy! It was group of 4 people, self guided from B.C. It was a father, his son and daughter-in-law and a friend. One canoe, one raft...all to load in a Cessna 206. The dad was a WWII navigator in the RAF, flew bombers over Germany.  A genuine hero to me!! Beverly and I were just dazzled by him! He had wanted to do this trip for 40 years! They were with him fulfilling his dream! Truly a beautiful thing to see... at 83 years old! Made us feel young. We were so glad just to be there....At this point in this story the people we were meeting had become as magical as the country we were soon to see. It was exciting!    Flying out in the morning!!!

The Simpson Air Cessna 206 came in right on time through the patchy fog and smoke and landed on the Liard then taxied over to Lindberg Landing. We all then retired to Paul Jones "operations-communications center" (his kitchen table with all sorts of non standard communication gear) to check the flying weather to Rabbit Kettle. It came back ok! We were on! Paul and the Rabbit Kettle warden have a no nonsense scientific way of estimating visibility. "Can you see such and such mountain?” etc...foolproof. Paul is also the main Twin Otter pilot for South Nahanni Airways. he wears many hats.

Mark, our pilot, strapped the rx Sundowner to the pontoon struts and we stowed our old Duluth and Jansport and other bags inside, placed the bear repellent in the pontoon locker(in case it exploded!)..got in, fired up and away we went! Up and over the mountains to the west.

Earlier in life I'd spent many hours working as a forest entomologist, flying in light aircraft.  It can be a challenge and I hoped this flight would be uneventful. Mountain passes, up and down drafts, etc can be bouncy and Beverly was uneasy but kept it secret.  The flight was perfect, we saw sheep, a mining camp, big mountains, alluvial fans,...and 3 canoes.

An hour and a half later Mark eased her down onto Rabbit Kettle like it was a true magic carpet and we drifted up to the dock.

Here we were to be "initiated" by the warden and then portage our stuff to the nearby island in the river and set up camp.  But!! We wanted to see the tufa mounds! We managed to do it all and our tour with Marcel and Anna's special welcome were wonderful to say the least! Unforgettable!
This area is grizzly city! We were concerned with our first ferry attempt as the water seemed to be going 25mph! We managed it ok then set up, ate supper went to bed tired but happy. It had been a full day.

They use steel girder platforms as bear caches up here at the Falls and Rabbit Kettle. A nice touch as bear bag trees were hard to find at times. Also we noticed most trippers had those blue barrels with harnesses.

Our first full day we went to Flood Creek, beautiful! We camped on the fan or flood plain. That evening we saw the Aurora! Wow! Paddling with the spray cover off we were being careful and getting acclimated to all of it. The scenery was exceptionally pretty and there was good current most of the way to the Falls 75 miles or so downriver.

We arrived at Virginia Falls early on the third day. There were Germans, Swiss, Canadians and us Floridians! A real international atmosphere! You stay at the Falls 2 days to soak in all the beauty of it while at the same time you begin to portage your gear over to the bottom of the Falls for your upcoming exit.

Watching the light show at morning and evening on the spray above the falls, the Sluicebox, and Mason's Rock was spectacular! (A skill honed in the BW/Q) The tour and talk and campfire programs were very good.  Jonathan's talk was not something you could afford to miss!  Excellent plus!! Felix was a most gracious host.

All the people were unique. One large group of artists had flown in for two days and would fly out. The rest of us paddled out. Just being there was a natural high...and ..perfect weather too.

We met three large outfitter groups: Blackfeather, Nahanni River Adventures, and a Wanapitei expedition.  All had superior leadership and equipment, very impressive.

You begin to get excited at the thought of "load your stuff in, tie it down, put your spray skirt on ,…get in… then... "ferry like crazy out to middle, peel off and down The Canyon !"     In the morning, it was Our Time To Go!!

After debating about waiting and going with a group of 6 boats (12 people) the excitement got too much for me so we took off on our own.
What a ride! A canoer's dream come true! We would draw over this way and that to miss big haystacks and an occasional rock or ledge and there was 6-8 miles of it! It was great! After a break at Clearwater Creek we went on to Figure 8 Rapid. The approach was impressive even at low water levels. I had told my partner "I'd walk it" though we were sorely tempted to run it.
The portage was short and the first 40' or so were vertical...but there were blueberries! We relaxed, swam ,bathed and looked forward to camp coming up at the Flat River.
Well, that was the plan anyway. I miscalculated "Tricky Currents"(what a name!) and voila! We took a surprise swim!
It seemed like 20 minutes of effort to reach the bank and bail the boat after we managed to get back together. Beverly was under the boat a short while and I was 50 yd. away down river. We managed ok. Thank you Lord. We pulled in to a cobble bar to regroup, pitch the tent, dry out and get warmed back up.  I never knew what hit us, it was all so harmless looking!

Next morning while eating breakfast Beverly said, "I think I see a beaver", I looked and said "He sure has big ears!" A bear was swimming the river very easily and he came over behind where we were but we never saw him again.

Carefully we went past the confluence of the Flat River and were checking on a drinking water source when the "group of 12" showed up. Earlier we had been approved to tag along with them and we did! We had to work to keep up with them.

That evening we all camped at the Gate and Pulpit Rock. A pretty campsite. The following morning most of us climbed the heights to take in Pulpit Rock from above it. Beautiful view.!
At mid day the group headed to Deadman Valley and Prairie Creek to camp and to enjoy a layover day. It was a good time. We toured the souvenir paddle museum at the cabin across the river and the main party went hiking over into the next valley.

Next morning brought George's Riffle (or Cache Rapids) It and its approach were formidable. Our boat was the last one through and though not perfect we made it and it was nice to have friends with throw bags in the case we were to continue our "synchronized swimming routine."

Immediately it seemed we were at Whitespray Springs, filling our water bottles and then Lafferty's Riffle (totally anti climactic) was up next. Also we were in the deepest of the four canyons!  Suddenly we smelled the sulphur of Kraus Hotspring and we all stopped and indulged ourselves for a nice rest break...what a pleasure!
At this point we said farewell the group (who were by this time very dear to us) and we headed down into the Splits hoping to make it to Nahanni Butte. Night caught us a few miles and bends in the river short of it. We camped on a sandbar and got up early and paddled on in past the Butte and to Blackstone early in the afternoon.

After "de registering" at Blackstone we tied up loose ends at Lindberg Landing, camped in the Territorial Park with the rains coming and in the morning we headed south for Ft. Liard and Nelson.

We had truly had the Trip of a Lifetime and we weren't even home yet!...it all seems like a blur it went so fast. and only now is reality beginning to set in.....lm