Let The Adventure Begin
The planning of this trip started 1 year ago, and I know that Michael and I have shared and individual reasons why we decided to embark on this journey. We both had felt an urge to do something "different", test ourselves on a journey of exploration. The idea of paddling the length of the Mackenzie river in North West Territories in Canada met this need for adventure.
The Mackenzie river, the Deh Cho, (big river), flows north from the Great Slave Lake to the Arctic Ocean. It stretches 1120 miles. The starting point of our trip is Hay River on the Great Slave Lake and our destination is Tuktoyaktuk, a small community on the Beaufort Sea. There are 9 settlements along the way and depending on weather conditions and the condition of father, the time in between settlements may be one to two weeks. Therefore blog entries may be irregular - but stay with us.
The physical challenge of the journey lies not so much in the technical difficulty of the river (mostly grade 1 rapids, 2 x grade 2) but in the size of the water and it's remoteness. The average width of the river is 1.5 to 2 miles and strong winds must be treated with respect.
We are excited and nervous about the journey ahead, meeting the challenge of existing in a harsh and unforgiving environment where bears and mosquitos belong and man is a visitor. We also welcome the opportunity to observe the culture of the Dene people and perhaps experience some of their unique traditional aboriginal activity.
I want to say that planning and preparing for this trip and getting to this point has only been possible with the support and help of many. Thanks to you all.