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| CANOEING |
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| RAFTING |
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| SELF GUIDED |
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| CONTACT |
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NAHANNI
WILDERNESS
ADVENTURE LTD
969A Lawrence Grassi Ridge
Canmore, Alberta
Canada T1W 3C3
1-888-897-5223
PHONE
1-403-678-3374
FAX
1-403-609-2042
e-mail
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Going Against The Flow |
Start/Finish: Lindberg Landing to
Lindberg Landing Liard and South Nahanni Rivers
Length: 10 days
Distance: 200 km
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Day 3 - September 8/08
7:00AM A cool rain is coming out of the east and the barometer is on the decline. I packed up in the tent while the stove was brewing a hot drink. I ate left over cold spaghetti for breakfast, and afterwards wrestled into my one piece dry suit and popped out of the tent looking like a mango.
AM - A firm clay river bottom made for great poling up the long cut bank at Swan Point. I crossed to the sandy point as a double kayak came into view. These people had come from Moose Ponds in record time. Sue Lindberg mentioned I might run into them. We drifted together for a few minutes as they shared stories about their trip. As we moved apart I mused to myself about the dry cabin and roaring fire they would soon be enjoying at Lindberg's. It would be a while before I knew such a pleasure.
PM The wind intensified in the afternoon. There were times, while standing as a mango spinnaker, I was moving up river without poling. The clouds raced past to the north. The lower flank of the craggy Nahanni Butte is all I could make out as I entered the mouth of the Nahanni River. A profound moment I thought to myself. I was on the path of R.M. Patterson and Albert Faille and many other unsung upriver travelers going up the river with a beautiful name. I went from the Liard River's milky brown to the blue-green water of the autumn flow of the Nahanni River.
The village of Nahanni Butte was silent as I poled past, feeling a bit lonely. Its streetlights seemed out of place and did little to warm my path after a long day. Camp was set up on a sand bar at the north end of town and dinner cooked in the vestibule. I was glad for the shelter after a day in the elements. A satellite phone call to my home in Canmore and the welcome voices of Wendy and Luke, my son, was a cheerful end to the day.
Day 4 - September 9/08
AM - I gave my outfit a thorough cleaning while cooking and eating a breakfast of eggs and bacon. Once things were ready I walked into town and found Jim Lancaster directing some activities with one of his hunting guides. I came to offer my condolences at a time of sadness for those at Nahanni Butte Outfitters. Jim's uncle and partner, Cam Lancaster had been killed in an airplane crash the week before. I wished him well and walked uptown to knock on the door of my friend and long ago guiding partner Bobby Vital. Bobby was home and proudly showed me his new Honda quad. Upon leaving the village I was fortunate to cross paths with the community health worker and pick up a months supply of anti-inflammatory pills. Old injuries in a foot, wrist and elbow had begun to talking to me.
PM - Pushing off from Nahanni Butte in the afternoon I worked my way up through the meanders which dominate the Nahanni River's lower 20 km. Wolf tracks could be seen from time to time in the mud. Friends from the Butte came by in their jet boat and poked fun at this old looking white guy with a mop of grey hair poling up river. We had a few laughs before they sped away. It's clearing up and I am removing clothing layers. Nahanni Butte Mountain is dressed in a coat of golden aspen with a mixture of white birch and spruce greenery. I feel like I am living in a post card. Eighty years ago, R.M. Paterson would have called this evening, "one of those golden days of fall...a sweet, clear stillness, soft sunshine, wild fruit, & the golden leaves glowing over the clear green of the rivers."
I had made good time today but my late start kept me from reaching my goal of Last Camp. Before dark I spied a patch of small dry stones that looked like they would work well for the tent, so I landed and went looking for firewood.
JOURNAL PAGE 3 >>>
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