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Here's 27 reasons why paddling in the Northwest Territories is a splash
27 reasons why paddling in the Northwest Territories is a splash
Paddling and the Northwest Territories. They go hand in hand. This is the epic liquid realm where Alexander Mackenzie canoed to the Arctic Sea. Where expeditioners trace the fabled Nahanni. Where world-class kayakers frolic in the house-high waves of the Slave. And where paddleboarders explore the rocky shores of Yellowknife Bay.
So what are you waiting for? Here's 27 reasons you need to get up here and grab life by the paddle.
1. You can catch some sweet air
What a rush! Everyone loves it when they run a wave-train and their bow goes airborne ...
2. Paddling at midnight ...
Don't you wish you were here? Nothing beats being out on the water during the dusky overnight hours, when our Northern world is orange, silent and still.
3. Getting wet on a hot day
Not only does it cool you off, it also cleans you up. No more campfire smell!
4. Landing a fish that's nearly the size of your vessel
Up here, any fisherman with a motorboat can catch a 40-pound Pike. But landing a lunker while you're in a canoe, kayak or paddleboard? That takes true skill.
5. Being downstream of a roaring waterfall ...
Like Virginia Falls, shown here. That's a four-acre surface of thundering current. You don't want to float too close.
6. That feeling when you wave goodbye to the floatplane ...
... and you realize you're all alone. It's like the weight of the modern world lifts from your shoulders, setting you truly free.
7. Seeing scenes like this
Paddling in the Northwest Territories takes you places you could never reach any other way. It puts you in the midst of vistas that are out of this world. It transports you – physically, and spiritually.
8. Portaging
But only when the distance is short, the trail is smooth and there's lots of hands to help.
9. This campsite
It's on Little Doctor Lake, in the foothills of the Mackenzie Mountains.
10. Or this campsite ...
... on Great Slave Lake's fabled East Arm.
11. Or this campsite
... on Pine Lake in Wood Buffalo National Park.
12. Paddling celebrations
Like Fort Smith's Paddlefest, where there's tons of ...
13. Epic playboating
Don't worry. Even if you can't do a "donkey flip," it's still fun to watch.
14. Paddling ashore to meet the locals
Including these talented young lads in Wekweeti.
15. The adventurous drive to the put-in
... because getting there is half the fun.
16. Paddling in the wake of history
Alexander Mackenzie canoed here. So did John Franklin. And Samuel Hearne. Hood and Back. Thomas Simpson. The list goes on.
17. Meeting shore companions
These muskoxen live around the rocky shores and red cliffs of Great Slave Lake's fabled East Arm.
18. Scouting
And then running the route exactly as you'd planned.
19. Watching the river-bottom whoosh past ...
... in a clear, fast-flowing stream.
20. Day hikes
Give your arms a break and trot up to the nearest overlook. It's always great to get a new perspective on things.
21. Catching your dinner on a fly rod
When you land your own meal, it tastes twice as good.
22. Riverside hotsprings
Think of it as a spa in the wilderness. You earned it. Bask as long as you'd like.
23. Canyons
Paddling along the foot of plunging shore-cliffs and sheer-sided gorges is a special sort of thrill.
24. Storms
But only when they're in the distance and they stay in the distance.
25. Thrills ...
and a few chills, but no spills.
26. Learning how to execute a flawless bow draw ...
and then using it at the moment when it counts.
27. Standing up
Because paddling doesn't have to cramp your style.
