|
The following advert invited volunteers to apply for places on a Joint Services Expedition to the Back River read:
'The Expedition is to be an Open Boat descent of the Back River and will be a national first. Descending a river, which is considered to be the most challenging in the North West Territories, passing as it does through uninhabited wilderness for its entire length. The river is 673 miles long, the longest in Canada situated entirely within the barren lands and flowing into the Arctic Ocean at Chantrey Inlet. During its course the river drops over numerous falls and more than 80 sets of rapids as well as having numerous lake systems to be navigated. This will prove to be a challenging expedition which will stretch team members and equipment to the limits in an environment in which we will not even be at the top of the food chain!'
 Following a sift of application forms, interviews and numerous training sessions I found myself with five others flying in a Float Plane over the Tundra of northern Canada; a vast expanse of land and water. Training in Britain had included an Open Boat course in Scotland, Whitewater rescue techniques at Llangollen and an Advanced Trauma course at the Defence Medical School. We landed on Sussex Lake, the headwaters of the Back River and unloaded the equipment - each boat when fully loaded weighed nearly a ton! When the plane left isolation was complete, the nearest human habitation Yellowknife was 250 miles away to the South West and we were heading 700 miles in the opposite direction!
The first week was the hardest, with the boats fully laden, little river flow and routines and paddle fitness to be gained. Slowly a routine evolved whereby we were on the river and paddling by 0900 hrs each day, covering between 23 and 25 miles per day and finishing around 1800 hrs. Everyone had their task in setting up the camp and unless it was your turn to cook it was chill time under the 'Tarp'; a large communal tarpaulin with drop down mosquito proof sides for group admin.
 The course of the river initially led us north, following river sections with small rapids and crossing many lakes. All of this was into a demanding headwind that made progress difficult and steering even harder. Some days were better than others, but paddling into headwaves is far from easy. By the end of the first week we had covered over 120 miles, navigated Beechey Lake (40 miles long) and completed the portage around Beechey Falls.
Over the next 10 days we meandered east, alternating between river sections involving grade 2 rapids to wider near lake type sections. All the time the river was gaining in volume and momentum, although progress still seemed hard work with the inevitable head winds. Our equipment was proving to be more than up to the task, although personal repairs were being made to customise to individual tastes. The safety equipment was working fine, INMARSAT worldphone kept us in touch with base at Yellowknife and UK; always a surreal experience sat in the middle of the Arctic tundra on the phone to home! Power problems had been resolved by the use of a solar panel, which also charged the batteries for the video camera. Fortunately the Personal Locator Beacons (PLB's) and extensive First Aid packs we carried were never called into action.
Half time and we had paddled over 350 miles under a vast sky of emptiness and seen no other human signs; not even jet-trails from aircraft. The wilderness so pure it was incredible. Latterly we had been travelling through an area dominated by huge sandbanks as the river's flow slowed and deposited material. This was prior to the vast lake system we now encountered; 200 miles in length and in places up to 20 miles wide. It took almost two weeks to navigate through the maze of channels between the lakes, and at times we were making open water crossings where land could not be seen on the horizon we were aiming for!
| 
