anyone with experience on the Mackenzie river, NWT. Looking for advice, sugg. etc. So far, info is hard to come by. Map source also needed from Great slave lake on. Trip planned 2nd week July. Old Town 147 canoe.
Big pushy river
with headwinds to die for otherwise a grand and historic trip. Was thinking of doing it my self but talked that same person into the Stikine for this year. Have seen some info somewhere Will try and re-find it and get back to you. - Jamie
NWT
OK, found a start for you. Try http://www.myccr.com/Link/listing.php?cat=114
Yeh, they are up and going again.
Good Luck - Jamie
yeah whats you need?
I got stacks of Mackenzie river info.
Paddled it solo in 1998
Have had friends who have paddled it too including my paraplegic friend who did it solo this past summer.
WHats you need? Maps? Logistics?
Below is the web site for the Mackenzie River Paddlers Association. harlow has not updated it in a long time but there is a lot of info including a bunch I posted.
http://www.paddlemackenzie.org/
Also check paddling.net the “Places2 Paddle” section where I posted my Mac trip report and also here is an article from Paddler Magazine
http://www.paddlermagazine.com/issues/2000_2/article_2.shtml
Also do a book search on Amazon or like for “Reflections on a River” By Elizabeth Noel. She and her family kayaked the whole mac in 1998 and wrote a detailed book including planning. I met them enroute.
Also check out http://www.myccr.com however they may not be working since they had a virus on there web site…but check back often.
Drop me an email sometime, Id like to hear more about your trip.
Good Luck
Norm
ewade, I know someone next year paddling
Mackenzie river. Let me know if you want to share info with two people I know who will be paddling it next year too.
DID you get my first reponse to your question?
Info on McKenzie
I did some research last year, my webpage below has some links and the result of my own research.
http://peregrino.home.att.net/arctic/mackenzie.html
I don’t think that the maps are a problem if you look around. Since the Mackenzie is navigable by larger boats, you can buy navigation charts from the Canadian Hydrographic Service, (most likely through a map dealer).
http://www.charts.gc.ca
No, I have not done it, but I would like to. I hope to make my first trip up north this year, perhaps on the Churchill. Personally, I would not want to do it solo, but if you want to do a solo trip, I judge the Mackenzie to be safer as a solo trip than most rivers, what with passing boats, etc.
Richard
nav charts
The Nav charts are extremely detailed way more than you need but thats your choice.
I used regualr topo maps and was fine. You could get by totaly without a map of the mackenzie to do it.
Solo and "krippled"
I’m the krippled guy Norm mentioned.
Before I really made the commitment I did a lot of research, for obvious reasons. One guy told me he did the Mackenzie a few years ago with a NWT roadmap. I took A GPS and laptop and a few maps.
Read my webpage www.stillmevoyage.com Don’t worry about a thing. You will never get into more trouble than I did. And that ain’t bad.
It took me a month. I’m going back again next summer, from June to August. The only mistake I made was not allocating enough time. Go slow. I won’t make that mistake again. It is just too big and there’s too much to see to hurry. I did 40 miles per day if I needed to, but I should have done 10.
You could spend the rest of your life on the river and I sort of plan to. Every turn, every village, every inflowing creek/river is a blessing.
Solo is the best way to go. If you need - there will always be someone coming up or down river in a day or two.
Bugs are bad off the river. Wind is a drag and you have to be able to stop for a day or so. Every 200 miles there is a store with “northern” fare. People live there on the river. That is flour, canned milk, and all the basic northern necessaries. You won’t starve even if you loose all your food - like I did.
Bottom line. If you’ve got a good boat, know how to swim, and are adaptable and fearless you will have no problem with the river. Going solo is bigger than the river.
Email me if you have any other concerns. www.stillmevoyage.com
might be able to help
– Last Updated: Feb-17-05 11:24 AM EST –
where are you hauling out at are you going all the way to the arctic ocean. I gotta dig up some stuff and make a phone call but I think I can help. A friend of mine went up there about 3 years ago made it as far as Norman Wells I think it was called. wife had a baby about three weeks early and he had to head back to California. He was going solo, he's the type of guy you could'nt rush out of a burning building.