Hood River N U N A V U T
ANY RIVER that Bill Mason liked more than the South Nahanni must be worth paddling. What the Hood has going for it is everything—that is to say it is diverse. There are beautiful lake sec- tions, pounding technical rapids and spectacular falls and canyons. Topping it all is the 60-metre Wilberforce Falls, a two-stage drop that is the highest waterfall above the Arctic Circle. You don’t have to be a slalom champ to do the
Hood, but the rapids are long and can be chal- lenging. You need to be comfortable eddy-hop- ping down technical sets. Bring good skills and judgment and leave the testosterone behind. But know that you can’t paddle everything. There is no way around a few long, tough portages.
Keep your eyes open The wildlife is off the charts. Perhaps most im-
pressive are the muskox. You are assured of see- ing herds of this seemingly prehistoric beast.
CLIFF JACOBSON is the author of more than a dozen books on camping and canoeing. He was married at Wilberforce Falls in 1992.
26 n C ANOE ROOT S fall 2007 PHOTOS: JAN WALDIN/HEADSHOT: CLIFF JACOBSON
Required skill Without a reliable back ferry for negotiating long
rapids you shouldn’t be on the Hood River.
Routes Charter a float plane out of Yellowknife to drop
you in the headwaters near Lake Tahikafaaluk (make sure the ice is out before you get there). From there it will be a two- to three-week trip down to Bathurst Inlet Lodge and the charter back to Yellowknife.
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