| • | • |
Finally released by the Plateau several days later, we paddle into the crystal clear, brook trout-laden Natikamaukau River. This wa- terway is a privilege to descend as very few, if any, people have done so before. The Na- tikamaukau is 22 kilometers long and drops 400 feet from its source, snaking through water-smoothed rock slots down a deep val- ley framed by high, barren ridges roamed by caribou and black bear. It eventually spills into the oft-travelled George River, which we’ll ride north to our finish in Ungava Bay. Todd is waiting with the canoe at the top
of a class III rapid while I set up a fisheye lens on a bluff to get an overhead view of the run. Mounted on the back of the canoe is the POV camera set up on a three-link boom called a Magic Arm so both of us are in the shot. Often used as a lighting mount in studio work, the arm is the perfect device for shoot- ing canoe films as it can be clamped anywhere and at any angle on the gunwales or thwarts. Having at least two unique perspectives of the same rapid is key to making a dynamic sequence. I don’t portage back up rapids to re-do shots so this is a one-shot deal. I give Todd the signal, press record and
scramble over the rocks, bash through the shore alder, splash through the shallows and hop into the canoe. With the POV camera rolling, I tuck into the spraydeck and we’re off.
The canoe slips into the current and we
engage the river. I forget that I’m filming and enjoy the moment as a series of standing waves crash over Todd in the bow. We side- slip a series of pillow rocks before peeling safely into an eddy behind a large boulder. After a bit of euphoric hooting and holler-
ing, I hop out, scramble up the embankment and run 100 meters back to the still-running camera. In my mind I can already see how I’ll cut the scene when I get home. Surrounded by the barren splendor of Nunavik it dawns on me that this is a pretty good office—and I’m glad the third person came with us on our journey. As film and trip draw closer to conclusion and destination, I realize as both a filmmaker and adventurer, I couldn’t ask for anything more than this. Frank Wolf is an adventurer and filmmaker
who specializes in environmental documentaries. He lives in Vancouver.
56 PADDLING THIS MONTH || March 2013 This feature article first appeared in the
Spring 2013 issue of Canoeroots.
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