Double rainbow, OMG.
WILD QUA R T E T
The bush plane flight from the tiny town of Mayo into the Wind River wilderness is majestic. From 10,000 feet, I can look down upon the so-called Silver Highway, leading to the abandoned mining communities of Elsa and Keno.
As we press further into the Mackenzie Mountain range, roads transform from pavement to gravel to dirt tracks, until finally all paths simply fade away, leaving rivers and creeks the only routes to follow in a landscape dominated by stunted spruce trees and tangles of tamarack. The sprawling wilderness, extending for 26,000 square kilometers, is a shock to Matthew Lien, who has just returned from the tightly packed city of Taipei.
Matthew is the artistic leader of this project. Originally from the Yukon, he now spends much of his time in Taiwan where he is multi-platinum folk music celebrity.
Also on board are vibrant watercolor painter, Stephanie Ryan, and dynamic young filmmaker, Brendan Preston. I’m the final piece of the quartet, offering up my skills as a photographer, as well as a river guide to get us 500 kilometers safely downstream.
• • •
BRUSHES AT THE RE A DY We’re deposited at McClusky Lake, laden with 1,200 pounds of tripping gear and art supplies. After we bid our pilot goodbye and watch the plane dip beyond the horizon, a moose with twin calves wanders towards us along the grassy shore. We pull out cameras, paint brushes and sound recorders and settle into the willows behind a dilapidated dock, patiently waiting as the moose splash closer, dipping their heads underwater in search of grass.
44 | Canoeroots Mother moose.
Artist arrival.
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