2008 EXPEDITION ROUTE
(GREAT SLAVE L.-EMILE R.-COPPERMINE R.-RAE R.-KUGLUKTUK, ARCTIC OCEAN)

 

Emile and Parent Rivers
The expedition will begin at Fort Rae at the top of the North Arm of Great Slave Lake in early June 2008.   From Fort Rae our route takes us up the Emile River through a series of lakes to reach the height of land at Mesa Lake. We anticipate a couple of tough weeks of upriver travel on the Emile, including numerous portages around whitewater and ice-bound lakes. From Mesa Lake we will continue down the Parent River to Rawalpindi Lake and then into Redrock Lake on the Coppermine River.   We will be traveling through boreal forest through the majority of this section, with the terrain opening to tundra as we near the Coppermine.

Coppermine River
The Coppermine is one of the most popular rivers in the Arctic for canoe travel. First traveled by Samuel Hearne in 1771, the Coppermine's waters originate in the boreal forest north of Great Slave Lake and flow north and east to Coronation Gulf on the Arctic Ocean. From Redrock Lake we will continue down the Coppermine, skirting the edge of the border between boreal forest and tundra. After ~100 miles we will cross the Arctic Circle, enter continuous tundra and reach the Coppermine's confluence with the Kendall River. 

Kendall River and Rae Watershed
The Kendall Rivers enters the Coppermine from the northeast, flowing out of the Dismal Lakes.   Historically travelers used the Kendall River and Dismal Lakes to join Great Bear Lake to the Coppermine and Arctic Ocean. We will travel up the Kendall River, through the Dismal Lakes and begin a lengthy and rarely traveled watershed crossing northeast to reach the Rae River. Reaching the Rae will require nearly 50 miles of combined creek, lake and overland travel across the tundra. This will likely be the most challenging section of our expedition.

Rae River and Coronation Gulf
The unknown qualities of the Rae River are what will motivate us to complete the long haul overland to reach its headwaters.   Traveled by Dr. John Rae via dogsled in the early 1900's, the Rae has seen very few canoeists since.   We are excited by the opportunity to explore rarely traveled terrain, but also aware of the caution we must use as we proceed through unknown waters.   From its headwaters the Rae will carry us west to Coronation Gulf on the Arctic Ocean.   We will follow the ocean shore west to complete our expedition in the small town of Kugluktuk.