Thelon River Trek Through the Thelon Game Sanctuary

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Canoeing the Thelon River from the Hanbury River to the Thelon Bluffs through the Thelon Game Sanctuary in Canada's North West Territories and Nunavut in August 2015

For 2 weeks in August, four of us spent 2 weeks canoeing the very bottom portion of the Hanbury River and then the Thelon River all the way through the last rapids at the Thelon Bluffs. With me was my long-time trekking partner Roman Poluha. We have canoed long trips together several times and have hiked throughout the North East as well as Baffin Island. Roman's second oldest daughter, Sarah aged 21, joined us and was a great addition to the team. My oldest brother, Wolodymyr Lewyckyj joined me for the first time. I think that he enjoyed himself thoroughly and that the Barren Grounds have worked their way into his blood and psyche. Wolodymyr fitted perfectly with the team and with the north. The middle to far north is a very harsh mistress. Our canoe trek took us well north of the tree line, through the heart of the Thelon Game Sanctuary and we finished off about 64.5° north latittude. This is true tundra and permafrost, and the wildlife, not fauna and flora, is very different. Some people call this a waste land but I tend to disagree. Life is more precarious and precious here, and the density is much lower than points south (except for insects!), the ecosystem is just as integrated, developed, and interrelated as anywhere else. This page chronicles our journey, primarily through pictures and some video with some captions thrown in. if you ever want to communicate with me about canoeing in the Thelon Game Sanctuary or in the Barren Grounds in general, drop me a line at webmaster@lewyckyj.com

Our Air Canada Jazz flight from Calgary to Yellowknife. Wolodymyr and I cooled our heels in the Maple Leaf Lounge.

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