Arctic Dreams on the Firth River:
g*—^ n the morning of the summer solstice, 11
Outdoor Program participants were dropped off
by bush plane on the banks of the Firth River in
Iwavik National Park in extreme northern Yukon Territory,
Canada.
After four days of travel with 2500 lbs of rafting gear, we
felt amazed, humbled and alone in the huge arctic wild
ness; and glad all our gear and people made it. We stood
well above the arctic circle, in the land of the midnight sun,
on the verge an adventure none of us would ever forget.
We came to float the 80 mile pristine Firth River as it
flows majestically through the British Mountains, across the
coastal plains and out to the Beauford Sea. The area is host
to the Porcupine Caribou herd, 135,000 strong, as they
migrate from their "nursery" in the Arctic National Wildlife
Reserve (ANWR) in Alaska. Their migration is one of the
greatest remaining wildlife migrations on earth. In addition
to the caribou, Iwavik is home to a fantastic array of
wildlife, including musk oxen, wolves, Dali's sheep, golden
and bald eagles, gyrfalcons, tundra swans, and myriad
species of ducks. It is also one of the few places in the
world where one can see black and polar bears as well as
grizzlies in one location. Over the next eleven adventure
Filled days, only the polar bear did not make an appearance
to the group. After seeing such an abundance of wild ani
mals in such a fragile environment, it is very difficult to
accept the Bush Administration's efforts to allow drilling in
the neighboring ANWR coastal plains, calving ground of
the caribou herd.
In addition to seeing the wildlife, the river corridor pro
vided a unique cultural opportunity. The drainage has
been occupied for the last 10,000 years by the Dorset,
Thule, Eskimo, and Inuvialuit people. The area was not
glaciated during the last ice ages; therefore the Firth is con
sidered one of the oldest rivers in the arctic region. The
cold and remoteness of the area means there is still evi
dence of ancient dwellings and lookouts scattered across
the tundra. One interesting feature is the "caribou fence."
Its age is unknown, but it is thought to have been used to
herd caribou to places where they could be more easily
hunted by Stone Age people. Another cultural site is called
Engigstciak, an old hill at the edge of the delta zone used
by many ancient people to survey the open ground for
game. A hike to the top, looking over that pristine land and
spotting a herd of musk ox in the far distance, left us feel
ing a rare connection with those that have stood there over
the millennium.
The river descends through four separate "reaches" over
the 130 kilometers, providing different views sheds every
few hours. The first reach, called Aufeis, extends for 35 km
and is characterized by large sheets of ice formed by spring
water flowing over existing river ice. The river is fairly flat
and the banks consisted of rocky shores and weathered
limestone mountains. The next reach, Mountain Reach, is
characterized by steep mountain sides coming to the river's
edge and forming a narrow winding valley. The spectacular
canyon reach is 45 km long of continuous walls up to 50
meters high. This stretch also includes several exciting class
III and IV rapids. Finally, the river enters the Delta Reach
across the coastal plain where it is braided and complex to
navigate. The delta is 15 km long and 6 km wide and filled
with wildlife.
There are no roads or even trails in the park. In eleven
days we saw no other person at all until the bush pilots
arrived to fly us off the gravel spit. If you love wild rivers,
put the Firth on your to do list of big adventures.
Dan Geiger, Outdoor Program Coordinator, was a co-initiator for the Firth
Expedition. Dan will show a slide presentation of the Firth Trip on November
6th- check out the 2003 Events (p.4) for details.
Check Out the
OP Gear Rental
Program
The OP Gear Rental
program has over 70
categories of rental
equipment available.
We have equipment
that can't be rented
anywhere else in town,
like: sleeping bags,
tents, sleeping pads,
backpacks, fleece jackets
and more! We also
have all sorts of water
craft: rafts, kayaks, and
canoes! For more infor
mation on how to rent
gear for your next pri
vate trip, check out our
website: http://outdoor
program, uoregon.edu or
call us at 346-4371.
Sign up for the
Event E-mail List
The Outdoor Program
has a popular e-mail
list for those who want
to know what trips and
events are coming up
each week. It's easy to
sign-up, just fill out the
submission form under
"Event email signup"
on our website:
http://outdoorprogram. u
oregon.edu