Cruising on the Mackenie and the Delta

The one thing that has been a bit disappointing about my time in Inuvik has been the weather - and some really high winds have prevented me from doing a couple of activities that I had hoped to do on both the Delta and on the Beaufort Sea.  So rather than not get out on it at all, I opted for a few hours on a boat, primarily exploring some of the channels of the Delta, but also doing some 'cruising' on the Mackenzie River itself.

The Mackenzie River (Slavey language: Deh Cho "big river" or Inuvialuktun: Kuukpak "great river" is the largest and longest river system in Canada.  The source of the river is Great Slave Lake (at Yellowknife) and the mouth is at the Arctic Ocean.  It is 4241 kms long.

The Mackenzie Delta is a vast area of low-lying islands, many of which are covered with black spruce, which thin as you head northward.  These trees are large enough to be used for construction of log buildings and are widely used as fuel.  The delta is a maze of channels, cutoff lakes and circular ponds, which are home to a large muskrat population.  The delta is 80 km across, bordered by the Richardson Mountains in the west and the Caribou Hills in the east. Below Point Separation the river splits into 3 main, navigable channels: East Channel, which flows past Inuvik on the easterly edge of the delta; Peel Channel in the west, which flows past Aklavik; and Middle Channel, which carries the main outflow into the Beaufort Sea.  Tuktoyaktuk, northeast of the delta, is the transfer point for river and ocean cargo; its harbour is open from July to late September.

We left Inuvik and headed past the barging station I had seen from the air before.  As I mentioned, the Coast Guard is just now putting the buoys into the river which will open it up to full barge traffic for about the next three months, until the buoys are pulled up again and the river freezes.  We went up the East Channel to Point Separation and saw where the river really widened and the volume of water increased dramatically.  And even still this far inland we were having fun in the waves - I can only imagine what it would have been like further north and out on the Beaufort Sea.

 This barge is also a scientific work station and at times when accommodation is tight in  Inuvik it also doubles as a hotel

 A beaver, busy at work

 An eagle

These are the Caribou Hills (or Sandy Hills) and around here is where the river channel widens

An arctic tern

A barge out on the river taking cargo to Inuvik

An old trapper's cabin along the banks of the river