Great
Race on the Great Slave
For genuine open-water drama,
head to Yellowknife for the first
long weekend in August, when the
Great Slave’s home sailing
club, the “Great Slave Cruising
Club,” holds it annual Commissoner’s
Cup Sailing Race. For
experienced sailors only, this
race takes a hardy handful of
competitors directly across the
lake, from Yellowknife to Hay
River. The race is composed of
4 legs, a total of 220 nautical
miles over and back.
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Wilderness
Great Slave Cruising
For 2 glorious months, when the last of the
ice has finally given in to 20 hours of continuous
daylight and temperatures that can easily
reach the high 20’s (Celsius), Great
Slave is a “no-limits” lake. No
limits to the endless stretches of clear blue
water, dotted with coastal islands. No limits
to secluded bays, quiet inlets, shoreline
marshes filled with birds, bottomless depths
thick with northern pike, arctic grayling,
trophy-sized lake trout. No limits to peace,
quiet, and the thrill of being one of the
few to navigate these uncrowded, undisturbed
– and sometimes even uncharted –
northern waters.
Winter in the north can be long and harsh,
but in July and August, boaters can revel
in non-stop sunshine. Rain is rare, thanks
to a dominant high pressure system. Mild
but steady winds of 10 -15 knots fill sails,
but keep the mosquitoes away, and the only
sound you’re likely to hear is the
cry of a red-throated loon or the high-pitched
rasp of an Arctic tern. As autumn nears,
and nights grow longer, the aurora borealis
– nature’s greatest light show
– begins its nightly performance.
For the safest water and most sensational
scenery, Great Slave boaters, kayakers and
sailors head to the lake’s East
Arm, where tendril-like channels,
lined with towering red granite cliffs and
spruce-pine forests, extend their ice-cold
fingers into the heart of the Northwest
Territories. (This spectacular section of
Great Slave Lake may be destined to become
one of Canada’s newest national parks.
See “A
New Park for Great Slave?”
.) A week-long trip from Yellowknife to
the lake’s north shore will take you
past Devil’s Channel,
Goulet Bay, and out into
Hearne Channel, where you
will pass the Blanchet Islands’
180-metre-high cliffs. Stop for a swim –
or at least a beachside stroll – at
Nipin Bay. Hike to the
limestone caves above Wildbread
Bay, en route to your final destination
of the isolated Dene community of Lutsel
K’e. Finish your trip with
a flight back to Yellowknife. (A
Yellowknife charter company offers crewed
sailing charters on a 5-passenger sloop,
with packages ranging from 5 – 7 nights,
including meals, sailing instruction and
return flight to Yellowknife. Sailboat and
cabin cruiser rentals are also available.)
A
New National Park for Great Slave
Lake?
In October of 2002, when the Canadian
federal government announced their
plans to create 10 new national
parks across the country, the
proposed expansion list included
the East Arm of Great Slave Lake.
The selection of the rugged
region, with its cold, clear
waters and archipelago of rocky
islands, is not an entirely
new idea: more than 7,000 square
kilometers of crown land in
the area have been “withdrawn”
(protected from industrial development)
by the federal government since
1970. In 2001, the Lutsel K’e
Dene Nation and other members
of Akaitcho Treaty No. 8 indicated
their willingness to consider
the designation of a park within
their territorial area. The
decision process will include
extensive consultation with
Elders concerning the traditional
and spiritual activities associated
with the East Arm region. |
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A Kayaking Expedition
to the East Arm
Strengthen your body and clear your head
as you soak up the serenity of a northern
summer with a 12-day paddle through Great
Slave’s spectacular East Arm. Guided
tours in fully-outfitted expedition sea
kayaks begin with a Twin Otter flight from
Yellowknife, and traverse the head of the
East Arm between Wildbread Bay and Scott’s
Arm. Camp on secluded islets, hike through
the boreal forest, watch for bald eagles
and savour fresh fish, on your way to the
community of Lutsel K’e, where Dene
elders conduct an evening of storytelling.
Kayaking is a popular pursuit in the lake-studded
northern wilderness; check with Yellowknife’s
Northern Frontier Regional Visitor
Information Centre for canoe/kayaking
route maps. Kayak rentals are available
through Yellowknife outfitters. Rentals
and guided Great Slave/Mackenzie River tours
can also be booked on the lake’s south
shore, in the community of Hay River. Independent
kayakers should be well-prepared and heavily-provisioned;
services are few and far between. |
