It has been several years since we did our Alaska trip. This journey was really a once-in-a-lifetime event. I still think about various aspects of our travels together.
Making a trip as memorable as this one takes a lot of research, planning and replanning. I wanted to get the most out of the time and expense, so I had to make sure there was a good variety of things to do and places to see. I also had to consider which stops to make to get the best value. I came up with plans on what to do if we were ever to get stranded. Considering how remote some of the places we were going to were, being stranded would be horrid.
We would arrive in Yellowknife, and the following day, I wanted to take my wife hiking to waterfalls. I put in a lot of time, sweat, and anxiety into researching these two waterfalls during my planning stage. They were located on the last road in the NWT and looked really remote. I figured that we would probably be the only humans within hundreds of square kilometres when we ventured to these places. Because of this notion of isolation and loneliness, I had to do an incredible amount of fore-planning. What would we do if we got lost? The trails are basically straight, so turn around and go back. What would we do in a wildlife encounter with a bear or wolves? Bring spray. What do we do if we run out of gas? I am certain that there are gas stations in Yellowknife, and we will fill up before we depart. What about a disabling injury? We are alone and stranded with no one around for hundreds of kilometres. No clue; just hope it doesn’t happen. The remoteness of these waterfalls weighed on me, but seeing truly wild waterfalls so far away from our home drew me closer to wanting to see them.
We arrived in Yellowknife, and we set up camp. We would explore this northern city, and the next day, head out to the falls that had caused me so much worry.
I was so wrong. I was wrong about nearly everything that worried me.
Rampart Falls and Cameron Falls were not as isolated as I had expected. The road we had to travel on was the last road in the Northwest Territories leading out of Yellowknife. Although the road would end only a few kilometres from our last stop, it had many scenic areas and parks for people to explore and being the only road, there was a traffic jam!
Yeah, okay, not Toronto-style traffic, which is just beyond annoying, but we encountered stop-and-go traffic in a few places while construction crews improved the road. There were dozens and dozens of cars all heading our way.
To say the waterfalls were crowded would be a massive exaggeration. There were several couples checking out the falls like we were. I was honestly expecting no one in the area, which I have to admit was a source of relief.
We would explore both falls and enjoy their splendour and near isolation. It was a truly beautiful setting, and I am glad that I had included visiting these, even though I had serious reservations (albeit mostly unfounded).
The Northwest Territories have several waterfalls along their main road, all easily accessible. We would explore all but one of these falls. A forest fire closed the only road to the last falls we wanted to see, and since it was the only road that led directly to Yukon, we would have to make a massive 20-hour detour to get ahead of it. But that is another story altogether.
We visited several waterfalls before these two when we entered the Territories. Alexandra Falls was just stunning, and being able to walk on the riverbed was a highlight. This made it my favourite falls up north. Twin Falls and Lady Evelyn Falls were also along the way to Yellowknife.
