Last weekend my housemate Libby, her fiancé Leon and I took a road trip up to the North West Territories. The trip was incredible and worth it, but as there always is, there were some hiccups along the way.
On our drive up we stopped for gas and when making conversation with the employee he warned to "watch out for those mosquitos up there". I laughed and said "will do" but I don't anything could have prepared me for the mosquitos we saw. They were basically the size of horses and I was genuinely concerned that they might pick me up and take me to their nest. No amount of clothing or bug spray could keep them at bay. I ended the trip with over 100 bites and I think I will be itchy for the
next 2 weeks.
If you look closely in this picture you can see some of the mosquitos that accompanied us on our hike.
We also experienced less than ideal weather. When we got to our campsite it began to rain and it then continued to pour for the duration of the night. Luckily Libby and I are tarp experts so we were able to make due. Leon also got creative and found a way to roast his marshmallow without leaving the safety of our little set up!
Luckily we had slightly better weather the following day and the only falling water we had to deal with were the beautiful Alexandra and Louise water falls. The waterfalls are approximately 2 km apart, which took us about 25 minutes to walk. We spent nearly 45 minutes at each fall because they were so incredible. As you can see in the photos we were able to get right up close to them, however some of the pictures are deceiving and make us look much closer to the edge then we really were. I promise mom, we were safe!
Also, I learned that the water has a red/ brown tint due to a large amount of iron in the water.
During our hike to the second falls we met an adorable couple from Australia completely decked out in mosquito net hats and suits. They were as sweet as could be to us, however I could hardly contain my laughter when they started swearing like sailors and swatting at the "damn mozzies" (aka mosquitos). They were cute as could be and when I asked if they wanted a photo they said "yes! With the mozzie spray!" and posed themselves proudly displaying a can of OFF! Deep Woods as if it were a trophy.
At the second falls we found a ladder that someone had made making it possible to go down to the bottom of the falls where we stayed for quite a while. Not even the pictures can represent how amazing the sounds, sights and smells of the falls. While I was there I wanted to leave something behind so I made an inuksuk to watch over the river for me. I named him Seymour but who knows if he is still standing. If anyone is up in the area in the near future let me know!
