Let the River Answer

On a rafting trip in Canada’s remote Northwest Territories, Jayme Moye discovers what’s beneath the surface of one of the world’s most pristine natural wonderlands

- Jayme Moye

ONE OF MY traveling companions opens a small pouch and places a pinch of dried tobacco leaves in my palm. "For an offering," he says. "You make it before the start of a journey." Unlike the rest of us, he lives in the Northwest Territories; his wife is a member of the Déné people, a group indigenous to this sparsely populated part of Canada. I sprinkle the sacred herb into the fast-flowing current of the Nah?ą Dehé, or South Nahanni River. We're about to spend 12 days navigating these remote waters, traveling with Nahanni River Adventures through some of Canada's deepest and most ancient river canyons. I offer the Nahanni my appreciation and respect, and then hop into the expedition raft.