Wild Liard Waters

Monika Rohlmann is an environmental consultant in Yellowknife, Northwest
Territories.

The Liard River is a wild waterway that flows from Alaska through to the
lower Yukon and then winds beside the Alaska Highway in northern British
Columbia before emptying into the Mackenzie River in the Northwest
Territories. Most people who have traveled through the area know of the
river from camping and fishing sites off the major highway. The early
voyageurs, traders, and gold seekers are among the few people who have
canoed the river. There are just too many swift and turbulent rapids and
steep portages to make it a popular recreational canoe route.

Yet it is these very characteristics that drew Wenger to paddle the
river at least three times. His book is a chronological account of a
trip with friends in 1974 (Wenger first canoed the river in 1970). Each
section of the river is described in detail. We learn about the nature
of the water, the characteristics of the landscape, and the challenges
the paddlers faced as they ran certain rapids or tow-roped their canoes
up cliff walls. There are also plenty of quotes from stories left by
early traders and prospectors. The final chapters of the book detail the
third trip, which was taken in 1976.

White-water enthusiasts will appreciate the detailed descriptions of
the river. The general reader, however, may be dismayed by the minimal
consideration given to the human experience.