Why the Thomsen River?

The Thomsen River runs north through Aulavik National Park on Banks Island in Canada's Northwest Territories.  The headwaters lie in a series of lakes to the south of the park boundary, and the river ends in a broad estuary at Castel Bay on the McClure Strait of the Arctic Ocean.   The river and its valley are the main geographic features of the park, which occupies a large section of the north side of the island.  The island has little elevation, particularly the northern portion, so the river is wide and slow-moving.  No white-water, unless you count the whitecaps.

Banks is the western-most island in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago.  The island has recently received a lot of publicity due to the discovery of the HMS Investigator, which spent several winters trapped in ice in Mercy Bay along the north shore of the island before sinking in 1853.  McClure, the ship's captain, was eventually credited with discovering the Northwest Passage.  There are several interesting books describing the expedition.  I liked The Ice Passage by Brian Payton, which I read shortly before our trip. 

The Thomsen River is said to be the northern-most navigable river by canoe, but that's not really what drew us there. Rather, it was the opportunity to experience one of the least visited and most remote parks in Canada.  The pristine wilderness is home to a number of rare animal and bird species,  muskox and Peary caribou being among the most well-known.  The unique light of the high arctic, the subtle textures and colors of the landscape, the magic of the blooming arctic wildflowers, the isolation  - these are the things that made us want to travel there.  That, and being unplugged for two whole weeks.