I did the Horton trip out of Inuvik on a Pilatus Porter. Had six people, three Pakboats and five weeks worth of gear and food in that plane, its an amazing aircraft.

Thanks for all help

What is the best place to fly out from to Horton and Thelon River? Inuvik?

jmc

The $5000 budget is for each of us. I'll check with the charter-operators to see how far our budget will take us. How early should these flights be booked?

Thanks for all help

What is the best place to fly out from to Horton and Thelon River? Inuvik?

jmc

The $5000 budget is for each of us. I'll check with the charter-operators to see how far our budget will take us.
How early should these flights be booked?

Horton - probably the best bet is to do the flight in and out from Invuik since you have to arrange commercial flights. The put in is less expensive if you arrange the flight out of Norman Wells and have the return flight take you to Invuik but it could complicate your other travel arrangements.

Thelon - For the amount of time you have in mind, your best bet is Yellowknife. Longer trips could end in Baker Lake or start from Northern Manitoba or possibly Saskatchewan but those options either mean a longer trip or more difficult sections of river travel. Getting to a different start point or get picked up at Baker Lake complicates things a lot. Hanbury Junction to Beverly Lake should match the criteria you set out but you'd enjoy it more if you had a bit more time on the river than 2 weeks.

No rush to book an air charter flight.

_________________
Brian
http://www.JohnstonPursuits.ca

 

I am in general agreement with Paddle Power that there is no rush to book a charter. But I think it is another issue you should raise when talking to the operators about rates and aircraft availability. Commercial tour operators, and fishing operators, schedule their events long in advance and book transport for those dates. Other users, including government and exploration companies, may book regular charters for their purposes. If you plan on chartering on those dates, you may be out of luck.

So I guess I'm saying -

Check with the operators to find out if there are any times the aircraft you need won't be available.

Keep this in mind when booking your commercial flights.

Once your commercial flights are booked, book your charters. Most charter operators won't charge for changes or cancellations unless they are made very close (24 - 48 hours) to the booked flight times, so you're not really risking anything by booking early.

-jmc

Forest fires can drastically cut down on aircraft availability. Most charter companies do their best to get you picked up but you might not be able to get out if there's a lot of fire activity.

Hasn't been mentioned yet, but it would be a darn good idea to arrange a satellite phone for the trip.

Some good advice here.
In your original post you mentioned that you had 2 weeks to do the trip. I find that too short a time to do either the Horton or the Thelon. I have done both rivers and the Horton is a much more intimate paddle however, as mentioned, fishing is better on the Thelon. Fishing on the Horton is better upriver of the canyons. Game sightings are great on both rivers. Seen larger groups of caribou on the Thelon. To get a complete wilderness experience I find hiking a must. Nasty weather is easier to deal with on the Horton. The Thelon is larger and waves can get big when the current hits very strong headwinds. In late June, at ice out, the Thelon is like a freight train and moves along at an very fast pace. Seen whirlpools at places that reminded me the St. Lawrence River in April.

Never been on the Anderson. It is less air travel than the Horton and maybe there's a nice 2 week section along that river that would suit your needs.

Good travels,

GG

_________________
A smart man learns from his mistakes,
A wise man learns from the mistakes of others.
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email: geraldguay@hotmail.com

did you ever go, and where did you end up?