Need your help planning an expedition!

Hi guys! I wanted to explore some areas of the world and I thought this would be a great place to go for advice. From what I have seen on this site so far, is that ATS has many experienced members that can provide vast knowledge on many subjects. SO! That being said, I need your help!

I plan on visiting the Nahanni Valley in NW Canada. Some of you may know this as "The Valley of the Headless Men" because several explorers in the past century have wound up decapitated while traversing those wilds. The natives are said to be fearful of the valley, claiming evil spirits abide there.

HOWEVER, the most sought-after place for every Indiana Jones type person is a particular spot in the valley, where the hot springs shroud the air in an impenetrable mist. The warm mist turns part of the valley into a tropical "paradise" where bananas hang from the trees and gold nuggets are scattered on the valley floor.

The valley is largely unexplored and I can't seem to find very many pics of it online, only aerial views. So what I need from the members of this community is tips from people who have been on long trips to cold environments or anywhere really would be helpful. Things I would need, people to bring, food, water, etc.

Thanks for your help guys!


Nahanni Valley wiki
Story of the valley

A pistol in a leather case.
A diary to record your ideas and day-by-day journals.
A compass.
A rifle.
Water.
Fire.

I would probably start reading up on various survival techniques and make sure that you learn everything as possible for keeping safe. Otherwise, the important thing that can help you is someone including the local authorities of your trip to this place. Make sure that you let someone know where you are going and if possible draw a map of any trails that you may want to travel.

Oh and take a loaded gun, just in case

Hope you have a safe adventure and it would be amazing if you actually brough back some pictures from this expedition !

reply to post by Jepic


I'll be sure to bring my fire with me
Just pulling your leg, thanks for your suggestions. Question: Why would the pistol need to be specifically in a leather case?

If you're not into wilderness survivalism, I strongly suggest you bring someone along who is. In our modern day and age, with all our modern technology, we feel we can do everything. But we can't. There are several corpses lying around the world which is a testament to that fact.

Be safe, start reading up on basic survival i.e. what to do if you lose/break your compass. What plants are edible, what to do when you have no water and learn about the wild life in the area. Learn what to pack, keep things minimalistic. (That fancy compass with built in water purifier and flare gun will probably break before you take it out of your bag.)

On the tech side, bring a digital camera that can also record video. (Any video camera made after 2005 can pretty much do this.) A couple of flashlights that are water tight. (This way they're also dust proof.) Make sure they're rugged in case you end up breaking them.

Just read, read and do some more reading. Then find out if you have any friends who are closet survivalists (many don't care to share this fact to many) and get 'em to tag along.

Am anxious to see what you bring back.

reply to post by wWizard


I just want to say fair play to you mate. Most people who want to explore and do this sort of thing never end up actually doing it, we need more people with that curiosity to explore places like this and to have these unique experiences.

Could I suggest that you do as much as you can to document your time there? I know it will be a pain taking a camera with loads of spare batteries/portable charger. But if you set it up and just film bits here and there it wouldnt require too much power. Get someone who is a good editor (not just someone who claims to be or who is average. A good editor will make an ok doc look incredible and vice versa) then if it takes of you will have royalties to pay the costs back and for hopefully more trips!

Just make sure you are very careful. Some people who have trained in the army for example and who are good quality outdoorsman can find themselves in trouble when they go to an unfamiliar environment that is much different to where they are used to. I just started reading a blog online about a situation just like this (I cant find the link right now) about a guy like I described who got in trouble from being unfamiliar with the plantlife etc.

Sounds really kool though. I have the greatest respect to people like you who actually go on adventures that the rest of us just fantasize about (there wont be as many hot women tagging along in the fantasy though! )

reply to post by wWizard

Don't forget to invest in one of these..

Personal Locater Beacon

They are a bit pricey, and other stores may have better models, but I for one would like to hear what you found when you return. I'd hate to wonder if "missing hiker in Northern Canada" reports are you.

Be sure to give ATS a full report if you manage to actually do this. I read your material and I'd love to hear more about what is there from a 1st hand perspective! Best of luck on it.

i would recommend asking camp wanapitei in Ontario www.wanapitei.net... , if i remember correctly they used to do some trips there.

reply to post by wWizard


to be blunt - if you have to ask the questions you did - you are not fit to be going

reply to post by Frontkjemper


Thank you
I'm taking this very seriously and am not planning to leave probably until summer rolls around again, which should give me plenty of time to plan and prepare for my first trip. Thanks for the tip on recording video, I did not think of that one. As for running out of food or water, I thought about water purification tablets and hunting, although I know little about either.

Aren't real survivalists self sufficient and not dependent on others?

reply to post by ignorant_ape


Not necessarily true. I have basic survival skills. The reason I am asking these questions is to get as much input as possible from others who are potentially more experienced than I. IMHO, me asking for help, does not show my incompetence on the subject, but rather shows that I am willing to do what it takes to succeed on this trip.

Thank you for your input though really, I need any advice I can get, bad or good.

Originally posted by Frontkjemper
If you're not into wilderness survivalism, I strongly suggest you bring someone along who is. In our modern day and age, with all our modern technology, we feel we can do everything. But we can't. There are several corpses lying around the world which is a testament to that fact.

Be safe, start reading up on basic survival i.e. what to do if you lose/break your compass. What plants are edible, what to do when you have no water and learn about the wild life in the area. Learn what to pack, keep things minimalistic. (That fancy compass with built in water purifier and flare gun will probably break before you take it out of your bag.)

On the tech side, bring a digital camera that can also record video. (Any video camera made after 2005 can pretty much do this.) A couple of flashlights that are water tight. (This way they're also dust proof.) Make sure they're rugged in case you end up breaking them.

Just read, read and do some more reading.

Then close your books;
pack your pack, take a cell or sat phone. go into the safe nearby local woods.Let someone knowexplicitly": 1) Where you are going ,2)why, and explicitly 3) When to start looking for you!.

I like to leave myself open for unexpected bountys( good fishing etc) So I say "I;'m going here Friday night( points to lake on topographic map). just a couple of nights; I expect to be home Sunday evening. Otherwise I'll be fine for a couple more days. Don't send out search and rescue until Tuesday evening.... love ya... The go try out your book knowledge in this safe framework.See what works;see what you miss You'll find you over packed. we all do it.

Originally posted by Frontkjemper
Then find out if you have any friends who are closet survivalists (many don't care to share this fact to many) and get 'em to tag along.

Am anxious to see what you bring back.

reply to post by clintdelicious


Thanks! I'm also in the army (reserves suck, I wish I went full time lol) so if you could deliver me that link, I would really appreciate it! I have a pretty good camera and have used it on several occasions to take picture and video. It has pretty good battery life as I have rarely charged it over the last 2 years and it still retains almost a full battery.

Originally posted by Anonymouth


Aren't real survivalists self sufficient and not dependent on others?

And what exactly is a "real" survivalist? Everyone needs help at some point or another. I'm not interested in being so arrogant that I think I don't need anyone's help. Thanks though

reply to post by wWizard


Mate watch this!!! www.channel4.com...

Its a British guy who grew up on a farm, knows how to hunt and work with wood etc. HE goes to live in Canada with limited supplies (he has a couple kilos of rice and oats and a few other things, but aims to be self sufficient) He has a .22 rifle for hunting and a shotgun for defence.

The advice this would give you is DO NOT rely on hunting. Many species that you would think are a great food source are protected in Canada and it is not legal to shoot them. This guy knows what he is doing far more than the average person but he struggles a LOT! He looses a lot of weight despite also having a fishing rod and catching fish regularly, he is alone with a camera. He makes it half way through his 'ambition' having failed to live of the wild, solitude also starts sending him mad and he goes from crying hysterically to laughing like a loonatic in seconds, it really shows how hard it is to be alone.

Great 3 part series though and really beautiful story, he is very scared of bears being a Brit who has never had to think about them before. This really shows just how hard it is to cope alone even with food to get him through the start. He hunts mainly fish (but cant find salmon despite wanting desperately to find them) porkupines and had to let elk swim across the huge lake (beautiful scene to watch) not being allowed to shoot it despite being very hungry. Let me know what you think of it

reply to post by 46ACE


Excellent idea
I may have to try this out on a long weekend sometime soon

reply to post by clintdelicious


Btw he was aiming to stay 3 months but lasted just half that to give you an idea. He also received professional experts advice on local plant life and everything about the area so he was pretty damn prepared. IMO he packed too much stuff so couldn't trek far enough to find salmon which would have been his optimum food source as they are far bigger than the tiddlers he was catching.

reply to post by 46ACE


Lol, reading is a very important part of it all. Don't want to make some idiotic mistake like eating something you **think** is eatable only to die from it. Some things you can't get from first hand experience, especially if you're new.

It's also a good idea to read up on the basics before heading out. From what I understand, the OP is totally green. So a basic understanding of what you need to know and expect is vital. Everyone can survive for a few days out in the wilderness. But if you're truly up craps creek without a paddle, a little more knowledge and know how is required. I'm no super survivalist myself, although I do run a small (but growing) survivalist forum. One of the reasons for making the forum is so I could learn more.

reply to post by Frontkjemper


Good advice, as well as learning from the books take a small book with pictures of plants to avoid and that you can use. Better to be safe than sorry, some poisonous plants look very similar to other edible ones as you will see in that documentary that I recommended to you above.