Inuvik (Oct 03/03) - Terry Shepherd describes himself as "homeless," but was born in Great Britain and spent much of his life in New Zealand.

Two years ago his sons left New Zealand and he saw little reason to stay, so he sold his home set out on a walkabout that's recently brought him to Inuvik.

"I've met some really marvellous people along the way," Shepherd said. "That's made the difference between a trip and a great trip."

One of those marvellous people was Hartley Patenaude who took Shepherd, his canoe and supplies from Edmonton to Shelly Crossing, just north of Fort McMurray.

Into the river

At the end of June, Shepherd slipped his canoe into the Athabasca River just beyond the last set of rapids and began his journey "down north."

He didn't have a hard and fast plan or itinerary and coming to Inuvik was only a "general concept."

"Because I wasn't feeling all that strong, my plan was only to go to the next community and quit, if necessary," he said.

He packed about three weeks worth of food at all times and was well prepared if he had to go ashore for any length of time.

He overnighted in Fort Chipeweyan and set out through the maze of the Athabasca Delta, took a left at the Embarrass River and on to the Slave River.

He put ashore for the night just south of Fort Fitzgerald, Alta. and awoke the next morning to see a curious sight coming over the horizon.

"There was a dome, glowing gold and silver in the morning sun," he recalled.

The "dome" turned out to be a tent pitched on a simple, but functional raft captained by Ben Gray and his daughter, who were heading for Fort Resolution.

After sharing their breakfast, Shepherd followed the Grays to Fitzgerald where they shared the cost of the portage to Fort Smith.

In Smith, Shepherd enjoyed the hospitality of Clayton Burke, before paddling on to Fort Resolution, where he had to make a decision about crossing the big lake.

Crossing the big river

He decided to paddle to Lutsel K'e and make the Great Slave Lake crossing from there. The thick fog and mist on the lake made navigating nearly impossible for him.

Dave Smith, the captain of a tug, was returning an empty barge back to Yellowknife and invited Shepherd along.

"He put me up for a whole week and introduced me around to some of the local prospectors."

A new friend at Northwest Transport had some room on his truck heading South and delivered Shepherd's gear to Fort Providence, where he put his canoe into the Mackenzie River for the first time.

He pulled into Fort Simpson about dinner time and pulled up alongside a group of people barbecuing on the river's edge.

He asked where he could camp and Lynn Wharton told Shepherd to load his things into her truck and he could camp in her yard.

In Simpson, he met local historian Stephen Rowan, who put Shepherd to work on the historic home of Albert Faille -- a prospector who lived in Simpson for about 50 years.

"Albert Faille has affected my life substantially," Shepherd said. "It was very special, because it actually completed a section of my life."

A slingshot will do

Armed only with a slingshot, he wasn't too concerned about bears, but more about moose.

"I thought I had a chance against a bear with my slingshot, but of course the moose are rutting now, so they wouldn't even notice," he said.

He met Enos Ellton and his family in Little Chicago and was met with a warm welcome.

"They fed me and made a fuss over me; gave me dried moose meat and a big white fish to take along with me."

Just an hour out of Tsiigehtchic, Shepherd was fighting the cold north wind and blowing snow.

He struggled only seven kilometres that day, but managed to complete the journey two days later.

Shepherd arrived in Inuvik and decided against going on to Tuktoyaktuk.

His friends at Northwest Transport gave him one last gift on his trip by taking his gear and canoe to Pelly Crossing, Yukon.

"I was amazed by the intelligent courtesy of the people of Canada," Shepherd said. "It's not just that they were nice people, they were genuinely concerned with my well-being."