Yellowknife (Jan 03/05) - Call them what you will - adventure tourists, Euro heroes, wilderness travellers or eco adventurers - for years people from around the world have flocked to the NWT to experience life on the edge.

Few of them realize they're not exactly living the Farley Mowat-esque adventure they were after. Rather than being on their own with no link to civilization, there is a huge safety net of organizations and individuals out there protecting these adventurers from themselves.

There were 18 parties - ranging from individuals to large groups - who visited the Sahtu on eco adventures by mid-November in 2004, RCMP Const. J.F. Leduc reports.

At any given time there are two police detachments with files open on each of them as they make their way through the wilderness, he said.

"If they don't check in by such-and-such a day, somebody is going to notice," he said.

While mishaps aren't common, they can happen to anyone at any moment. Last year, for example, Leduc remembers a Japanese fellow who planned to cycle the Canol Trail.

"A grizzly tore apart his bike, including the seat, before he even got across the Carcajou River," said the constable. "We had another group that tried to go down the Mackenzie River on a raft made of empty 45-gallon drums and dead wood."

These types of visitors are in the minority, he said, adding most people come very prepared for the elements and wildlife.

"Personally, I think 'good for them.' These trips are a real accomplishment," said Leduc.

Pilots also help ensure wilderness travellers live to tell their tales of Northern glory.

Warren Ruiter, a pilot with North-Wright Airways in Deline, spent a summer flying people out to mile 222 of the Canol Trail.

In 2004, while flying out of Norman Wells, he got a notice there was an overdue party somewhere on the Mackenzie. The water was starting to freeze and the group was in inflatable canoes, so there was cause for concern.

"I actually found them about 17 miles outside of Norman Wells," he said, adding everyone was alright - they were just moving a little slower than they expected. Ruiter said keeping a look-out for tourists is part of what makes life in the NWT great.

"Everyone watches out for everyone else."