Fort Simpson (Jun 23/06) - This summer it's Jamie Bastedo's job to paddle the Mackenzie River.

Bastedo, a Yellowknife nature writer, is gathering information so he can write the official guide book for the Trans Canada trail in the Northwest Territories.

River guide Carrie McGowan, left, Julian Tomlinson, Ron Cook and Jamie Bastedo relax for a moment on dry land before McGowan and Bastedo launch their canoe in Fort Simpson. They plan to paddle to Wrigley and beyond to research a guide book for the Trans Canada trail through the NWT. Tomlinson paddled on the first leg of the journey from Fort Smith to Fort Providence. - Roxanna Thompson/NNSL photo

Bastedo's journey over the past few weeks has taken him through the Deh Cho leg of his trip.

He started his route in Fort Providence on June 5. Weather delayed departure for a day, but on the 6th, Mills Lake was glass calm, Bastedo said.

Canoeing along the Mackenzie, Bastedo has been taking note of interesting sites he might include in the guide book.

On Bouvier River, Bastedo took a side trip up an old winter road that used to go to Axe Point where the American military had a camp during the Second World War.

There is a lot of stuff still there, left behind from when the military withdrew, Bastedo said. Historical sites such as the Trout River Fort, the first trading post built in the Mackenzie Valley, will also be noted, he said. Natural sites are also of interest. During a presentation in Fort Simpson on June 14, Bastedo talked about the welcome relief of the beach at Browning's Landing and swimming in the Rabbitskin River.

But for Bastedo, the chance to visit the communities and talk to residents is what really brings the whole trip together.

"We really want to feature the communities on the way," Bastedo said.

In Fort Providence, Bastedo said he was taken by the unique industry of Dene Fur Clouds and enjoyed watching ravens play around Our Lady of Providence Church.

While staying in Jean Marie River for two nights, Bastedo said he learned a lot about the community's unique history.

"You get a sense of a very healthy community. We just felt instantly at home in Jean Marie River," he said.

When it comes to writing the guide book, the hard part will be deciding what to include, Bastedo said.

"Trying to capture a route so long and so rich is like trying to capture the Mackenzie in a fish net," he said.

The Mackenzie is just one part of the 2,361-km of water route in the trail that spans from Fort Smith to Tuktoyaktuk. The route also contains 597-km of overland trail.

Bastedo started his journey last summer when he started in Fort Smith in August and travelled the Slave River to Fort Resolution. The journey continued along the south shore of Great Slave Lake to Hay River and then onto the mouth of the Mackenzie and into Fort Providence.

This summer, he expects to reach Tuktoyaktuk on July 31, ending the journey.

The guide book, published by Canadian Geographic and sponsored in part by the NWT Parks and Recreation Society, should be ready for Christmas 2007, Bastedo said.