WHATI/LAC LA MARTRE - For Richard Helsby being out on the land, the wind rushing across his face while his team through dogs pulled him along the trails his ancestors travelled years ago, was an exhilarating moment for the 22-year-old Whati resident.

Stopping for lunch on an outcrop, enjoying the sun are Gereck Moosenose, left, Caroline Jeremick’ca, Craig Rabesca and Kayla Moosenose. - photo courtesy of Allison Kenna

The 200-km trek from Yellowknife to Whati with seven classmates from Mezi Community School and a handful of teachers and community members was a chance for Helsby to connect with the history and stories passed down from past generations of family members.

"It was a good opportunity to do something I hadn't done since a little kid," Helsby said, adding the trip reminded him of how different things are today compared to the past. "Nowadays everyone is using vehicles, Ski-Doos, you hardly get to go on traditional trails and see what your ancestors have been through."

The four-day trip from Yellowknife back to Whati was a chance for the high school student and his classmates to take on similar challenges their ancestors faced when living on the land and travelling on dogsled.

While Helsby had been on the land growing up in the Tlicho community, he said there were a few challenges when it came to the trip - particularly the warmer weather on the second day when they spent nine hours mushing.

"The long day when we were going across the lake, it was hot," he said, admitting he might have over-exerted himself a bit. "Even though people say to let the dogs do the work, I was helping them out. I would push the sled. I would get off and push with them. The second day the sun came out and the snow was really wet and it must've been hard on the dogs, so I helped out.

"Sometimes the dogs get into a fight or they get out of line and you've got to stop to take care of the dogs."

Helsby said during the trip he connected with the dogs pulling him across the land by feeding them in the morning and learning their names.

"The first morning I helped out with feeding them and most of the time I tried to get to know the dogs and get comfortable with them," he said. "They need to be comfortable with you."

Teacher and chaperon Allison Kenna said the school had done the trip last year from Behchoko to Yellowknife and spent one night out on the land.

"It was our aboriginal language teacher's initiative and she'd done it last year and it went off very well," she said. "We had discussions in class about how people used to get around back in the day and they were really interested in the dogsledding thing."

The school decided to extend the trip this year to give the students more time on the land and a better opportunity to grasp what it used to be like decades ago.

She said they had a lot of maintenance to deal with each night.

"All the dogs had to be unhooked from their lines and the harnesses taken off and we had to feed the dogs every day," she said. "They have some serious diets. Then we had to get firewood for inside the prospectors' tents and cabins."

She said it was a real team effort when it came to making the trip comfortable and successful.

"The students were great, they did a lot of it themselves and just went to it," she said. "Some had been out on the land with their parents, but some hadn't so we taught them some of the things they needed to know."

We welcome your opinions. Click here to e-mail a letter to the editor.