HAY RIVER
A caravan of snowmobiles and racing dogs made its way back to Hay River on Feb. 20, after a five-day training exercise that involved clearing more than 50 kilometres of dense trail.
Ranger Warren Gibb leads the way back to Hay River after a five-day training exercise. - Myles Dolphin/NNSL photo
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The 12-member team, members of the 58th patrol in the 1st Canadian Ranger Patrol Group (CRPG) from Hay River, used a variety of tools such as axes, chainsaws and machetes to clear the way to Buffalo Lake.
The training exercise was a Type 1 patrol, an annual event in which the Rangers practise their survival techniques, navigation skills and communication procedures.
“We do it every year so that our skills don’t fade,” said ranger Jim Constable.
“As rangers, we’re the Canadian Forces presence in remote regions, and everyone has to be proficient in using radio, GPS, compasses, etc.”
The team left Hay River on Saturday, Feb. 16 with 12 racing dogs – the first time in more than 30 years that dogs had been used in a CRPG training exercise – and travelled 35 kilometres the first day. When the trail became too dense for the dogs, they set up base camp. Every day a team would head out and clear more of the trail leading up to Buffalo Lake.
They got to within sight of the lake, but because of the overflow – when water comes on top of ice – they were not able to go any further.
“We didn’t get to our destination: we wanted to get there and say we completed the trail,” said Sgt. Anthony Beck.
“We spent three full days cutting the trail with a lot of hard work, but we ran out of time. On our last day we would have made it to the lake if not for the overflow.”
Beck said there are two trails to Buffalo Lake, and that the Rangers were trying to open up the most commonly-used one. It was their second attempt at doing so: earlier in the year, another group had gone out and done a day and a half of clearing.
Heavy snowfall in November and December caused thousands of branches to bend over from the weight, making the trail completely unusable. As a result the Rangers were tasked with not only cutting the branches down but also clearing them to make the trail usable once again.
“The trail wasn’t even a trail anymore, it’s almost like they had to cut a new trail,” said Const.
The team ran into other minor obstacles along the way such as toboggans becoming unhinged from snowmobiles, but Sgt. Beck was impressed with the way his dogs performed.
“These are racing dogs, which aren’t really in tune for travelling on the land,” he said.
“Their pedigree leads back to trap line dogs and it was neat seeing them adjust and go back to their roots. They had to learn how to trot because normally, all they know is going full-speed.”
A few local rangers might be attending a Type 3 patrol in Saskatchewan in early March, with members of 4 CRPG.
According to the Canadian Forces website, there are over 1,500 Rangers in 58 patrols North of 60.
