Derek Neary
Northern News Services

Fort Simpson (Aug 01/05) - Moving the Nahanni geographically closer to the Deh Cho is out of the question. However, some artists are using their work to immerse Deh Cho residents in its magnificence.

Videographer Tracy Kovalench was among several painters, sculptors, musicians and photographers from Fort Simpson, Ontario and the U.S. to canoe the Nahanni River from July 4-17. The group - known as Nah a Dehe artists - is collaborating on a multi-media presentation, which will be exhibited at the Open Sky Festival next summer. They are also planning to launch a book based on the material they gathered during their two-week journey.

Kovalench, visiting Nahanni National Park Reserve for the first time, said she was astonished by the magnificence of the canyons, where geological formations are "striped like a zebra."

"When you go through, you're in total awe," she said. "It was so emotional to be there. It was touching."

Painter Tonya Cazon also saw the area for the first time, though she has been living in the Deh Cho for 10 years. It was the most beautiful place she's been to - and she has travelled all across Canada, she said.

"As soon as I got to where Prairie Creek enters the Nahanni, I just felt like I was home," said Cazon. "There's just something magical about that place."

Lilac-coloured mountains and others with shades of blue rise from the landscape, she said, adding that she had already produced some water colours and pencil crayon images.

The group made the trek at a relatively relaxed pace, sometimes stopping in one place for a few days "to get a feel for the land," said Kovalench.

Entering Dead Man's Valley, a storied place, was particularly memorable, she noted.

"When you go into the valley you can feel the energy," she said, adding that some people describe it as the Shangri-La of the Nahanni. "Warm air breezes over you and there's a sweet smell, like cottonwood."

As much as they were captivated by their surroundings, the artists weren't immune to the challenges that other adventurers encounter along the way. At the Splits, the last leg of the trip, they endured clouds of mosquitoes. As well, their boats overturned a few times. They lost one canoe at the Figure Eight rapids but later recovered it downstream.

Cazon said the trip helped her overcome her fear of water, especially the rapids.

"By the end of the trip, I was riding the waves going, 'Yeehaw!'" she said.