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DEH CHO - This year's season ended within a space of four days for two ferries in the Deh Cho.

The Johnny Berens at the N'Dulee crossing made its way across the Mackenzie River for the last time on Oct. 31 around 10:30 a.m. It took the vessel a little more than an hour to make the run.

A steady snowfall on Nov. 2 helped spell the end of the season for the Lafferty on the Liard River. -Roxanna Thompson/NNSL photo

"The ice was closing in just as fast as they were breaking it and that's when we decided it was no longer safe to operate the vessel," said Bill Hval, the regional superintendent of transportation.

The safety of passengers as well as the vessel were the key considerations in the decision. The ferry was already running on a day to day basis and ice conditions determined its closure, Hval said.

The closure of the Lafferty on the Liard River wasn't far behind.

At 11:30 a.m. on Nov. 3 the ferry crew was unable to reach the far bank due to ice and low water levels, said Hval. The department had originally planned to close the Lafferty on Nov. 1 but the ferry managed to continue crossing the river throughout Sunday.

A second closure date was set for Nov. 4 but the steady snow on Sunday and into Monday helped build the ice and conditions deteriorated, said Hval.

Both ferries just made it past their five-year average closure dates. The Johnny Berens has an average closure of Oct. 30 with the latest crossing on Nov. 3, 1998. The Lafferty has averaged Nov. 2 over the past five years with Nov. 17, 1993, set as the record.

The extra day of service on the Johnny Berens wasn't enough to help the Pehdzeh Ki First Nation.

The Wrigley band had sent three pickup trucks to Hay River to stock up with supplies for the community. The shopping list varied from a new window for a loader to groceries to stock the shelves of the band's store, said Paul Nadjiwan, the band manager for Pehdzeh Ki.

"We really tried to get everything we needed," he said.

The trucks filled with supplies crossed the Liard River on time but didn't make the last ferry to Wrigley on Friday.

Also stranded on the wrong side are a brand new water truck purchased by the band and a grader that was returning from Hay River after undergoing repairs. The band did manage to get their two snowcats across on the ferry.

"We've made adjustments where we can," said Nadjiwan about the situation.

With help from Wolverine Air the band flew the food supplies to the community. The heavy equipment, however, will have to wait until the ice crossing is built. During the interim the band plans to hire it out for contract work, he said.

The Johnny Berens was removed from the river on Sunday. The Lafferty was expected to be pulled up to its winter resting on Tuesday or Wednesday.

With the two ferries closed the Department of Transportation is preparing to work on the ice crossings.

"We just need some cold weather," said Hval.