HOOD RIVER -- Paddle the Arctic’s most spectacular barren’s river past muskoxen and vast herds of barrenlands caribou. Arctic wolves, barrenlands grizzly, arctic fox and wolverines inhabit the sparse river valley. Overhead golden eagles, peregrine falcons and gyrfalcons grace the 24 hour daylight. We’ll find lake trout and Arctic grayling and in the lower river, Arctic char that have never seen a hook. Rarely travelled even by the ancient Inuit the area is perhaps best known for Franklin’s disastrous attempted ascent of the river from Arctic Sound in the fall of 1821. Eleven of the party of twenty perished including Lt. Robert Hood for whom the river is named. Our trip paddles the Hood across the Contwoyto Plateau, past a series of lakes, then down the river valley through exciting rapids to the Wilberforce Hills. Here the river plunges over a spectacular falls, twice the height of Niagara, into Wilberforce Canyon. Eventually we reach the sea at Arctic Sound some 260 km from our start. For those with river paddling experience this is a rare opportunity to explore one of the worlds most remote river valleys.