Expedition of the Year, Dwayne Wohlgemuth

The Thelon Esker Hike

The Thelon Esker Hike is a solo hike by a Northwest Territories resident of the entire length of North America’s longest esker (the Thelon Esker) which stretches approximately 700 kilometre across the tundra of the Northwest Territories.

This hike follows the esker from east to west and is entirely within Canada’s NWT. The esker is in the tundra but enters the tree line at its western end. The route requires crossing the Thelon, Hanbury, and Coppermine Rivers as well as other smaller rivers and lakes, where the esker often disappears into for a long distance. The key objectives are to complete a thru-hike of North America’s longest esker, to make Canadians more aware of this esker and its importance for wildlife and aboriginal peoples, and to waypoint and photograph unique features to assist with mapping and potential geotourism hiking. Traversing approximately 700 km across the tundra of the Northwest Territories, this solo hike will cover the length of North America’s longest esker, Exeter Lake.