#2: [06-Dec-09]

22-May-2003 -- After reading water level gauges along Northwest Territories Highway 5 we decided to visit confluence 60 112 on our way back to Fort Smith, NT. We parked our vehicle alongside the highway and traveled approximately 1 kilometer to the south.

Since we only had hiking boots we tried to follow a dry route to the confluence. The further south we went we ended up diverting to the east to avoid the many pools of water. Finally we realized that the confluence was in the middle of a flooded willow and birch wetland. We bit the bullet and waded about 100 metres out into the wetland to the confluence. Our GPS indicated that we were at 60 00 00.0 North and 112 00 00.0 West. At the confluence we were standing in about 25 centimeters of water.

Surrounding us was the din of mosquitoes. The only relief was that we were also able to listen to boreal chorus frogs calling. The mosquitoes were relentless. The vegetation at the confluence was dwarf birch, willow and tamarack with sedge under foot. Black spruce and aspen dominated the upland surrounding the confluence.

The Northwest Territories/Alberta demarcation line is passing exactly through the Confluence.