The adventure begins

Upon getting ready for take-off into the Athabasca Sand Dunes, the mystical sandscapes that loom in northwest Saskatchewan, the pilot begins his familiar routine of making sure his passengers are ready to take flight. As he checks to make sure seat belts are fastened tight with headphones plugged in and tuned, he begins to explain the challenges of visiting these extraordinary sand dunes. Visitors in the organized tour groups need to be fully equipped for wilderness travel, as there are no roads, facilities or services within or near the park. There are adventure tours, canoe journeys, fishing expeditions and guided river adventures for campers, hikers, canoeists and tourists but this remote wilderness area is accessible only by air or by boat from Lake Athabasca communities.

The pilot reminds his passengers that once the adventure begins, no one can be quite sure of what they may see or do while visiting the dune fields of Athabasca and so they must be well prepared. Moments before taking off, the pilot asks, "Does anyone know what forces of nature created this rare ecosystem?" Since no one on board had ever visited these extraordinary dunes, no one knows how they were created, why they are in the middle of a forest ecosystem, or what to expect. With this being the case, the pilot suggests that they let their adventures begin by sitting back, relaxing and enjoying the flight.