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The Headless Valley
Narrative of author's 1971 expedition through British Columbia to Deadmen (Headless) Valley, South Nahanni River Valley, Mackenzie District.
- GenresTravelNonfiction
224 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1973
About the author
Ranulph Fiennes
100 books291 followersSir Ranulph Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes, 3rd Baronet, OBE, better known as Ranulph (Ran) Fiennes, is a British adventurer and holder of several endurance records.
Fiennes has written books about his army service and his expeditions as well as a book defending Robert Falcon Scott from modern revisionists. In May 2009, aged 65, he climbed to the summit of Mount Everest. According to the Guinness Book of World Records he is the world's greatest living adventurer.
Fiennes has written books about his army service and his expeditions as well as a book defending Robert Falcon Scott from modern revisionists. In May 2009, aged 65, he climbed to the summit of Mount Everest. According to the Guinness Book of World Records he is the world's greatest living adventurer.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
March 30, 2026
This is Ranulph Fiennes description of a journey in British Columbia's Rocky Mountain Trench between the Yukon border and the Pacific Coast at Vancouver. The journey (or series of journeys more accurately) took place in 1971. Over 900 miles of travel by RDF boats (a brand of outboard motor propelled 13 foot long inflatable boats) - they took two and for parts of the journey a C-Craft boat (another brand - they were rewarding their sponsors by referring to all their equipment by brand, I guess).
Accompanied (at various times) by 3 men from the Royal Scots Greys (the three chosen were Joe Skibinski, Jack McConnell and Stanley Cribbett); a photographer from The Observer Bryn Campbell; and three BBC men tasked with filming the journey; plus Fiennes wife Ginnie and a army engineer who would both drive support vehicles where the route was near a road.
The first objective was to reach Virginia Falls, twice the height of Niagara. Their route from Fort Nelson took them up the Fort Nelson River to Fort Liard; the Liard River to Nahanni Butte and then the Nahanni River through the Headless Canyon (so named for the burned and headless corpses of a dozen gold prospectors and trappers found there, a series of unsolved mysteries over the century).
The river was tough, with high flows, dangerous rapids and the like - an adventure story for sure. Add to this a huge forest fire and log jambs and semi-submerged forest creating a flooded lake.
The second leg of the journey was from the Yukon border to Wiliston Lake. It gets a bit hard to follow here, and having not taken notes I am winging it a bit. With the drew walking wounded, and many parts of the journey not navigable in boats there were many miles of walking. Fiennes was turned back several times due to those accompanying him becoming injured and needing to return. He also ran out of food, and being unsure oh his route, returned to his start point and eventually needed to set off alone as all others needed recovery time. Reckless for sure, but Fiennes is a determined man.
Eventually he found his way (much of the advice about the tracks turned out to be just plainly incorrect, and he spent far too long on the incorrect side of the river with the track being on the other!). He re met up with the rest of the crew, and set off again in boats. There was more navigable river, before they ended up dragging boats a long way and then portaging the Stifton Pass and in to the Fraser River, which had taken the lives of most who has tried to pass down it before.
Next was The Rocky Mountain Trench, from Fort Ware to Fort George on the Findlay River; and then from Prince George to Vancouver just above the US border.
There was action all the way, but there are only some many descriptions of rapids the reader needs, and I was very ready for the journey to end. It is only a 220 page book, but for a reader there was a lot of repetition in the daily events. Tough to hold interest in such a long journey I guess.
Not my favourite of Ranulph Fiennes books, but it was interesting to a point, and certainly reinforces the mans ability to push himself.
3 stars
Accompanied (at various times) by 3 men from the Royal Scots Greys (the three chosen were Joe Skibinski, Jack McConnell and Stanley Cribbett); a photographer from The Observer Bryn Campbell; and three BBC men tasked with filming the journey; plus Fiennes wife Ginnie and a army engineer who would both drive support vehicles where the route was near a road.
The first objective was to reach Virginia Falls, twice the height of Niagara. Their route from Fort Nelson took them up the Fort Nelson River to Fort Liard; the Liard River to Nahanni Butte and then the Nahanni River through the Headless Canyon (so named for the burned and headless corpses of a dozen gold prospectors and trappers found there, a series of unsolved mysteries over the century).
The river was tough, with high flows, dangerous rapids and the like - an adventure story for sure. Add to this a huge forest fire and log jambs and semi-submerged forest creating a flooded lake.
The second leg of the journey was from the Yukon border to Wiliston Lake. It gets a bit hard to follow here, and having not taken notes I am winging it a bit. With the drew walking wounded, and many parts of the journey not navigable in boats there were many miles of walking. Fiennes was turned back several times due to those accompanying him becoming injured and needing to return. He also ran out of food, and being unsure oh his route, returned to his start point and eventually needed to set off alone as all others needed recovery time. Reckless for sure, but Fiennes is a determined man.
Eventually he found his way (much of the advice about the tracks turned out to be just plainly incorrect, and he spent far too long on the incorrect side of the river with the track being on the other!). He re met up with the rest of the crew, and set off again in boats. There was more navigable river, before they ended up dragging boats a long way and then portaging the Stifton Pass and in to the Fraser River, which had taken the lives of most who has tried to pass down it before.
Next was The Rocky Mountain Trench, from Fort Ware to Fort George on the Findlay River; and then from Prince George to Vancouver just above the US border.
There was action all the way, but there are only some many descriptions of rapids the reader needs, and I was very ready for the journey to end. It is only a 220 page book, but for a reader there was a lot of repetition in the daily events. Tough to hold interest in such a long journey I guess.
Not my favourite of Ranulph Fiennes books, but it was interesting to a point, and certainly reinforces the mans ability to push himself.
3 stars
Displaying 1 of 1 review