German activists team up with Gwich'in youth to paddle Peel watershed

A group of 11 German activists and six local members of the Gwich'in First Nation recently returned from a trip up the Snake River on the Peel watershed, in an attempt to raise awareness of the watershed in advance of a pending Supreme Court decision.

The activists — ages 18 to 58 — made the trip on behalf of Wilderness International, which advocates to protect untouched wilderness across the globe.

"It was simply amazing," said Henriette Wessel, who spoke with CBC after the trip from Berlin. "Just to see this beautiful landscape out there, the wide open space, and to encounter some animals and just be there in nature."

Take a look at some of the breathtaking photos from the group's trip up the watershed: