To get there, the expedition of about 30 delegates from Canada and the United States covered an estimated 500 kilometres in eight open boats powered by outboard motors and guided by highly skilled drivers forced to dodge such obstacles as rocks, sandbars and sunken branches. They believe that their ancestors went there at the beginning of time to bless the land and the caribou have been good to them ever since then. As part of the trek, a group of elders went into the birthing lands to once again offer a blessing for the protection of the caribou. As well as protecting the herd's turf, the goal of the Millennium Trek has been to put a spotlight on the relationship between the Gwich'in and the caribou. They depend on the caribou for food, clothing, tools, ornaments, medicines and crafts.
Meat is smoked, dried, boiled, fried and frozen.
Bones are used in soups and stews. Bone marrow is also eaten. The hooves are boiled down into jelly. The hair and skin are used in moccasins, gloves, parkas and other clothing. It is not an exaggeration to say the Gwich'ins' identity, not just their prosperity, is directly related to the annual harvest.