I've flown over Hudson Bay in Canada many times. I've seen the beluga whales in zoos, and knew they lived there. But it never occurred to me that, when Hudson Bay freezes over, the polar bears get food. I didn't realize they were waiting for ice so they could go hunt seals, and I had no idea they don't eat for months while they wait. These magnificent animals were so fun to watch. They sparred, they slept, they wandered, and the babies munched a little kelp while we watched—fascinated by their size and habits.
Another photography friend of mine, Dr. David Mack (a surgeon/gynecologist who has saved my life a few times!), went last year and his photos were spectacular. When some friends of mine decided to go this October, I decided to go, too. It's a decision I'll never regret. I'm still having dreams about this trip of a lifetime.
We signed up with Frontiers North Adventures, a family owned business that prides themselves for their ecological soundness. https://frontiersnorth.com/ It wasn't cheap, but we chose the two day tundra buggy tour with one day in Churchill. I would have stayed longer, and I want to go back in the summer when thousands of beluga whales gather in the bay.
Seven of us met in Winnepeg, Canada a day early, so that we had time to visit the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. and go to a restaurant my friends knew about. https://humanrights.ca/ We took the guided tour, and I have to say I was impressed. It wasn't depressing at all, although it did make me think hard about a lot of things humanity has done. The architecture was impressive, as was the realization that Canada doesn't shy away from airing their dirty laundry. Canada practiced anti-Semitism, and took in very few Jews during WWII. They had their own Rosa Parks—Viola Desmond, who was physically removed from a movie theater and jailed for sitting in the white section. Never Forget should probably be the motto of the museum.
The Forks Market (near the museum) https://www.theforks.com/ had a great open area to gather afterwards and enjoy libations and snacks before dinner at the Deer and Almond. http://www.deerandalmond.com/ I know, it's a strange name, but the food was amazing. In fact, I tried elk, venison, arctic char, and pickeral on this trip and they were all delicious.
We went to our briefing at the Airport Sheraton that night, and woke early to board our plane to Churchill. The rail line was flooded out a year ago, and there are no roads, so the only way to cover the 1567 miles is by air. Our flight took a little longer (two and a half hours) in our Convair than the jet, but we were all pilots and considered it an experience! Ellen and I went up to the cockpit to meet Vincent and Jonathan, our two pilots. They're also checked out in the 737, but love the Convair 580 with its round dials.
We landed in Churchill and our adventure continued. First we went to the polar bear jail, where bad bears are kept no longer than 30 days before being released either onto the ice or relocated by helicopter in a net. (There were eleven of them in residence.) The jailers don't want the bears associating humans with food, so the bears aren't fed. There are bear warnings in town each night as bears are spotted. We were warned not to go certain places during the day, and to be especially careful after dark when the traffic dies down. There are murals everywhere, and Churchill is a fun little town to explore, but you need to be aware and always have an escape plan—a door you can duck into, etc.
My friend, David, was not happy to learn that I was going to try to take photos on a tundra buggy. The buggy tends to move, even while stationary, because 40 people never stand still. I wish I had known the trick ahead of time: take a beanbag or a baggie full of rice/dried peas to rest your lens on. Also, it is ten feet + up off the ground. He suggested I get a guide and go out of town where the bears gather and a man breeds dogs. The dogs and bears actually get along, most of the time.
So I hired Remi from North Star Tours http://www.northstartours.net/ to drive me out there. I got some great photos, and it was worth every dime. It costs a lot to keep the dogs fed, especially with the railroad down, so it was $157 Canadian. What an adventure.
No matter how you feel about keeping dogs chained for breeding, you should learn your history before you judge too harshly. The dogs love the cold and were bred to protect the Inuits from polar bears and to pull sleds and move the Inuit nomads. The Canadian government decided that their movement should be curtailed (It's hard to get taxes from nomads), so they killed 20,000 of their dogs and moved the Inuits into towns to learn Christianity and go to school. Brian LaDoon https://polarbearscience.com/2018/08/09/brian-ladoon-saviour-of-canadian-eskimo-dogs-has-died-in-churchill/ has been trying to save the breed for 40 years, until his death this August. The Canadian Eskimo dogs are the closest domesticated dog to wolves, and their coat is rougher and courser than the Alaskan malamute.
I used to wonder if I wasn't as smart as other people I met because I didn't have an opinion about everything. I thought that maybe, when I was older, I would know more and be smarter and have definite opinions. Now I think that opinions are like assholes. Everyone has them, and things aren't as black and white as opinionated people like to think. I'll stay my wishy-washy self with friends from all different walks of life.
Our next activity of the day was a helicopter ride. The photos speak for themselves, and Alex at Custom Helicopter https://www.customheli.com/ did a great job of showing us the terrain. We saw twelve bears, and learned about the area. Again, worth every dollar ... I mean loonie. We found a great restaurant for dinner, and couldn't wait for the next day's adventure.
Tundra buggies don't move fast, but they do cover ground! Our driver from the Yukon, Marc Hebert, was great. He was fun, informative, unobtrusive and respectful of the animals, and found us lots of great shots. Frontiers North says, "Our Tundra Buggies operate on a set of established trails created by the military in the 1950s. By staying on these trails we help prevent further damage to the delicate tundra ecosystem."
I kept my shutter speed fast, and my photos are good, even without the baggie of rice. The pictures are not as sharp as I would have liked, but they are still amazing. I thought I might get tired of two days on the tundra buggy, but I couldn't wait for the next day and was sad that it was our last. We had great people from around the world with us, and like the Albuquerque balloon festival, everyone had huge smiles on their faces. I was afraid mine would freeze on! It is so exciting to see these huge bears in the wild, in a terrain so foreign to us.
No comments yet.