12 Days

Fall comes early on the Dempster Highway.

Frosted Cloudberry Leaves - Click for larger

It would change every day. Lori and I enjoyed our time here. We spent 12 days up the Dempster Highway.

Blackstone Range, Tombstone Territorial Park, Yukon - Click for larger

It's not always a forgiving highway. We did have a flat tire but it could not have come at a better time - no traffic and solid ground to jack up the van. The warning light came on and indicated the left rear tire was losing pressure. I stopped and grabbed the tire pressure gauge. But as soon as I was out of the van, I could hear the air leaking. A sharp shale rock had punctured it. This is a common problem here. It is also the reason we came prepared with 2 full spares.

Changing the Flat Tire up the Dempster Highway - Click for larger

Camping for all of the 12 days was tough. It is a dusty place when it's dry and muddy when wet. The road can wear you down.

Camping up the Dempster Highway - Click for larger

The road is wearing especially when you are working both early mornings and late nights. We would usually wake up at 5 am and check the sky. At 5:30 we would get up and drive/hike to our designated spot for the morning shoot. Sometimes the light would co-operate and sometimes not. After shooting the morning we would go back to camp to do backups and have a snooze. Later we would play cards, eat dinner and head back out to shoot landscapes and anything and everything that showed up. Generally we would get back after 10 pm and head to bed.

Male Spruce Grouse - Click for larger

Male Willow Ptarmigan - Click for larger

Arctic Ground Squirrel - Click for larger

Cloudy Range, Tombstone Territorial Park, Yukon - Click for larger

Blackstone Range, Tombstone Territorial Park, Yukon - Click for larger

We head to Alaska next. I really hope to see the Dempster again. It's easily the most spectacular place I have ever been.

Beaten by the Road

Ah, but not this time. We made it to the end of the Dempster Highway!

Igloo Church, Inuvik - Click for larger

Our last attempt at the Dempster Highway was in 2010. We almost made it to Eagle Plains but had to turn back because of bad weather. This time we faced a very different road. Dry, warm weather made for good but dusty driving. This has to be one of the most beautiful highways in the world!

Tombstone Territorial Park - Click for larger

Beaver - Click for larger

We drove all the way up to Inuvik in the Northwest Territories. This is as far as the road goes in the summer. In the winter you can drive all the way up to Tuktoyaktuk on ice roads.

Crossing the Mackenzie River - Click for larger

On the way back south we decided to spend a few days at the Yukon/NWT border just inside the Arctic Circle. The Porcupine Caribou herd winters here and they are starting to move in. We spotted a small herd and waited by the side of the road. They walked quite close to us. I didn’t have much light but I did what I could. This was very exciting to see barren-land caribou!

Porcupine Caribou Herd - Click for larger

Porcupine Caribou Herd - Click for larger

Porcupine Caribou Herd - Click for larger

As we were shooting, hunters came by and started shooting, but in a very different way! I had the opportunity to help a local hunter gut and drag his kill off the tundra.

Native Hunter - Click for larger

Fred, a 70-year-old Gwich’in man was very worried about Grizzly Bears. Especially when Lori and I told him we had just seen 2 just south of where we were sitting. I now had blood all over me and I smelled like a caribou. He said he didn’t have a permit to shoot a bear. I said “But you would shoot one if it came at us?”
He smiled and said, “Yes, but we would need more firepower than this old gun” as he pointed to his old 303 British rifle.
“What have I gotten myself into?” I wondered.
He then said, “Every thing follows the caribou, men, wolves, ravens, bears and even photographers! Those bears can smell these guts for miles. Keep a close watch. Always stop what you are doing and have a good look around.”
Thankfully, we didn’t see any.
What a great experience this has been!

Fun in the Rockies!

We left the prairies behind and headed for the hills. Lori and I have had good luck with weather and have had some great light for photography.

Mount Chephren and Waterfowl Lake - Click for larger

We started in Waterton National Park and then made our way north to Banff and then on to Jasper where we met up with our friends from Ontario - Robert and Olga McCaw and Scott Fairbairn. It was fun to do a bit of visiting and photography together.

Mount Edith Cavell - Click for larger

We have hiked a few trails and had lots to see and photograph. I prefer Jasper to all of the other Rocky Mountain National Parks.

Mount Edith Cavell - Click for larger

Hiking the Cavell Meadows trail on Mount Edith Cavell we found many Hoary Marmots and Pikas willing to pose.

Hoary Marmot - Click for larger

Hoary Marmot - Click for larger

American Pika - Click for larger

American Pika - Click for larger

Lori heard a noise outside one evening and went to investigate. It was a Great Horned Owl right beside our cabin! I grabbed a camera and it stayed long enough for me to get this shot.

Great Horned Owl - Click for larger

We will head north from here to the Yukon and Alaska.