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Hours In a Tin Can On the Tundra

Posted on 2022-11-18 by Curtis Hertwig

I am returning home from a very intense 7 day trip to Churchill, Manitoba, Canada. Being from Georgia, any time spent where the sun is only visible for 8 hours a day and exposed skin while outside is in danger of freezing, but add to that spending said 8 hours in a school bus on steroids with 15 complete strangers who have gathered for the sole purpose of watching arctic wildlife and you’ve got a Disney experience Walt never dreamed of.

The organizers, Natural Habitat, sure have a passion & ability to put together such a trip and did so very well. They support and are supported by the World Wildlife Fund & the guides were steeped in the science of the biodiversity of the area, issues, people & everything known that makes the Churchill Wildlife Management Area tick.

Churchill has the most studied & perhaps the densest population of polar bears in Canada, if not, the world. The season for tourist thrills lasts only about 45 days a year, so pack your union suit and sign up.

On a photography note, taking pictures in this environment is tough. Light is flat, the sun keeps any shadows that exist long with high contrast. The snow can be blinding & obscures details. The bears are solitary and stay away from humans most of the time. The temperatures outside are brutal & I was sealed up in a polar rover about 15′ off the ground. Therefore, I don’t feel like many of these images rise above the level of a snapshot, but if you get a feel for what it was like, then that’s what I want.

Now, for the pictures:

4pm - Goodbye Sun
A Thorough Examination includes Smelling
Approaching a Safe Spot
Arctic Fox
Arctic Fox
Arctic Fox
Arctic Hare
Arctic Hare
Before Sunrise - Making Sure Roads are Passable
Beluga
Broken Ice
Checking Out the Bear
Checking Out the Tundra Lodge
Child Mocassins
Dot - the Convict Bear
Dot aka Kurt - the Convict Bear
Dot Not Sure What to Do
Heading Back to Base
High Noon On the Tundra
Hoarfrost on the Willows
Hoarfrost on the Willows
Hoarfrost on the Willows
Ididamile - headed home
Inukshuk - in place of a person
123►

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2 thoughts on “Hours In a Tin Can On the Tundra”

  1. John Waldvogel says:
    2022-11-19 at 19:41

    Frostbitten toes notwithstanding I think you did an outstanding job under adverse circumstances. Quite a number are exceptionally fine.

  2. Michele Gurkin says:
    2022-11-20 at 08:57

    Incredible adventure. Possibly my favorite of yours, so far. Those buses were on steroids!! But I bet you were happy to be trapped inside. The polar bears wanted to be inside too. Mmmmmmm I smell humans..

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