Thundering River

We were on our second trip to "The Barrens" in the Northwest Territories in Canada. The "Barrens" is an area of tundra near the Thelon Wildlife Sanctuary. The camp we were at is roughly 300 miles northeast of Yellowknife, Canada. It is accessible only by canoeing or by floatplane, which is the only practical way to get there. This was our 2nd trip there, so we some familiarity with the area and we had some images in mind that we especially wanted to get. One of the goals was a shot of caribou crossing a river. We went in September, which is the time of year when the nomadic caribou join in larger herds to migrate to their winter home.

We had already spent the greater part of our 2 weeks, and had what we thought would be some great shots of other subjects, including caribou grazing and slowly moving through the area, some very close to the camp. Although we had spent a good bit of time at sites where caribou were known to cross-rivers, we had yet to witness any crossings. One evening, we were flying back to camp after photographing a herd of musk oxen, and spotted a small herd of caribou crossing one of the rivers, a branch of the Thelon River below us. Our guide told us he had a second camp at that site, even more primitive than the one where we had been staying. He told us he could fly us there the next day; he thought we would have a good chance of getting the shots we wanted.

The next morning, the weather was great, so we packed up what we would need for an over-night stay and flew to the South Camp site. This camp consisted of 2 weather port tents, an outhouse, and a small building where the cooking was done. A guide came with us as well. We settled in, ate supper and explored the area. We wanted to determine the best locations for us to get good views of the river. We awoke to a slight rain; our guide prepared breakfast and we then took our places along the river's edge. After about 90 minutes of no activity, I decided to take a "tundra nap" by just lying back on the sandy hillside. I had not closed my eyes for two minutes when I heard the sound of thundering hooves approaching the river. I quickly sat up and saw the image I had been waiting for. A small herd, maybe 15-20 caribou were crossing the river, 100 feet away. When caribou are in the water, they are more vulnerable to attack by predators, primarily wolves, so they move quickly. Unfortunately, my carefully chosen location was behind the herd, so I was not able to get my desired image. I was disappointed and feared that this would be "the shot that got away from me".

But I was also encouraged as this at least showed that it was an active crossing site. It was a good site as the river was shallow here, taking a lesser toll on the caribou; they did not have to expend as much effort to cross here, compared to sites that were deeper. Also, the site offered good visibility for the caribou; they could see for some distance, allowing them to watch for predators. There were enough small spruce and shrubs that the photographers were inconspicuous.

We had time to wait. Not more than 15 minutes later, I heard the sound of thundering hooves again. Another herd was approaching the river. The sound came from a rise behind me and the herd was heading toward me, so I knew there was a good possibility that they would cross nearby. I had already set up my tripod with a 500 mm lens mounted on my camera; my camera controls were preset and I was ready to shoot away.

The herd was maybe 20 feet away from me as it entered the water. The sound of the hooves was one of those rare experiences you can have only in the wild; it stays with you and is a true sound of the wilderness. My location was perfect to get the shot I had been waiting for. The motor drive on my camera was smoking and I went through a roll of film in seconds. A number of images were great; this one best captured the experience.