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"The Changing Page"
Stories, Trip Updates, and Newsflashes!
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We will be adding to this page every other month - theoretically.
A message from Tundra Tom: July 2009:
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Greetings from the Far North! The central Arctic & sub-Arctic regions in northern Canada are currently going through one of the latest ice-breakups in recorded history. As we anxiously await day by day for enough open water to head out and locate active tundra wolf den sites, we are very aware of the many changes are going on in the Far North these days - from global warming effects such as diminishing water levels on the esker kettles to altering wildlife migratory routes and ranges, including polar bear habitat and diminishing caribou herds on the tundra. Causes as to the reasons why are being studied by the Territorial Governments - however, findings are for the most part still being kept from the public, and many exploration & developments for mineral resources continue to be approved nonetheless: including those located on at least one of the main caribou calving grounds. However, some of the extremely remote mainland Arctic areas in Nunavut are still safe from the onslaught of development for time being - safe only by the virtues of the extreme isolation and difficulty of access. It is primarily for this reason that we have decided to move our main wildlife camps to Nunavut in 2009, to where the concentrations of wildlife are currently the most stable. we hava a busy season lining up - read below to learn more about our upcoming expeditions and projects to the remote northern Arctic & sub-Arctic regions of Nunavut - and see the remote wilderness areas that are still intact while you can! |
| Dancing with Wolves! We are very proud to announce that our 2008 'Dance with Wolves' trips again produced 100% success with sightings of adult wolves and pups for all participants. Last summer we had three adults with five pups denning directly behind a new spike camp we set up in Nunavut in early July. Click on photo to learn more about our unique 2009 'Dance with Wolves' trips to the Canadian North! |
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Our 2010 Wildlife and Water trips are now on-line! Click here or on photo to access the current trip calendar PDF files for both 2009 & 2010.
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April feature Photo Gallery Our newest on-line photo essay and the 'Story of the Month' is from our friend Steve Lybeck - trip leader & wilderness guide 'Extraordinaire'. Steve writes 'from the heart' about the eskers of the tundra, following nearly forty years of exploring & working in the Canadian Arctic & sub-Arctic. Click on photo to read & see what Steve has to say about his experiences in the Canadian Far North! |
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NEW GALLERY: Our AVIATION HISTORY Aviation has always been an integral part of the Great Canadian Wilderness Adventures field operations. The specific type of aircraft we put to service each year depended directly on the type of expeditions we were operating, and the number of clients booked from season to season. Following nearly four decades of remote operations in the central barrenlands we have worked with many aircraft, and have more than a few stories to tell! Click here or on photo to visit our new photo gallery showing many of the aircraft we have operated in the Arctic over the years. |
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March Story of the Month Dr. Bob 'spills the beans'! Client & Trip Leader Bob Gainer - aka 'Dr. Bob' writes about tundra moss and tree-lines after his many trips up in Far North with us! |
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New book Release: "Caribou and the North, a Shared Future"
Click on photo to see our review about this book - and where to purchase it! |
Great Canadian donates another two wildilfe trips to the NANPA Silent Auction! For the fourth season in a row, Great Canadian has donated Arctic wildlife trips to the North American Nature Photographers Association Silent Auction. Last years winner was Alice Robertson, who will be joining our 2009 Dance with Caribou trip! This year, we have donated two $2,000.00 gift certificates to be applied to any of our wildlife trips. Founded in 1996 as a charitable organization, the Foundation supports worthy projects involving education and nature photography, including funding NANPA’s educational programs, particularly the two scholarship programs at the Summit. Funding is also provided for the building and preservation of photo blinds in national wildlife refuges, an outgrowth of the Memorandum of Understanding between NANPA and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. In addition, several grants are awarded each year to promote education, complete environmental projects and share photographic expertise with others.
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There are still rare places in the natural world that are safe & free from the meddling of mankind... It is good to know that in this crazy world of financial failures, hot & cold wars, terrorism and corruption, that there are still special places out there in the wilderness that are truly innocent & pure... We offer to bring you to such a place... Click on photo to visit our new special 'introduction' page ranslated into six languages including English, French, German, Japanese, Spanish & Italian!
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Good news for our USA & overseas clients! As of January 2009 we have adjusted our tour rates to better recognize the current exchange rate between the Canadian & US dollar. This will constitute a savings of nearly $500.00 per person for US & overseas clients on several of our 2009 departures. The specific trips on which the new US rates will apply are as follows: We will again assess the exchange rates in March 2009 and possibly adjust accordingly - so take advantage of this while you can! |
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February Story of the Month! Canadian modern-explorer George Nagel has traveled throughout the Arctic with some of the best operators out there - including such remote & exotic destinations like sea-kayaking off Devon & Ellsmere Islands; rafting in the Yukon & hiking in Greenland. So we are quite proud of the fact that George has chosen us as his favorite wilderness destination - and it must be so, since he has come north with us nine times over the past 15 years, and has booked again with us for his tenth trip in 2009! When we mentioned the number of trips to George, he was quite surprised himself, and thus wrote his new travel commentary - click here or on photo to meet George! |
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The Thelon makes U-Tube! In 2005 & 2006, we accommodated Nunavut-raised helicopter pilot James Forth for two summer seasons at our main camp on the Upper Thelon while he conducted aerial geomagnetic surveys for the famed Stu Blusson - the prospector who co-discovered the Canadian diamonds. Well, James contacted us recently to let us know that he put a short video on U-Tube taken from the cockpit during his flying activities around the areas north of the Thelon. Click here or on photo to see the video! |
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Maybe there is hope for us after all - the Environmental Review Board recommends protective status for the Upper Thelon Basin! As the on-going development of diamonds & uranium spread across the Canadian Northern mainland, so does encroachment upon some of our very last critical North American wilderness areas. The Thelon basin is indeed such a critical place. Acknowledged in importance by some of the world's leading nature photographers and travelers, the upper Thelon is a magic land of aboriginal history & power, wildlife and raw nature. Following a lifetime of guiding & flying photographers to this remote region, in January 2007,'Tundra Tom' was one of many who gave presentations about the critical biological importance of this unique wilderness region at a special meeting held in Lutsel K'e, NWT by the Mackenzie Valley Environmental Impact Review Board (MVEIRB) to discuss an application about diamond drilling for uranium on the upper Thelon basin... and we WON (for the time being)!! Click here or on photo to read the CBC News article about the MVEIRB conclusions and results of that meeting, or download the MVEIRB final report in PDF. |
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January's Feature Photo Gallery! Tundra Explorer Noelle Tufts We first met Noelle Tufts a few years back when she joined our 'Dance with Wolves' trip as a client. While on that trip she fell in love with the Thelon country so much that she stayed on for the rest of that summer right through our autumn caribou trips as a volunteer helper. She then came back again for the entire next season as an assistant leader-in-training, and worked very hard co-leading wildlife trips, operating the boats; doing the never-ending camp chores and helping out in the kitchen. In her spare time she would spend hour after hour hiking the eskers with camera in hand, and as you will see below - as it turns out - is really quite an accomplished amateur photographer in her own right. Click here or on photo to visit Noelle's photo gallery & commentary! |
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About the January 'Photo of the Month': - Chris Crowley US wildlife photographer Chris Crowley joined us for two weeks of our 'Dance with Wolves' and 'Great Summer Caribou Migration' trips in Nunavut. During last day of the trip, we put Chris and companions at a major water crossing of the southbound migration of the Bathurst Caribou herd. Click here or on photo to see some more of Chris's photography and commentary of his trip! |
Moon & Lights - This awesome and rare photo of moonlight and northern lights together reflecting off the waters of a lake along the Thelon River in northern Canada was taken by client Ella Trussell from the camp beach during a 2007 Great Canadian 'Dance with Caribou' wildlife trip. Click on photo to see an enlarged version of this remarkable new photo addition to our website! |
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Jake has left us for a better & higher piece of tundra On October 13, 2008, at age 14, our camp mascot Jake wandered away down a wet bush road in NW Ontario in the middle of the night, and left this corrupt world for a better & higher piece of tundra. Jake led quite the life indeed- having flown, hiked & paddled across much of the mainland Arctic - to running free wherever we went. As a half-wolf himself, he often lured other lone tundra wolves and occassionally wolf pups right down into the wildlife camp yard, at the delight of our photographer guests! He once ran like the wind..... |
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Martin Haefele In the autumn of 2007, we were proud to accommodate northerners Martin Haefele & Lynn Cheverie on our 'Dance with Caribou' trip to the upper Thelon in the Northwest Territories. Martin & Lynn live in Yellowknife - Martin works as a manager for the Mackenzie Valley Environmental Impact Review Board, and Lynn as a emergency room nurse at the Yellowknife Stanton hospital. It is good to get the perspective of fellow northerners on our expeditions, and Martin was kind enough to send us a photo essay about their trip with us: Click on photo to read more. |
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Photo Gallery! During our 2007 season, we were pleased to accommodate Canadian clients Rita Marett & Sandra Hannah during two weeks of our special 'Dance with Caribou' trips.The two have been on group canoeing and camping trips together before, and decided to travel together to the Far North. Click on the photos for a summary of what their recent experiences on the barrenlands were like with Great Canadian Wilderness: |
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Another Photo Gallery! Dr. Ella Trussell is a retired professor of kinesiology from Sonona State University, California, where she worked for 27 years. She came to the tundra with us while on a Sierra Club Outing in 1990, and returned again to visit during the autumn of 2007 - and definately had something to say about her two trips with us... Click on photo to visit Ellie's new photo essay of her northern experiences in Canada. |
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 George
Archibald |
International Crane Foundation Back North! In August 2006,
George Archibald and 12 members of the International Crane Foundation of
Baraboo, Wisconsin returned back North for another unique special
wildlife tour. This unique
two-week expedition - designed specifically for the ICF to visit Wood
Buffalo National Park and the Whooping Crane nesting area of which they
help to protect; spent another week with us and the wildlife of the Thelon.
the trip included visits to the Northern community of Fort Smith. George Archibald has quite an incredible history and on-going story - as a co-founder of the ICF, he continues to work worldwide in his magnificent efforts to save various crane habitat and nesting areas. Click here to visit the website of this most worthy organization! Click here to read more of what George wrote about his special 2006 trip! |
| Just what the heck is an esker, anyway? Winding across the Canadian northern boreal forests and tundra, eskers are excellent landmarks - are lofty highways for migrating caribou, and offer perfect den conditions for wild wolves & fox as well as roost for birds-of-prey. |
 An esker on the tundra |
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'Caribou & Wolves - 'The Endless Dance' Great Canadian Wilderness was proud to facilitate cinematographer Jeff Turner and crew of River Road Films to several wild wolf den sites, and to the Great Summer Caribou migration. Jeff got some awesome footage - with several grizzlies coming in to a remote water crossing to feed in several caribou that were stuck in the boulders of a creek crossing. During the spring of 2004, Jeff also got some quality wolf pup footage on the upper Thelon. This has resulted in an excellent wildlife documentary that was aired in the UK on BBC2 "The Natural World", and on Discovery Channels' Animal Planet in 2006. Jeff had this to say about his trips with us: "I have filmed wolves, caribou and grizzly bears in many areas of the Canadian Arctic over the past 15 years and I have to say that the Thelon area is without a doubt the most beautiful piece of Arctic tundra I have ever experienced. It is a world class wilderness with some of the planets most spectacular scenery and wildlife that is hard if not impossible to see anywhere else. I know of no other place where you can go and watch wild wolves around their den. Wolves are one of the most difficult animals to get close to in the wild and Tom and his crew have been doing it here for years. That says a lot about their sensitivity and success as wildlife guides. Tom and his crew at Great Canadian Wilderness are ideally placed to give access to this wonderful landscape. There is no-one with more experience and knowledge of the area and they have setup a comfortable, warm and homey camp with good food and facilities in the middle of this wilderness. They live lightly on the land here trying always to keep the imprint of man to a minimum in this pristine place. I admire and appreciate the work they do and wish them much success in the future." Jeff
Turner |
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We are proud to announce that in 2002, 'Tundra Tom' and Great Canadian Wilderness were nominated by past client & fellow Yukon Northerner Dr. Dave Simonson for the World Wildlife Fund International Arctic Programme Arctic Award for Linking Tourism and Conservation. Dave's initial nomination was then backed up by other client nomination letters from author Alan Weisman and photographer Lonnie Brock. Click logo at left to read these special nomination letters: |
Canadian Northern Lights Award for Excellence in Travel Journalism: Client & Canadian author Catherine Senecal won the prestigious ' Canadian Travel Commission's Northern Lights Award for Excellence in Travel Journalism' for best Internet Reporting. Well, Cathy's winning story was written about her trip with Great Canadian Wilderness on the 'Great Summer Caribou Migration'! Click on photo to read Catherine's on-line article, or click here to learn more about the Great Summer Caribou Migration Expedition slated for 2009. Cathy had this to say about her trip: "I loved the camp and being out on the barrens-I even love saying, "when I was out on the barren lands" to people. It makes me sound so adventurous! The truth is your trip, camp and tour make this stunning land and its animals accessible to people willing to let their minds and spirits compel them to a place perhaps more wild and epiphanic than they could have predicted." Click photo to read Catherine's award-winning article! |
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Buried on the barrenlands of the upper Thelon River.... The Faess family - beginning with Grandfather Carl, Father Henry & Mother Marcella, and followed to this day by Tundra Tom - have together cumulatively spent the past 67 years guiding, exploring & flying the Canadian Far North... To learn more of the Faess Family history, click here or on photo! |
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Conde Nast Traveler's 'Diamonds in the Wild' article still online! The controversial article titled 'Diamonds in the Wild', excerpted from the December 2001 issue of Conde Nast Traveler magazine in on-line in our website. This feature article was result from Ecoventures hosting author / journalist Alan Weisman, accompanied by Pulitzer-prize winning photographer Jay Dickman for a 'Dance with Caribou' trip to the Thelon region on the NWT & Nunavut, on contract with Conde Naste Traveler magazine in year 2000. 'Must reading' for those thinking of coming to the Thelon - check out! - click here, or on photo at left to read the article! |
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| Great Canadian Wilderness Adventures | ||
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Click here to download our current trip calendar in PDF
| Still undecided? Click on any of the faces below, and let our past clients & trips leaders tell you about their trips with us to the Canadian Far North! |
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 Steve Lybeck |
 Tundra Tom |
 Andy Kammer |
 Martin Haefele |
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 Brad Armstrong |
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 Rita Marett |
 George Archibald |
 Chris Crowley |
 Andrew Macrae |
 Bill Mullins |
 Julie Yamaguchi |
 Glen Grambo |
 Courtney Milne |
 Adele Curtis |
 Eric Peterson |
 Alan Weisman |
 Galen Rowel |
 Scott Schrader |
 Annika Brodén |
 Christian Heeb |
 Bill Silliker Jr. |
Lonnie Brock |
 Dave Mech |
 Lee Mann |
 Jay Dickman |
 Steve Barger |
 Dennis Fast |
 Art Wolfe |
 Steve Maka |
Come warm yourself by our fire. |
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Great Canadian Wilderness Adventures |
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Phone: 1-800-667-9453 (Canada & USA) Overseas Phone: +807-662-4512 North American toll-free Fax: 866-416-5548 Email: tundra@thelon.com Request More Information |
Imagine our surprise when
we saw a copy of Canadian Author's Farley Mowat's new book: 'High Latitudes' - and realized that the cover photo was
taken by the late Galen Rowell near our Great Canadian wildlife camp on
the remote Thelon Riverin the mainland
Arctic! Mowats' new book depicts life and changes in the North
through the eyes of the northerners that live here and own his personal
experiences. Some of his previous - and sometimes controversial
works include 'Never Cry Wolf', 'People of the Deer' and the
'Desperate People'. 
