The Cloud Wolves of Kaska Coast

  

 

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 Hello again! Are you warm? Because I've just returned from a trip to Kaska Coast of the Hudson Bay in Canada, and boy was it freezing! "What did you do there?" you may ask. I was on a wild wolf "safari" in a place so remote that you take a little plane that lands at the short airstrip in front of a lodge, and apart from the staff and other visitors, there's not a living soul anywhere close. Well, not a living human soul - That area of sub-arctic Canada is bustling with moose, caribou, owls and other birds, foxes, polar bears, and of course - wolves! (After all, can't go on a wolf safari if there are no wolves.)

During the winter, the polar bears are out on the frozen sea, so wolves are the king predator of the area. So all you need to do is dress warm and go look for them. And boy - it is cold out there in the winter!

See what I mean? Yes, that is me, thank you.

The wolves in that area are not hunted, and they see so few people each year that they are not afraid of humans. And contrary to common legends - no, they are not out to kill humans. Quite amazing how the animals from whom came all the beloved dogs we're so attached to, are portrayed in stories and legends as those mean, vicious animals. Does this little cutie look harmful to you? (Spoiler alert: wolves are among the most efficient predators on earth)

In, fact, while humans are not allowed to actively get closer than 100 meters to a pack of wolves, the wolves of Kaska Coast would often just get closer to you, curious and trying to figure you out. And it's not that they sit there waiting for you; it's a game of tracking them and then hoping to see them. You want 100% chance of sighting? Go on a giraffe safari in Africa.

Wolves live in packs, and a pack is a family: mom, dad, and their kids. One or two new kids are born each year, and every so often one of the kids will leave the pack, and go look for another loner to start their own family. A pack has a territory that's often about 200 square miles or more, which it protects and controls and doesn't let other packs enter. They live in that territory, hunt there, and hang out. They often stay together, and look like a bunch of dogs playing in the park.

 

Fun fact: when the wolves roam their territory, they just run and run.  When a wolf needs to pee, they would just do that mid run, on the path, and they would pee like female dogs do - on all four, sitting low. Except, that is, for mom and dad - they would pee outside the path, usually on a tree or bush, and do it both like male dogs (one leg up) so they can pee higher up. Hey - it's their job to mark the territory of the pack and make sure the scent stays longer!

Wolves are very intelligent, have strong social and emotional instincts, and if you look close into a wolf's eyes - some people swear they see wisdom in them.

 

A wolf pack is also one of the most efficient hunting and killing machines. They could chase a 1,000 pounds (450 kg) moose, running at 30 miles/hour, for three days and nights until the moose can no longer run, and then get it. Each wolf would then eat close to 50 pounds (25 kg). Also important to remember: like most land predators, wolves will almost always go for the weak and slow, in a way contributing to healthy evolution. This is as opposed to human hunters, who go for the biggest and strongest prey because hey - they're heroes with a rifle! 

 

But listen to this: mom and dad would wave all the kids away, except for the most recently born. Then those young ones would eat, and following them - the parents, and only then would they let the older kids come and eat. Reminds me of the families I know! 

 

I don't know about you, but after I eat 50 pounds of moose meat, all I want to do is go to sleep for three days and just hang out with my family. Turns out - so do wolves!

 

Yes, the pack would spend the time sleeping, hanging out, playing, and sleeping again. They don't seem to care if it's snowing hard!

But then they also get some of those nights where you just want to lie on your back and look at the sky:

Special thanks to Churchill Wild who hosted this tour! And don't forget to browse the other posts in my blog.

Sayings I picked Up In Arctic Norway

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So I just got back from a 12-day trip to Tromso, Norway. Tromso sits 350km (200 miles) north of the Arctic Circle. You'd all imagine it looking like the photo above, right? That's understandable given that on the day I landed there, sunrise was at 10:52 and sunset - 13:02. Just four days earlier the sun didn't rise at all, and hadn't done so in almost two months. In times like that, no wonder the moon dominates the sky like in the picture above! The days get longer rapidly, though - Consider that by June, the "midnight sun" never sets!

And despite that, the residents of Tromso, which has a large university, seem happy, normal, and generally claim that winter is the best season. So I decided to check it out! Doing so, I picked up some sayings by the local folks.

Norway wasn't created so that you sit on your butt

Norway is basically mountains and fjords. And some islands. It's an outdoors heaven and there are lots of fun things to do, like taking your dogs on a walk up and down the mountain!

 

 

And it pays. There might be only a few hours of light in a day. The sun, which is officially out for 2-3 hours, is so low above the horizon that you mostly see the color it inflicts on the sky above and the ice below. Boy is it worth it.

There's no bad weather - There are bad clothes

I guess that's a healthy approach to take when the temperature is -5c to -10c (23-14F) for many months, and with even a gentle wind - much colder. But look at the positive side: the weather in Tromso is regulated by the Golf Stream which keeps much of Northern Europe warm. Drive two hours inland towards Finland - and the Temperature in likely to drop to -40c/-40F. 

During the week I was there, the Northern Lights Film Festival took place. So all the people wore their Good Clothes, and at 3pm, at -8c/17F, took their kids to see a street screening of Finding Nemo:

  

I think Nemo felt quite warm there in the tropical ocean. 

But of course there were also films at Northern Europe's oldest movie theater, which was built in 1915. And those uninterested in movies could spend some time at the gorgeous public library:

When you're done reading, you just sit on your butt and slide to the coffee shop down the street. You're allowed to sit on your butt for that in Norway.

So another thing I noticed while there, was that they don't heat the houses, stores, and theaters too high (unlike in the US) - so that you don't have to strip naked all the time (that only happens in Denmark). Norwegians are fond of dressing in layers, and they love wool. The number of times I heard "We love wool" while in Tromso! There's a reason for that: wool regulates your body temperature really well and allows you to go snowshoeing and then to the movie with just a couple of layers' difference.

(That was a good opportunity to insert a photo of myself snowshoeing.)

Sweat will kill you

I personally suspect this saying was created by the people who make and market 100% Merino wool underwear, base layer, mid layer and what not. But I guess it has some truth to that. If your clothes regulate you body heat well - the Arctic outdoors is your playground!

The outdoors play such an important role, that that's a saying I saw on a store's window: "A sale is like a path in the mountains: you have to know what to look for; you need to be patient; you need to be diligent. But when you find it, the reward can be tremendous - up to 50% off!" Haha. Well I guess when your view from Main street, at 12 noon, is this, you're tolerant of everything:

"But wait," you say, "we came here for the Northern Lights!" You're damn right. In my next post, I'll tell about them. Till then, an appetizer:

Read my post Inside The head of The Husky to see why I love them so much

Antarctic Seals - A Portrait (Literally)

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From the 450 pound (200 kg) Crabeater Seal to the 8,000 pound (3.6 tons) Southern Elephant Seal, the ocean and shorelines of Antarctica are simmering with seal action. Located somewhere in the middle of the Antarctic food chain (feeding on krill, fish, penguins; eaten by Leopard Seals and by whales) - Seals look innocent, playful, lazy, and sometimes vicious - depending on their type and their mood. Mostly, they really like to nap. If you've never seen a 8,000 pound creature resting comfortably on another one - You haven't appreciated weight.

Resting on floating sea ice and on the shore, with no Polar Bears to be concerned about (see my post Penguins in Alaska? Polar Bears in Antarctica?), it's easy to stumble upon them. They all look similar - with distinctive features based on their type (Crabeater, Weddel, Leopard, Southern Elephant, Ross...). They all have a similar body, at different sizes and colors.  The Southern Elephant Seal, for example, can come in a color collection resembling a candy store!

But get closer, and you begin to wonder whether individual seals have their own personality, as shown by their facial features and the look in their eyes. This time around, I chose to share with you a series of closeup portraits I took of some Antarctic seals in my recent (December 2016) trip there. (In fact, a few of these were shot by my kids who accompanied me) I was fascinated by their looks and became convinced they have a soul. No wonder that in some languages they're called "sea dogs"! What say you?

Ready for a couple dozen photos? Click on any photo to enlarge it. Some browsers will allow you to slide from one photo to the next. Those with iPhone: Reader View is recommended.

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See my post Antarctica and The South Pole..... for more stories and photos

© e kaplan 2016

Inside The Head of The Husky

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Who doesn't recognize a Husky? One of the world's most strikingly good looking dog breeds, the Siberian Husky was originally bred in northeastern Siberia by the local Eskimos.

The Husky incorporates two often contrary characteristics: it was bred to be a working dog, pulling the heavyweight sleds of the hunters during their winter travels. As such, it is a very tough, determined, mission focused, running-freak dog who would do anything to become leash free and roam as far as it can. Give Chloe, my own Husky, some fresh air and a view of nature stretching till the horizon, and she's at her nirvana.

But the Chukchi, the northeastern Asia Eskimos who first bred the Siberian Husky, also put them in charge of guarding and babysitting their children. In those days in the Arctic, man depended on the dog as much as the dog depended on the man - and that shaped the relationship-DNA of the Husky. As a result, the Husky is extremely friendly and gentle with people, especially children, and many owners would swear their Huskies can literally read their moods. Here's what Chloe goes through during routine walks at her neighborhood:

For most people, the name Husky implies a sled dog. And while the Siberian Husky isn't as fast as its cousin the Alaskan Husky, or as tough as the similarly looking Malamute, it can pull more weight over longer distances. Without sled dogs, none of the early Arctic and Antarctic expeditions could happen, and the survival of the Arctic native would be impossible.

Huskies and other sled dogs' true joyful season is the winter, when the ground is covered with snow and they're tasked with running and pulling, pulling and running.

But even in the far Arctic, about half of the year there is no winter, hardly any snow on the ground, and the Husky must employ other ways to stay in shape. In Alaska, they are often tied to a regular winter sled, sometimes with wheels, and just run dragging it on the bare ground.

The Canadians are tougher with the dogs and make them pull their ATV. An easy training session? The ATV is in neutral. A more demanding one? Put the ATV in gear (with the engine off), and let's see the dogs working real hard!

Huskies work in teams and have roles just like in a football team: they have the quarterbacks, usually two very smart, fast thinking dogs at the front of the pack, whose task is mainly to set the pace, look for the safest path and avoid cracks in the ice; they've got the runners, who can run and run. These are the dogs with the nicest butts, because right behind them are the pullers, the dogs who bear the heavy weight of the sled, its human rider, and all the load - and pull until they're told to stop. The dogs are assigned their roles while still puppies, and a good breeder can tell what they'll become at less than two months old!

But with the first sign of snow, the real show begins! Just as we are excited about the start of the ski season, the Husky can smell the dog-sledding in the air. The DNA in every cell in its body starts shaking with excitement!

And when the opportunity to start running is there (in this clip behind a snowmobile) - there's no stopping the excitement! Turn the volume on your speaker up and watch:

Is it fun to be part of it? You bet! Are they running fast? Well, the huskies usually try to keep a pace of about 10-12 mph (15-18 kph), and they can run like this for almost 100 miles straight, if necessary. (And yes, they pee and do the other stuff while running, in case you've ever wondered whether a male Husky can run three-legged, with the forth one lifted against a virtual tree)

But if they need to, they can run at 25 mph (almost 40 kph), and stay at that for more then five miles (or until they catch that cat or snow rabbit). Because the dogs need to listen - and obey - to their master, Huskies' ears are like radar antennas: with a whisper from behind, their ears seem to be turning 180 degrees backwards.

Riding the sled, it's a great experience, exhilarating and calming simultaneously. 

But what would a Siberian Husky do when there's no snow at all? Certainly not stop running. And certainly with every piece of its DNA saying "run at the front, pull, focus forward, but match your pace to your leader the human". Perhaps this is why Chloe, my own Siberian Husky, gets so much thrill out of running just like that over dust covered trails:

Read my post Arctic Antarctic Present to see more fun pics.

Winter Is Settling In

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So, winter is finally arriving in various places. (Not where I'm at right now!) Camping season has largely ended and hiking season assumes, well, a different shape.

Alaskan winters are very harsh, especially inland. But early enough (or late enough) in the season you can get a sense of what it's like to spend the winter there. 

They all are trying to catch a bit more to eat before it's all covered in snow. From elk to the Grizzly bears.

Only some seem to be really happy, pointing with pride at their newly minted winter home!

Further to the south and east, at Glacier National Park, winter is as notable and felt, with the combination of lakes and mountains very striking in early winter.

Still, it seems as if Mother Nature likes hikers so much, she keeps the trails open!

This way, with snow beginning its long hold over the country, everyone seems to be content with it - from mammals, 

to me!

Read my post Black (and White) Magic In The Arctic