Tundra wolf on skyline
Taken by Art Wolfe on a Great Canadian trip June/July 1999

"The wolves photography trip started off a bit sketchy. First, the pack that usually dens at our 'Dance with Wolves' lodge site were not where they were supposed to be last spring (they were discovered a days later 20 miles down the lake by boat. They pack was on a remote island where they apparently had gotten stuck at ice breakup! Then, the tundra wolves at our main basecamp on the upper Thelon moved their rendezvous site off about 2 miles away onto a open sand flat area that was impossible to approach without detection, making photography opportunities minimal.

We finally located another den about 20 miles away by air and some photography was accomplished here - but the wolves abandoned the den after a few days. About half way through the trip, Art, Gavriel and I flew over 200 miles in the floatplane to check out another den site that I knew of. We saw two grizzly and two herds of musk-oxen - but no wolves. On the flight back, Art - with the keen eye of a professional - spotted a white wolf from the air. We circled and got a GPS position, and flew back the next day where they camped in and got some of their best shots of the whole trip (above).

After 25 years of flying and guiding photographers in the Arctic, I can say without hesitation that Art Wolfe is far and away the most professional I have ever had the privilege to work with. His artistic eye, his patience and congeniality with the wilderness and the circumstances / obstacles it can throw out on a daily basis is truly admirable.  No wonder he's considered one of the world's best!"

Tundra Tom