During our year 2000 'Dance with Caribou' expeditions, we at Great Canadian were proud to accommodate wildlife & nature photographer Scott Schrader for two weeks. Scott was truly great to work with - his easy-going congeniality and sense of humor masked a keen  professional eye, as shown here in his fine photography.  While sitting round the campfire at base camp late one night, and while watching for the northern lights to appear, Scott showed his true Texan blood - by picking the guitar and singing flawlessly the full version of 'A Boy Named Sue!'   Thanks Scott, for providing the nice write-up and photography for our website - and for the song!

This is what Scott had to say about his trip with us on the autumn tundra...

Copyright Steve Maka - all rights reserved

"Tom, I am sitting down to write this three weeks after returning home. I still have yet to come down from the natural high that I was on during my time on the tundra.  The haunting beauty of the Barren lands will stay with me always...  Having traveled extensively across much of North America in my work as a nature photographer I can honestly say that my time spent in the Barrens was photographically the most productive two weeks that I have ever spent in the field."

 "The diversity and beauty of the landscape, combined with the ever-present wildlife made for an experience that will be deeply cherished for the rest of my life.   The day that I watched and photographed caribou, musk ox and an Arctic Wolf all within the span of less than two hours was a day that only happens in the wildest dreams of a nature photographer!" 

"The last day of staking out a water-crossing for caribou was an unbelievable day!   I wasn't settled in for five minutes before a herd of a dozen caribou swam across thirty yards away.  After a period of about three hours I saw not less than five crossings ------ the largest herd had nineteen caribou! That herd crossed twenty ­ five feet away from where I had positioned myself!"  

Survival of the Fittest - click to enlarge 

Click to enlarge

"Returning to camp after a full day on the tundra and watching the Aurora dance across the sky into the wee hours of the morning was an experience that I will never forget..." 

"The trip was truly amazing!  The land is unforgettable!  The experience was priceless! Your guides are the absolute cream of the crop.  The camp had all of the amenities that anyone could want in such a remote location."  

"I hope to return to the Barren lands with you and your staff in the very near future.
It is with deep gratitude that I say thank you for providing this incredibly unique opportunity."

Scott Schrader