A Journal
George Gardner, retired paddler, shares his journal detailing his second trip to Peterson’s Point Lake Lodge for the Extended Arctic Photography Workshop September 02 – 10, 2024
I wonder if this trip will actually happen, I was booked to come last year but it was cancelled because the entire City of Yellowknife was evacuated due to the threat of massive regional wildfires. Just a few weeks ago there was a massive hailstorm in Calgary. 10% of the WestJet planes were damaged and taken out of service creating havoc. One-week later I’m relieved that my flight to Yellowknife remains scheduled.
I am always excited to be in Northern Canada, especially Yellowknife. It is known as the best city to see the northern lights and it is the starting point for many remote adventures, like my trip to Peterson’s Point Lake Lodge. I’ve met some of the other guests going on this trip and we hit if off right from the start. Our group consists of seven guests, the photo leader, Cheryl Stewart, four guide team members (Anthony, Francois, Ron & Mike), Tanya, the cook, and other lodge staff which include the Peterson’s (Chad, Amanda & Margaret). This is the A-team, they really work hard to ensure we are well fed, looked after and spoiled!
2nd September: We’re loaded up on a float plane and we head off, flying over three zones e Canadian Shield, jack pine and rocky surface, followed by the Arctic Forest – Tundra Transition Zone and finally Open Tundra: mostly treeless! I think of the different zones we have seen. The transition zone is by far the most beautiful, small taiga, reindeer moss, hilly ground, pretty streams, colourful ground cover and all-round beauty, this looks like a wonderful place to explore!
We arrive at the lodge to delicious smells from the kitchen, Tanya has prepared a hot lunch, soup and sandwiches cheese, biscuits Hot chocolate is plentiful and ideal for this cold and wet blustery day. We decide to forgo the planned hike today and a few guides share their professional and personal experience of working and living in the North regarding the fur trade, Inuit tools and traditional clothing. Ron is known as Aiviq: The Guy Who Looks Like a Walrus, there is an article in the Up Here Magazine about him here showcases ulus and harpoons he has acquired over his years in the arctic and Francois passes around different furs and speaks about the NWT industry he helped build. Some caribou were spotted nearby and I take a few photos, albeit that they are distant shots. I settle into my cabin and need to figure out how to work the heater as it seems cold in my room.
3rd September: It’s a lovely peaceful morning, temperature is +4ºC with a cool north wind. As I walk from my cabin towards the lodge, I watch two separate large migrations of geese heading south.
The landscape is slightly more colourful than yesterday; it’s not as brilliant as when I was here in 2022, when I came on the earlier workshop date but there’s still lots of time. We plan to go on a nearby walk and return for lunch at the lodge. We watch hundreds of different types of geese on their migration south. The cold north winds signal it’s time to go! After lunch, I get on my laptop and start editing some of my photos before joining the group for a walk on the beach towards the point where a caribou herd was spotted. I shoot over 500 images and as soon as I return to my cabin, I immediately process the images. Results are thrilling. I got some of my best caribou images ever!
4th September: We are briefed on the day’s activities, outfitted with a Mustang lifejacket for a boating excursion to Esker Bay, a beautiful spot known for its incredible views and great spot for wildlife sightings. The fall colours are absolutely stunning. We hike along the top of the esker, surrounded by a palate of bright red, green, orange and yellow foliage colours.
This is a land of peace and beauty. During this spectacular short-lived time when the land transforms from a green and pleasant land to a vivid red, yellow orange and green, nature puts on her finest show! It’s truly magnificent – leaves from each of the trees and bushes display a magnificent array of colours in all shades between green and scarlet. What a transformation takes place! We spot several caribou – cows, calves and bulls, as well as a bull moose. Upon our return to the lodge, I see three caribou bulls from my cabin window. It’s been an idyllic day.
5th September: We’re off on another boating excursion to explore a different area. This is a land of many moods, and the weather constantly changes. One day it is ice cold with bitingly cold winds. The next day so quiet and still, a land of peace. Yet another day sunny with intermittent rain.
We wander through the tundra, full of rich colours, we photograph trees, shrubs, swamp, tussocks and endless beautiful vistas. I lay down on the tundra, close my eyes and feel the deep peace of this pristine wilderness. For a full 20 minutes I meditate on the peace and quiet around me. Sun is shining, a strong southerly wind blows.
A few of us opt to fish for lake trout before returning to the lodge at the top of Red Rock Lake where the Coppermine River flows in from the narrows after leaving Point Lake – it’s a wonderful spot. A strong current flows through the narrows and you can hear the roar of the current against the boulder-strewn sides. We quickly catch lake trout of ranging from 5 – 24 pounds. All are released except some of the smaller ones we keep for dinner! This was another great day with wonderful companions! Everyone seems to quickly form close bonds! This is a beautiful place, colours are beautiful, people are nice, staff really go out of their way to look after you! I would love to make this place my annual pilgrimage! What an amazing place for self renewal!
6th September: Time is flying and the fall colours are even better today. The bright sunlight makes the colours pop and the back lighting makes the vegetation glow even more! We have a good day of photography, there are so many different patterns to photography, the fall colours and occasional caribou, making for incredible landscape and macro photography.
Amanda wakes us up whenever there is the opportunity to see the northern lights and do some aurora photography. I stayed up late to watch the Aurora, the intensity is low, but it is colourful.
7th September: It’s a brilliant morning to photograph the sunrise, the lovely colours of the sky and landscape, followed by a fond farewell to the people I got to know that depart today. I’m sleep deprived but well worth it – as the photos of the northern lights I took last night are by far the best I have produced!
The temperature reads +15˚C outside, and it looks like the fall colours have peaked, the whole area looks stunning, the colours are saturated and rich and it the colours were any more vivid the look like they would explode. A perfect day for taking panoramas.
We’re treated to an incredible wildlife sighting and experience today when a white wolf wanders nearby – it’s standing apporximately 60 meters away from the lodge, howling to his pack; they howl back in reply. I manage to get a couple of photographs, but I had to run to my cabin to get my camera! Tonight, I’m up around midnight when I am awakened by a call to come out and see the Aurora.
8th September – People pair up for different excursions today, I’ve opted to go with Anthony and to go fishing for lake trout. The lodge provides the fishing rods and reels and what a day it was! I catch a 28 pound lake trout! It measured 37 inches long with a girth of 18 inches. We catch over 400 pounds of fish. We release all except what we keep for supper. This is probably the best freshwater fishing I’ve ever experienced!
9th September: An early start to take photos of a moose that’s behind my cabin. This is our last full day and night in the pristine barrenlands. We fly out late tomorrow afternoon. There is a certain angst today; my wonderful trip is coming to an end! We were blessed to see three young bull caribou wading into the small lake behind the guest cabins and swim across the lake. Fortunately, I have my camera with me and take some very nice photos! It’s another day to enjoy simply being around the lodge, take more photos of the barrens and other nearby wildlife.
The float plane doesn’t arrive until 6 pm, although it’s later than initially scheduled it gives us the entire day to enjoy being at the lodge and photograph more wildlife and whatever we’re inspired by. On the flight back to Yellowknife, I shoot many ariel images of the barrens, lakes, tundra and Canadian shield all the way back to Yellowknife. I want to show the transition from Canadian Shield to the treeless tundra and the transition zone in between, known as the arctic forest–tundra transition zone.
Workshop Reflections:
This is one of the most wonderful places I’ve been. I photographed my best Aurora; the best caribou and best tundra fall colours. The aurora was spectacular with reds, pinks, yellows and mauves flickering intermittently. This is one of the most memorable trips I have been on! The individual care and concern for meeting guest needs is legendary!
One of the great attributes of this lodge is that a lot of wild animals come close to the lodge. This means that great shots are readily available to all guests! So, regardless, if guests go for distant hikes or long boat rides, they don’t necessarily see more wildlife than those who hang around the lodge.
The barrens are one of the few places where time has stood still and retains its beauty. The tundra is made up from some 1700 discrete plants. I am so privileged to have spent a fleeting moment up here in the north; a place that is etched in my heart and mind. I arrive with tears of joy; I leave with a tear in my eye always hoping I may return. This is the most memorable place for me! One returns to the rat race in a far better state of mind! Oh, how clear and fresh my mind feels, having freed myself from this worldly baggage that accumulates all year! How wonderful to photograph the pristine wilderness along with the beauty mother nature provides. How wonderful to capture some special photos to bring these memories into my home, into my mind. A constant reminder of this special place that I do not want to forget.