Three weeks. Temperatures down to –40°C. Five hundred kilometres by snowmobile. And somewhere out there, one of the Arctic’s most elusive predators: the Ellesmere wolf.
Some journeys take years to become reality.
This spring, I finally travelled to Ellesmere Island on a scouting trip for Starling. The idea was simple: work with Terry and his team at Ausuittuq Adventures, learn how future expeditions could be organised, and hopefully spend some time with the legendary wolves that roam this extraordinary place.
We made it! And what a journey it turned out to be.
An unknown world
High in the Canadian Arctic, Ellesmere Island is still one of those rare places where nature sets the rules. There are no roads, no hotels and very few people.
Our journey began in Grise Fiord. From there, we travelled roughly 500 kilometres by snowmobile, towing sleeping cabins behind us across the snow and sea ice. These PODS were originally designed for BBC film crews working in the Arctic and now serve as the heart of a small and remote base camp.
Life there quickly settled into a rhythm. We melted snow for drinking water, checked equipment, maintained the snowmobiles and prepared for long nights in the field. Temperatures hovered somewhere between –35°C and –40°C, and even with several layers of clothing, the cold could be relentless.
Fortunately, we were rewarded with endless blue skies. The sun barely disappeared below the horizon at night, and the most beautiful light appeared during those brief hours when it slipped behind the mountains.
Searching for wolves
Every afternoon, we climbed onto the snowmobiles and started looking for tracks. We were so lucky to find the wolves on the very first day, when I spotted some fresh Raven tracks on a snow ridge. I knew this could be a good sign, and exploring these tracks turned out to be a great decision!
The following days only became more interesting. The animals seemed almost as curious about us as we were about them. More than once, they came remarkably close. Not aggressive, not fearful, just curious.
Then, one evening, something happened. From high up in the mountains, we saw the pack moving at full speed towards the fjord ice. I’ll tell you the rest of that story very soon – when I can share the finished selection of my favourite images of this adventure!
This is only the beginning
In total, I spent almost three weeks on Ellesmere Island, helping Terry, Nolan, Abraham and Silas prepare the camp and guide the first group of photographers into this remarkable landscape.
One of those photographers turned out to be my good friend Ben Cranke, someone I’ve travelled with many times before. I had no idea he would be joining the expedition, so meeting again in one of the most remote places on Earth was a great surprise! Ben and I spent many hours together out on the snowmobiles, searching the fjords and mountains for wolves. Was great to be out together again Ben! And thank you so so much for saving my frostbite fingers!
Soon, I’ll share the finished images and the full story behind this adventure.
In the meantime, if you’re dreaming of photographing Arctic wolves in one of the wildest places on Earth, you can find more information about the expedition and join the waiting list here.
Group sizes will remain deliberately small. After all, places like this deserve to stay exactly as they are!
