Being Caribou
- Description
- Reviews
- Citation
- Cataloging
- Transcript
Hoping to raise awareness of the threat to the survival of the Porcupine Caribou Herd presented by the proposed exploitation of the oil and gas reserves in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the husband-and-wife-team of filmmaker Leanne Allison and wildlife biologist Karsten Heuer, follow the herd of 120,000 caribou on foot, across 1,500 kilometers of rugged Arctic tundra.
They let the caribou guide them through a wild and remote landscape, from Old Crow, Yukon, to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge -- the herd's calving grounds -- and back. During the five-month journey, they ski and hike across mountains, swim icy rivers, brave Arctic weather and endure hordes of mosquitoes. They survive an encounter with a hungry grizzly bear that forces them to reconcile what it means to be a part of true wilderness. Dramatic footage and video diaries provide an intimate perspective of an epic expedition.
This film presents undeniable evidence that gives the lie to then Sen. Frank Murkowski's (R-Alaska) disgenuous description of the Refuge as 'flat, unattractive, not pristine' as he held up a piece of blank white foam board. Watching the caribou migrate suggests a more appropriate analogy. The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is America's Serengeti.
'This is a heartfelt and inspiring northern adventure which succeeds at revealing the powerful beauty and sacredness of the caribou and their habitat.' FamilyEducation.com
'A stunning documentary about precisely what drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge would destroy, and, hopefully, it will close the debate forever.' MaryAnn Johanson, FlickFilosopher.com
'Recommended for public and school libraries.' CM Magazine, University of Manitoba
'Captivating from start to finish...breathtaking views of both scenery and wildlife...Truly a respectful glimpse into wildness largely unseen by human eyes. Anyone who has heard of or read about the issues surrounding the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge should view this film.' Omaha Independent Media Center
'This is a film of beauty and courage.' Heron Dance
'A riveting look at the epic migration of tens of thousands of caribou, across equally epic, ruggedly beautiful terrain.' Portland Tribune
'This multi-award winning, poignant documentary will leave few people untouched.' School Library Journal
'Being Caribou is about birth, death and survival... It is a 'must see' for all those who are in favor of destroying a pristine natural environment along with all life forms in it, to gain a few barrels of oil. Highly recommended for high school, college and public library collections.' Geetha Yapa, Educational Media Reviews Online
'Beautiful, thought-provoking...Being Caribou is highly recommended.' Video Librarian, Editor's Choice
Citation
Main credits
Allison, Leanne (film director)
Allison, Leanne (screenwriter)
Allison, Leanne (cinematographer)
Wilson, Diana (film director)
Wilson, Diana (screenwriter)
Friesen, Tracey (film producer)
Other credits
Editor, Janice Brown; cinematographer, Leanne Allison; composer, Dennis Burke.
Distributor subjects
Animal Behavior/Communication; Animal Rights; Animals; Arctic Studies; Biology; Canadian Studies; Earth Science; Ecology; Energy; Environment; Environmental Ethics; Geography; Habitat; Life Science; Oceans and Coasts; Science, Technology, Society; WildlifeKeywords
WEBVTT
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[music]
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[music]
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[music]
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It\'s almost like a rhythm.
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Get up in the morning, and there\'s landscape that was
so alive the night before, it just vacant and empty.
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And then there\'s a mystery pulling you forward,
of where are they? Where could they be?
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[music]
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And isn\'t just tracks we\'re
following the trends on the map.
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It\'s something else, you know, there\'s a… I truly… I
truly believe that there\'s something else keeping us
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on the general trail of these caribou, and coming together,
and then being pulled apart, and coming together.
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So I… I guess I have faith…
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a faith that we will
happen upon them again.
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[music]
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[sil.]
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Good morning and welcome to \"Sounds
Like Canada.\" (inaudible).
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This morning, we\'re going to speak with a
couple who want to follow the Porcupine caribou
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on their annual migration from Dawson City to Alaska. The
animals have been doing this for thousands of years.
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Our conservationists are afraid that oil development will harm
the herd. Listen now to the sounds of the porcupine caribou…
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One of the best parts of getting
ready for these trips is
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all the food you get to eat before. It may seem like kind of
eating for sport now, but we\'ll be darn happy in a few weeks.
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How 120 thousand caribou make the trek,
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and this year they\'ll have two wannabe caribou tagging
along, Karsten Heuer and Leanne Allison of Canmore, Alberta,
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is trek to the north is motivated
by the need to protect the animal.
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I\'m not sure if we should go left or right
here. Can you just check that sign?
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Karsten and I were married
just six months ago
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and some people have joked that we\'re heading off
on our honeymoon. But most people ask us, \"why?
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Why would you drive all the way up north to
follow a caribou migration on foot for months?
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[music]
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You know, through our work, both Leanne as a
filmmaker and myself as a park warden up north,
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over the past couple of summers we both had the opportunity
to be amongst the caribou when they were migrating.
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To have the drama of animals passing for days,
and the landscape going quiet behind them.
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There was something calling out
for us to follow after them.
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[music]
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The migrating caribou were on their way to calve on the
coastal plane of Alaska\'s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
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But the disturbing thing is, this
name \"refuge,\" it\'s a misnomer,
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since for decades, U.S oil interests have
been wanting to drill for oil and gas
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right where the caribou give birth.
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Unfortunately today, the extremes
blocked a Bipartisan Energy Bill.
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Because they\'re worrying about the caribou in Alaska,
when I\'m worrying about jobs for the American people,
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I\'ll go with the people, let
them go with the caribou.
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I think it\'s important for
us to open up and more.
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Well, I think it\'s a mistake not to, and I would urge
you all to travel up there and take a look at it
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and you can make, let me finish please,
and you can make the determination
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as to how beautiful that country is.
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It\'s just you and me going on this trip, Leanne. But you know,
we need a third person along, and we gonna take George Bush,
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show him the refuge, show him the caribou.
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You know, he\'s probably gonna be the best
dressed individual of the expedition.
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[sil.]
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Our journey starts from Old Crow, at a
Gwich\'in first nation community of 300.
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This fly-in village is located on
the banks of the Porcupine River,
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after which this caribou herd is named.
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For thousands of years, Gwich\'in culture has revolved
around caribou. Well, you hear stories right like this…
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Everyone we meet is talking
about the upcoming migration,
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and it\'s with the enthusiasm that most people
in Canada talk about the hockey playoffs.
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They\'re all wondering the
exact same thing, we are,
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when will the migration start, and
what route will they take this year?
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Thankfully, we meet up
with Randal Tetlichi,
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who immediately takes us under his wing.
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He\'s heading out hunting and
he agrees to give us a lift.
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All the animals that are in the universe,
they have a chief, all living things.
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And that\'s… that\'s the spirit
of the, we call those spirits.
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The caribou spirit lives north of Old Crow.
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He lives in the mountain. There\'s a
big hole in the mountain there and
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that chief grandfather, caribou head,
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he tell the caribou, \"go feed the
people, go cloth the people,
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go shelter the people, go
look after the people.
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But remember one thing
that you always… that you
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always, no matter where you travel,
is be ready for the unexpected
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because the unexpected might destroy you
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if you\'re not ready for it.
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So always be ready for the unexpected
and to be calm, no matter what happens.
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The last night Randal tells us is
to pay attention to our dreams.
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That night, Karsten makes
me a caribou skin bed
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and I have a vivid dream that the
Porcupine Rive is broken up and flowing.
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The next morning, I tell
Randal my dream and he says,
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\"That\'s your sign the migration has
started, you better get going.\"
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[sil.]
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Well, there goes Randal. No more skidoos,
no more gas smell, no more noise.
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No more people, maybe for a long time.
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And Randal had some good
advice, he just said you know,
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\"just know that you\'re gonna do it,
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no ifs, and it\'ll happen.\" And what the
beauties of it all as is nobody knows for sure,
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everybody can speculate, including us.
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But the only way to really know is to now follow them. So, I
don\'t know from here on then, we may not see a caribou again.
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But I sure hope we do, I
sure hope this works.
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The Porcupine herd is made
up of 120 thousand animals
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that spend the winter spread out across
the central Yukon and parts of Alaska.
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Their migration to the arctic coast and back
is one of the longest of any land mammal.
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On route, they have to cross several
mountain ranges and some 40 rivers.
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Pregnant cows lead the
migration breaking trail,
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while bulls follow week\'s later, hanging
back until calving season is over.
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[sil.]
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Day one, April 9th, and we\'re finally off.
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[sil.]
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How is it?
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Actually good. Good step land (inaudible)
It\'s the same kind of steps as we do.
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[sil.]
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Walking on the packed caribou trails is like
balancing on a log for mile after mile.
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[sil.]
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Its day seven and its rapidly sinking
in that we might just be left behind.
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We both assumed that we could go
wherever caribou go, but today
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has really put that into
questions, as well we
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came up this huge slope behind us,
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just about killed us, and just seems some of the ridges
and things these caribou are going over down and up,
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it\'s just like gravity doesn\'t affect them.
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Um….today I just feel like it was half killing us.
I\'ve never seen so tired as when we crested this hill.
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[sil.]
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Oh, man, another nice day.
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Still just a little bit cloud.
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[sil.]
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It\'s so hard to get up these mornings.
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We\'re trying to be caribou, we\'re not
being caribou, we\'re following caribou.
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Yeah.
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Getting left behind by caribou.
Still pretty damn exciting, though.
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Sleeping bag, clothes,
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camera case, thermarest, maps, gloves.
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To carry everything we need for survival,
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plus our camera gear, batteries, and the solar panel to
charge them, our packs end up weighing 60 to 80 pounds.
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Someone\'s boots, jacket,
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first aid kit, book, bear spray,
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fuel bottle and cup,
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most important thing, me!
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[music]
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[sil.]
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[music]
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It\'s incredible! I mean,
here we are in the middle of
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one of most beautiful landscapes
in the world. And then all quiet,
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not a sound, no jets, no planes, nothing.
And just this huge
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wave of life coming over, and you\'re seeing an age-old
relationship play out right before your eyes,
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it\'s just… it\'s unbelievable.
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And it\'s I don\'t know at times like
this you just feel part of some larger.
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[sil.]
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This wind\'s been howling for three days now,
and last night it turned into blizzard.
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It\'s so strange, because you
look up and you can see bright
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blue sky and sunshine, and yet,
looking down on the ground
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the snow is flying by probably outside right
now it\'s 60 or 70 kilometers an hour.
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Got the tent set up and you can see it\'s moving
all around and it\'s snowing inside the tent,
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just from the force. The snow hitting
is coming right through the fabric,
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and I just hope it holds out tonight.
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When you\'re in this, it just
feels like it\'s never gonna end.
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[sil.]
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Sorry, we had to leave you outside but
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if you\'re really going to find out what it\'s like
to be caribou, you got to live the conditions,
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you know? What do you think?
Pretty cool uh….
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Those guys just stayed out in the
storm, now they\'re moving north again.
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We\'re gonna go with them, George.
We\'re gonna go with them.
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[music]
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So today, came up this
Fourth Boulder Creek,
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and climbed up here,
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came across this big basin,
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over this little ridge, and
we\'re camped right there,
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that\'s about
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10 kilometers the way the crow flies,
but 15 kilometers on the ground.
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[music]
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You know, we\'re day 16 or 17 now, and
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most of our or well, lot of our
aches and pains have kind of left,
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and we\'re starting to get
used to the heavy packs.
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But what\'s happening in exchange for that is we\'re always
hungry, we\'re hungry in the morning when we wake up,
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we\'re hungry right after we eat breakfast, we\'re hungry all day. We\'re
hungry right after we\'ve eaten dinner, we\'re hungry when we go to bed.
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So, the metabolisms just
started racing now,
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and we can\'t possibly carry
enough on our backs to keep up.
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[sil.]
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[music]
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On route, we pass a research station, which is
a convenient place to wait for a re-supply.
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[sil.]
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Using the satellite phone, we call in a
place to drop off one of the food caches
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we\'ve put together before the trip.
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[sil.]
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Got the groceries, honey!
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[sil.]
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(inaudible) Toilet paper.
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[sil.]
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Oh lord!
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[sil.]
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All this damn.
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[music]
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We currently seem to be
surrounded by bears.
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No sooner did we
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come toward this campsite we
saw one over here, digging.
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And that\'s probably this one here coming
over the hill. But this guy is new,
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been around, he\'s coming
right down the stream.
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He\'s given us a bit of berth.
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They all seem to be doing
exactly what we\'re doing,
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hanging around where caribou
are headed or they\'ve been.
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Bear, we\'re just passing through here,
00:21:10.000 --> 00:21:14.999
minding our own business.
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Don\'t mean you any harm at all.
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We went for another
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kilometer up the valley and 500 feet or so, and then
camped again and just as we were setting up the tent,
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I looked behind Karsten and
there was another bear.
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Yeah, smaller
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and pretty rangy-looking, and
coming right up our ski tracks,
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which was probably the most disconcerting thing, like her nose
was down, looking up, so she knew exactly what she was after.
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But just anything you did didn\'t matter,
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she just kept coming. And we shouted,
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set off one bear banger, she you know, just a little
flinch, set off another, hardly a reaction, and then…
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She started circling,
00:22:10.000 --> 00:22:14.999
hey she kid of came in and then started to make a little bit
of a circle and seemed to be kind of coming in each time.
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We each had our knives in our
pockets and our… Yeah… yeah.
00:22:20.000 --> 00:22:24.999
Bear sprays uncocked, and then finally, what got
her is we had just started setting up the tent,
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and there was one pole in it, I
just picked up the whole thing,
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kind of broad side, and…
and… and move towards her,
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and that was finally enough. But she didn\'t
run, you know… No, she just sauntered away.
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Yeah, it wasn\'t like the other bears.
00:22:45.000 --> 00:22:49.999
Here we are, going to the calving grounds
with a bunch of hungry bears, this is nuts!
00:22:50.000 --> 00:22:54.999
[sil.]
00:22:55.000 --> 00:22:59.999
We love the idea of wilderness or wildness,
00:23:00.000 --> 00:23:04.999
and I guess disappointing
00:23:05.000 --> 00:23:09.999
when you actually are put in a situation where you
aren\'t part of the wilderness or part of the wildness,
00:23:10.000 --> 00:23:14.999
and all you want to do is
have safety, but that…
00:23:15.000 --> 00:23:19.999
that isn\'t part (inaudible) of wildness.
00:23:20.000 --> 00:23:28.000
[sil.]
00:23:50.000 --> 00:23:54.999
May 22, 2003, we\'re just
about to cross into Alaska
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and there\'s some caribou behind us that are
00:24:00.000 --> 00:24:04.999
just about to do the same thing. And
00:24:05.000 --> 00:24:09.999
if it weren\'t for the line on the map,
you\'d never know it out here that we\'re
00:24:10.000 --> 00:24:14.999
crossing a major, significant border.
00:24:15.000 --> 00:24:19.999
And for us it\'s not big deal but
for the caribou, it\'s huge.
00:24:20.000 --> 00:24:24.999
In Canada, where they\'ve just been, their
calving grounds are fully protected,
00:24:25.000 --> 00:24:29.999
and where they\'re just about to head,
they\'re (inaudible) protected.
00:24:30.000 --> 00:24:34.999
So, George has been riding along
for most of the trip in Canada,
00:24:35.000 --> 00:24:39.999
outside of his jurisdiction really,
you know, a tourist or sightseer.
00:24:40.000 --> 00:24:44.999
But, you know, when George steps
over this line, as he just did,
00:24:45.000 --> 00:24:49.999
George, you\'re in charge
now, it\'s all up to you.
00:24:50.000 --> 00:24:58.000
[music]
00:25:05.000 --> 00:25:09.999
After week of constant travel, the pregnant
cows arrive at the calving grounds.
00:25:10.000 --> 00:25:14.999
They can finally stop, feed, and rest.
00:25:15.000 --> 00:25:19.999
This narrow strip of coastal plain provides
three critical things, a type of grass,
00:25:20.000 --> 00:25:24.999
which they need to produce high-quality milk, and
a relative freedom from predators and insects.
00:25:25.000 --> 00:25:29.999
[music]
00:25:30.000 --> 00:25:34.999
it\'s been raining for
about the last six hours,
00:25:35.000 --> 00:25:39.999
lots of caribou out there
in the distance, just
00:25:40.000 --> 00:25:44.999
waiting to have a calf.
00:25:45.000 --> 00:25:49.999
It\'s a cold, wet world to be welcomed into.
00:25:50.000 --> 00:25:58.000
[sil.]
00:26:10.000 --> 00:26:14.999
It\'s about 5:00 in the morning.
00:26:15.000 --> 00:26:19.999
It\'s cleared off. You see this little calf,
00:26:20.000 --> 00:26:24.999
still shiny wet.
00:26:25.000 --> 00:26:33.000
[sil.]
00:26:35.000 --> 00:26:39.999
Trying to take its first steps.
00:26:40.000 --> 00:26:44.999
You can see the umbilical cord hanging
out the back of the cow there.
00:26:45.000 --> 00:26:53.000
[sil.]
00:27:00.000 --> 00:27:04.999
Since we arrived five days ago, we\'ve
basically been hostages in the tent.
00:27:05.000 --> 00:27:09.999
It\'s when there have been
caribou around we\'ve literally
00:27:10.000 --> 00:27:14.999
been peeing in cups inside the tent you know,
going without water for long periods of time,
00:27:15.000 --> 00:27:19.999
just for fear of disturbing them.
And in fact,
00:27:20.000 --> 00:27:24.999
if we do go outside, if
they do see any movement,
00:27:25.000 --> 00:27:29.999
they will spook and the
whole group will leave.
00:27:30.000 --> 00:27:34.999
And now that people have
talked about caribou
00:27:35.000 --> 00:27:39.999
and development coexisting, I just can\'t
imagine, they\'re as fragile as glass right now.
00:27:40.000 --> 00:27:44.999
You know, they\'re… they\'re
constantly on the look out.
00:27:45.000 --> 00:27:49.999
So, you know, we\'ve been… we\'ve been
00:27:50.000 --> 00:27:54.999
walking on eggshells the whole time, just to try
not to disturb them, and as far as we know,
00:27:55.000 --> 00:27:59.999
we haven\'t yet.
00:28:00.000 --> 00:28:08.000
[sil.]
00:28:10.000 --> 00:28:14.999
Part of me feels like we shouldn\'t
even be here. Definitely see why
00:28:15.000 --> 00:28:19.999
this is sacred for Gwich\'in People.
00:28:20.000 --> 00:28:28.000
[sil.]
00:28:30.000 --> 00:28:34.999
This is Karsten going to get some water.
00:28:35.000 --> 00:28:39.999
We\'re desperate.
00:28:40.000 --> 00:28:48.000
[sil.]
00:28:50.000 --> 00:28:58.000
[music]
00:29:05.000 --> 00:29:09.999
Seems like it changed from
winter to summer in a week.
00:29:10.000 --> 00:29:14.999
[music]
00:29:15.000 --> 00:29:19.999
Oh, there\'s lot of calves, now.
00:29:20.000 --> 00:29:24.999
Probably see about 15 or 20, all
zipping around. There\'s one,
00:29:25.000 --> 00:29:29.999
he\'s just doing these huge
00:29:30.000 --> 00:29:34.999
raging fast circles.
00:29:35.000 --> 00:29:39.999
Showing off, figuring out
what it is to be alive,
00:29:40.000 --> 00:29:44.999
or what it is to be a caribou.
00:29:45.000 --> 00:29:49.999
And all the cows around him are just totally
ignoring him. They\'re all just grazing away.
00:29:50.000 --> 00:29:54.999
[music]
00:29:55.000 --> 00:29:59.999
I can\'t believe this is the exact place
00:30:00.000 --> 00:30:04.999
where they want to drill for oil.
00:30:05.000 --> 00:30:09.999
Just a little earlier on tonight, it
kind of hit me like a ton of bricks
00:30:10.000 --> 00:30:14.999
that, you know, we\'re here,
00:30:15.000 --> 00:30:19.999
and that we\'ve… we walked all the way here
00:30:20.000 --> 00:30:24.999
with the caribou and you know, sometimes
00:30:25.000 --> 00:30:29.999
all the words kind of get in the
way, but you know, (inaudible)
00:30:30.000 --> 00:30:34.999
I felt this place through my feet, and
00:30:35.000 --> 00:30:39.999
I feel a real attachment growing
to this place, and to the caribou.
00:30:40.000 --> 00:30:48.000
[music]
00:31:05.000 --> 00:31:09.999
Soon the bulls will rejoin the cows and
calves returning to the mountains.
00:31:10.000 --> 00:31:14.999
Very little is known about how the widely
dispersed groups communicate and meet up.
00:31:15.000 --> 00:31:19.999
Yet, thousands of caribou
will band together,
00:31:20.000 --> 00:31:24.999
a group strategy to lessen individual exposure to
mosquitoes, Butterflies that burrow up their noses,
00:31:25.000 --> 00:31:29.999
and warble files that lay
eggs under their skin.
00:31:30.000 --> 00:31:34.999
[sil.]
00:31:35.000 --> 00:31:39.999
Over the next few days, we\'re going to try to set ourselves up for the
most dramatic part of the migration, the post-calving aggregations.
00:31:40.000 --> 00:31:44.999
So, that will take places in a couple weeks,
so we\'re trying to sort of get to the
00:31:45.000 --> 00:31:49.999
eastern side of Alaska be in position to
actually intercept that massive movement.
00:31:50.000 --> 00:31:54.999
And a lot of people, you know, biologists
00:31:55.000 --> 00:31:59.999
and others, have told us we\'re going to
have to be pretty darn lucky to… to hit it.
00:32:00.000 --> 00:32:04.999
[sil.]
00:32:05.000 --> 00:32:09.999
The last four days
00:32:10.000 --> 00:32:14.999
in our great wisdom,
00:32:15.000 --> 00:32:19.999
in order to avoid having to meet another
(inaudible), we decided to just
00:32:20.000 --> 00:32:24.999
go for it and carry 20 days of food.
And it\'s kind of sinking in
00:32:25.000 --> 00:32:29.999
how much work we\'ve got ahead in
order to keep up to these guys.
00:32:30.000 --> 00:32:34.999
[sil.]
00:32:35.000 --> 00:32:39.999
Hunger, exhaustion, soreness,
00:32:40.000 --> 00:32:44.999
I think these next 10 days,
00:32:45.000 --> 00:32:49.999
those are all going to
be constant companions.
00:32:50.000 --> 00:32:54.999
[sil.]
00:32:55.000 --> 00:32:59.999
What?
00:33:00.000 --> 00:33:04.999
There are. Yeah, I agree.
00:33:05.000 --> 00:33:09.999
[sil.]
00:33:10.000 --> 00:33:14.999
And you know, we… we\'ve talked about this for a
long time. Post-calving aggregation how we would
00:33:15.000 --> 00:33:19.999
try to assume with the schedule of the
caribou as much as possible, how we would
00:33:20.000 --> 00:33:24.999
pick up the tent and go when they did.
00:33:25.000 --> 00:33:29.999
How we would push ourselves to exhaustion.
00:33:30.000 --> 00:33:34.999
You know, at least try. We have to try.
00:33:35.000 --> 00:33:39.999
[sil.]
00:33:40.000 --> 00:33:48.000
[music]
00:34:35.000 --> 00:34:39.999
For seven days, we\'ve been
immersed in the new rhythm.
00:34:40.000 --> 00:34:44.999
We follow caribou day and night, squeeze
naps in when we can, eat on the fly.
00:34:45.000 --> 00:34:49.999
[music]
00:34:50.000 --> 00:34:54.999
An incredible thing is happening.
00:34:55.000 --> 00:34:59.999
We\'re being pulled into a different measure of
time, where the line between the waking world
00:35:00.000 --> 00:35:04.999
and the dream world beings to blur.
00:35:05.000 --> 00:35:09.999
[music]
00:35:10.000 --> 00:35:14.999
For the first time, we truly
understand Randal\'s advice.
00:35:15.000 --> 00:35:19.999
We both started having vivid dreams
of where we\'ll see caribou next,
00:35:20.000 --> 00:35:24.999
and then we turn the corner, and there
they are, in the exact same we dreamed.
00:35:25.000 --> 00:35:29.999
[music]
00:35:30.000 --> 00:35:34.999
Just as we think we\'re in the flow,
00:35:35.000 --> 00:35:39.999
we have to acknowledge we\'re falling
behind, so we decided to gamble
00:35:40.000 --> 00:35:44.999
and cut a corner across the mountains.
00:35:45.000 --> 00:35:49.999
[music]
00:35:50.000 --> 00:35:54.999
Today, we walked for about 15
kilometers looking for caribou.
00:35:55.000 --> 00:35:59.999
Saw one, lost of trails, though.
00:36:00.000 --> 00:36:04.999
You know, sometimes we were moving in the same direction as
the tracks and the trails, and sometimes we\'re against them,
00:36:05.000 --> 00:36:09.999
and sometimes they were crossing one
way, and sometimes to the left, right.
00:36:10.000 --> 00:36:14.999
And it got me starting to think, you know, these…
our movements are being dictated by caribou,
00:36:15.000 --> 00:36:19.999
who movements are being dictated by bugs, whose
movements are being dictated by the wind,
00:36:20.000 --> 00:36:24.999
and so today was like you know,
00:36:25.000 --> 00:36:29.999
coming upon an area on a still day and
00:36:30.000 --> 00:36:34.999
trying to track the shifting winds
of yesterday and the day before,
00:36:35.000 --> 00:36:39.999
it\'s pretty impossible.
00:36:40.000 --> 00:36:48.000
[sil.]
00:36:50.000 --> 00:36:58.000
[music]
00:37:15.000 --> 00:37:19.999
We\'ve been surrounded by a herd of
00:37:20.000 --> 00:37:24.999
two or three, maybe four thousand
caribou for the last few hours.
00:37:25.000 --> 00:37:29.999
And I mean,
00:37:30.000 --> 00:37:34.999
of its own, just amazing, but
we got a real close-up view of
00:37:35.000 --> 00:37:39.999
even on a day when the insects aren\'t too bad.
You know, they\'re constantly being harassed
00:37:40.000 --> 00:37:44.999
and fidgeting and scratching and
some flying back and forth,
00:37:45.000 --> 00:37:49.999
just trying to get rid of
something that\'s up their nose
00:37:50.000 --> 00:37:54.999
and right now, we\'re hearing
some of that thrumming,
00:37:55.000 --> 00:37:59.999
sound of them kind of mustering
themselves up to move
00:38:00.000 --> 00:38:04.999
and I don\'t know (inaudible) that old whacko theory
that there are elements of that… that can be
00:38:05.000 --> 00:38:09.999
heard a undertones to the landscape.
Maybe you know, some
00:38:10.000 --> 00:38:14.999
like elephants some… something that
humans can\'t hear that communicates to
00:38:15.000 --> 00:38:19.999
different groups within the herd of where they\'re
going, where they\'re headed, where they are,
00:38:20.000 --> 00:38:24.999
what the eating is like, what the
condition… traveling conditions are like,
00:38:25.000 --> 00:38:29.999
whether or not there are any predators,
whether or not there are tow gangly,
00:38:30.000 --> 00:38:34.999
thin humans following them.
00:38:35.000 --> 00:38:39.999
So anyway just unbelievable afternoon.
I\'m just exhausted,
00:38:40.000 --> 00:38:44.999
we\'ve gone about 500 meters today. But I\'m just… I\'m as
exhausted as I would have been if we\'d gone 30 kilometers.
00:38:45.000 --> 00:38:53.000
[music]
00:39:00.000 --> 00:39:04.999
[sil.]
00:39:05.000 --> 00:39:09.999
Take a good look around, and what
was totally full last night,
00:39:10.000 --> 00:39:14.999
it\'s completely empty. The bathtub
has been drained of caribou.
00:39:15.000 --> 00:39:19.999
Yeah, it\'s hard to believe it\'s the same world as like, you go
to sleep and you wake up, it\'s different, the light different,
00:39:20.000 --> 00:39:24.999
the life is different.
00:39:25.000 --> 00:39:29.999
It would have been nice if they were still
here in the morning, just kind of wait for us.
00:39:30.000 --> 00:39:34.999
Yeah, or left a note. \"Gone to the muskeg.\"
That was awesome, though, how close they were.
00:39:35.000 --> 00:39:39.999
And just how, you know, we were kind of
at the convergence of three big groups.
00:39:40.000 --> 00:39:44.999
I think you know, we\'re
kind of witnessing a…
00:39:45.000 --> 00:39:49.999
a post-calving aggregation coming together. Yeah,
it\'s just like was the big gathering point.
00:39:50.000 --> 00:39:54.999
Yeah, you got to think that
something else is at work.
00:39:55.000 --> 00:39:59.999
It\'s like they, something
wants us to be with them,
00:40:00.000 --> 00:40:04.999
and yet something wants to keep us honest.
00:40:05.000 --> 00:40:09.999
Keep us working for it. keep us working.
00:40:10.000 --> 00:40:18.000
[sil.]
00:40:40.000 --> 00:40:44.999
Here we are, July 13th, which
is somewhere between 90,
00:40:45.000 --> 00:40:49.999
day 90 and day 100. Just day it\'s nice
to see a few caribou up on the ridge.
00:40:50.000 --> 00:40:54.999
And really sunk in what a miserable
time of year it is for them.
00:40:55.000 --> 00:40:59.999
Right now, one of the cow caribou just looks like
it was literally being driven mad by the bugs.
00:41:00.000 --> 00:41:04.999
That would be sort of like us,
sitting here with no clothes on.
00:41:05.000 --> 00:41:09.999
At least this is the only area that they can get
at. Get kind of driven mental by the noise.
00:41:10.000 --> 00:41:14.999
[sil.]
00:41:15.000 --> 00:41:19.999
I\'m just adjusting to the bugs uh…
00:41:20.000 --> 00:41:24.999
Do things a little bit differently.
00:41:25.000 --> 00:41:29.999
[sil.]
00:41:30.000 --> 00:41:34.999
Oh, sorry… sorry.
00:41:35.000 --> 00:41:39.999
[sil.]
00:41:40.000 --> 00:41:44.999
Tonight, we saw this cow in the Creek Bed
00:41:45.000 --> 00:41:49.999
just down from us and I
walked up to have a look up
00:41:50.000 --> 00:41:54.999
the next valley that we were headed and this cow kind
of just stood there, you know and it wasn\'t even
00:41:55.000 --> 00:41:59.999
didn\'t look like it was bothering
and it kind of had its head askew.
00:42:00.000 --> 00:42:04.999
Then, after awhile, we realized, you know,
this cow is just standing in the creek,
00:42:05.000 --> 00:42:09.999
and her head like her muzzle just in the
(inaudible) trying to keep it out of the bugs.
00:42:10.000 --> 00:42:14.999
And at one point, she staggered onto
her knees and then tried to get up,
00:42:15.000 --> 00:42:19.999
and then finally did get up and then kind of snorted,
and all this mucus and junk came out of her nose,
00:42:20.000 --> 00:42:24.999
and just plunged it back
into the (inaudible)
00:42:25.000 --> 00:42:29.999
and we sat and watched for awhile,
and I mean, you know, its
00:42:30.000 --> 00:42:34.999
almost without question
she\'s gonna die there
00:42:35.000 --> 00:42:39.999
and the thing that really struck me was
there wasn\'t a sound it was just quiet.
00:42:40.000 --> 00:42:44.999
I guess what we\'re learning as we go along, following
the caribou is that the fate for a lot of them,
00:42:45.000 --> 00:42:49.999
is that they die
00:42:50.000 --> 00:42:54.999
and you know, it just makes it all the more
00:42:55.000 --> 00:42:59.999
well, it just impresses it all the more on us
how important it is to have areas for them,
00:43:00.000 --> 00:43:04.999
where they really need them
00:43:05.000 --> 00:43:09.999
to for them to be secure, because there\'s
really a heck of a lot these caribou go through
00:43:10.000 --> 00:43:14.999
and these bugs are certainly
aren\'t the least,
00:43:15.000 --> 00:43:19.999
just its. I had no idea, you know,
00:43:20.000 --> 00:43:24.999
I had no idea at all. I
thought, yeah they get stung,
00:43:25.000 --> 00:43:29.999
tonight it really hit home.
00:43:30.000 --> 00:43:38.000
[music]
00:43:55.000 --> 00:43:59.999
We\'re out of food when we arrive at
Bonnet Lake to meet our next supply drop.
00:44:00.000 --> 00:44:04.999
Then the weather deteriorates, and we wait
four more days for the plane to come.
00:44:05.000 --> 00:44:13.000
[sil.]
00:44:20.000 --> 00:44:24.999
The plane still hasn\'t been able
to come in today and we\'re…
00:44:25.000 --> 00:44:29.999
we\'re hungry. We\'re really hungry. We\'re
00:44:30.000 --> 00:44:34.999
I\'ve… I felt dizzy everyday now,
00:44:35.000 --> 00:44:39.999
and just don\'t have any reserves left. So,
00:44:40.000 --> 00:44:44.999
it\'s an Arctic ground squirrel,
it\'s pretty fat, it\'s heavy,
00:44:45.000 --> 00:44:49.999
and I don\'t know how it\'s gonna taste.
00:44:50.000 --> 00:44:54.999
It\'s pretty good, you know?
It\'s I don\'t know
00:44:55.000 --> 00:44:59.999
its kind of like chicken,
but stronger tasting.
00:45:00.000 --> 00:45:08.000
[music]
00:45:25.000 --> 00:45:29.999
Well, we\'re at day 130 or something now,
00:45:30.000 --> 00:45:34.999
and things are really starting to wind down
colors are changing. Yesterday, I felt,
00:45:35.000 --> 00:45:39.999
I think in my heart for the first time that
the trip\'s there\'s going to be an end to it.
00:45:40.000 --> 00:45:48.000
[sil.]
00:46:05.000 --> 00:46:09.999
As we travel further south, definitely
a little bit tougher traveling,
00:46:10.000 --> 00:46:14.999
so we\'re starting to think about
floating the last part of the trip.
00:46:15.000 --> 00:46:19.999
There are some big rivers,
it makes sense to float.
00:46:20.000 --> 00:46:24.999
Friends in Inuvik lend us a canoe,
00:46:25.000 --> 00:46:29.999
which is cropped off by the next plane.
00:46:30.000 --> 00:46:38.000
[sil.]
00:46:40.000 --> 00:46:44.999
Just sit there.
00:46:45.000 --> 00:46:53.000
[sil.]
00:46:55.000 --> 00:46:59.999
Something that happens when you\'re on a trip for this long,
in… in this place at it you can allow your senses to open
00:47:00.000 --> 00:47:04.999
totally up and take in
absolutely everything
00:47:05.000 --> 00:47:09.999
and if you are to be this way in a
noisy city with so much stimulation,
00:47:10.000 --> 00:47:14.999
you know, you\'d go crazy.
00:47:15.000 --> 00:47:19.999
There\'s a possibility to have your
spirit kind of torn in this state
00:47:20.000 --> 00:47:24.999
and that\'s something that I
worry about a little bit.
00:47:25.000 --> 00:47:33.000
[sil.]
00:47:40.000 --> 00:47:44.999
This is our last day of the
whole trip September 7th,
00:47:45.000 --> 00:47:49.999
we\'re heading down to Old Crow, and
00:47:50.000 --> 00:47:54.999
last night being our last night was pretty
neat. We had just pulled off the river
00:47:55.000 --> 00:47:59.999
and then this boat came down,
00:48:00.000 --> 00:48:04.999
and sort of a squat figure
in the front of it,
00:48:05.000 --> 00:48:09.999
all of a sudden pointing
to the driver to go ashore
00:48:10.000 --> 00:48:14.999
and big fur hat on coverall,
00:48:15.000 --> 00:48:19.999
and I knew, in that moment it was Randal and he had
this huge smile on his face, and he was just giggling
00:48:20.000 --> 00:48:24.999
as they came ashore, he got off
the boat and he just hugged us,
00:48:25.000 --> 00:48:29.999
and just looked at us I mean, he didn\'t…
didn\'t say anything straightaway,
00:48:30.000 --> 00:48:34.999
it was just like (inaudible) coming
together of long-lost friends
00:48:35.000 --> 00:48:39.999
and there was an immense look
of pride on his face too like
00:48:40.000 --> 00:48:44.999
he set us off on the journey and
now he was welcoming us back.
00:48:45.000 --> 00:48:53.000
[music]
00:49:00.000 --> 00:49:04.999
Even though ours is a trip with beginning and an end,
it really is a little sample of a bigger circle.
00:49:05.000 --> 00:49:09.999
And you know, we… we kind
of leave with a segment
00:49:10.000 --> 00:49:14.999
of a journey that\'s continuing.
00:49:15.000 --> 00:49:19.999
And so for the caribou you know,
this story is to be continued,
00:49:20.000 --> 00:49:24.999
it\'s always to be continued, I hope.
At least that\'s why we did it.
00:49:25.000 --> 00:49:29.999
[music]
00:49:30.000 --> 00:49:38.000
[sil.]
00:49:50.000 --> 00:49:58.000
We\'re in Washington, D.C.
00:50:00.000 --> 00:50:04.999
after an all-night on the
plane, I\'m just tired, but I\'m…
00:50:05.000 --> 00:50:09.999
I\'m really looking forward to
trying to make our story heard.
00:50:10.000 --> 00:50:14.999
[sil.]
00:50:15.000 --> 00:50:19.999
We\'ve met with various representatives
from the house of congress,
00:50:20.000 --> 00:50:24.999
their aides, some of the
aides of the senators,
00:50:25.000 --> 00:50:29.999
and it\'s been disappointing
you know, it\'s like
00:50:30.000 --> 00:50:34.999
pouring out your heart-felt story
and just having hit a brick wall.
00:50:35.000 --> 00:50:39.999
[sil.]
00:50:40.000 --> 00:50:44.999
I said before the trip that
my… my biggest fear is that
00:50:45.000 --> 00:50:49.999
we\'re gonna become hopelessly attach to these caribou
and then we\'re going to have to in our lifetime,
00:50:50.000 --> 00:50:54.999
see their calving round
drilled, their number decline
00:50:55.000 --> 00:50:59.999
and you know maybe we did see the last…
some of the last times that they migrate,
00:51:00.000 --> 00:51:04.999
and
00:51:05.000 --> 00:51:09.999
I don\'t know that I was prepared
for how hard this is gonna be.
00:51:10.000 --> 00:51:14.999
I don\'t know what we should do next. I don\'t know how
we should make the story of these caribou resonate.
00:51:15.000 --> 00:51:19.999
Maybe the answer is to work from the bottom up,
and not just the top down, as we\'ve been trying.
00:51:20.000 --> 00:51:24.999
This story hopefully will resonate with people.
We have to make them feel it in their hearts,
00:51:25.000 --> 00:51:29.999
and I guess that\'s the only
pathway, is… is true democracy.
00:51:30.000 --> 00:51:34.999
[sil.]
00:51:35.000 --> 00:51:39.999
And we look at life, and we look at the
universe that the creator created.
00:51:40.000 --> 00:51:44.999
It\'s very important to respect,
no matter where we travel in life
00:51:45.000 --> 00:51:49.999
that\'s what I try to do today.
00:51:50.000 --> 00:51:54.999
That\'s what the elders taught us long
time ago is to respect all life,
00:51:55.000 --> 00:51:59.999
no matter where people come
from, what nationality they are
00:52:00.000 --> 00:52:04.999
but to respect and accept
them for who they are
00:52:05.000 --> 00:52:09.999
whether it\'s the plant life, animal life,
00:52:10.000 --> 00:52:14.999
the fish life, the bird life, whatever,
that\'s how the Gwich\'in People live.
00:52:15.000 --> 00:52:19.999
They respect everything.
00:52:20.000 --> 00:52:28.000
[music]
00:53:30.000 --> 00:53:34.999
Our intentional along is to take
George back to the White House.
00:53:35.000 --> 00:53:39.999
We\'re sure we packed him in
(inaudible) when we got down to D.C.
00:53:40.000 --> 00:53:45.000
he was nowhere to be found.
George has never been seen since.
