Day 3: Nettie Wild

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In the region for research, filmmaker Nettie Wild decided to join me for a week on Todagin. One of the greatest rewards of working in the region over a number of years has been witnessing the awareness of the area snowball. One project is the spark for another, and the fire spreads. Just a week ago in MEC, I overheard a couple discussing their upcoming trip to the Sacred Headwaters. Four days ago I met another couple in a nearby lodge who were here to explore for the first time. Artist Ann Perodeau is championing a project to have artists across Canada paint images of the Sacred Headwaters. In all four cases, the spark was the Sacred Headwaters book created by Wade Davis and the International League of Conservation Photographers. For me, the spark was Ali Howard’s Skeena swim (the entire 355 miles!) So thank you, Ali, and welcome, Nettie. www.survivingtodgain.com

Day 2: A Love Affair

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What started out as a project to get to the bottom of and raise awareness of land-use plans that didn’t seem to make sense has grown into a love affair. The landscape is spectacular. Its wildlife values are obvious. It is woven throughout the history of local people. And it is accessible. The Todagin Plateau could be a world-class wildlife viewing, hiking and hunting destination. Perched on the edge of the plateau and watching sheep cross a valley as the sun drops, the knowledge that this place is now a mining tenure makes me feel ill. www.survivingtodgain.com

Day 1: A Return to Todagin

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After just over a year, I have returned to Todagin for three months of shooting this wonderful, if at times heartbreaking, story: What is thought to be the largest lambing herd of Stone’s sheep in the world lives on the Todagin Plateau, a kind of prairie heaved into the sky. Recognizing the value of the herd, the BC Government made the herd’s winter habitat a provincial park in 2001, but in 2010 the same government authorized exploratory mining across nearly the entire plateau, which makes up the herd’s summer range.

For the next three months, I will camp on Todagin Mountain to photograph the herd and map its habitat use. You can follow along via my tweets from the mountain (thanks to Iridium), and I will update this journal in batches whenever I hike down for supplies.

www.survivingtodgain.com

Smithers Art Gallery

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Sacred Headwaters, Sacred Journey exhibit will show at the Smithers Art Gallery January 31st to February 25th. Join me at the opening night reception, Friday February 3rd, from 7-9pm.

I will also give a lunchtime presentation on Wednesday February 8th, at 12pm.

Please visit the gallery site for complete details.

Opening Night in Banff

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We had a great opening night in Banff yesterday for the Sacred Headwaters, Sacred Journey and Great Bear Rainforest exhibits. The previous night, Wade Davis moved a sold-out crowd with his talk on the Sacred Headwaters. The exhibits will be on display in the Jeanne and Peter Lougheed building at the Banff Centre until December.

Images © Mark Christmas

Day 62: Season-ending Storm

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Tents torn apart. Poles snapped. Foot-and-a-half-long stakes ripped out of the ground. I have no idea how fast the wind was to do all this, but 3,000 ft below me it was knocking trees down across the highway. Todagin is known for its wind, but not like this. Some pilots wouldn't fly in it, but luckily one helicopter pilot was nearby and able to pick me up. When he landed, he actually held the nose down to keep the wind from tipping the helicopter back on its tail. All this to say that a storm has cut this leg of the fieldwork short. It was the second time this year that the tents were completely destroyed, and it would be serious trouble should this happen in the middle of a -15C night. So I've decided to pull everything off the mountain until I can find a solution for the wind.

Time to dry out...

Day 57: Sunny Return

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The highway finally reopened, allowing me to make the six hour drive north from Smithers followed by the six hour hike up the mountain. It's good to be back and especially good to be greeted by sunny skies.

Day 53: Extended Stay in Smithers

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What was supposed to be a three-day trip to the nearest town of Smithers has now stretched to over a week. It's official: BC has had the worst summer for weather in 50 years. It has become so bad that flooding and mudslides have closed the highway, delaying a return to Todagin. The silver lining is that it makes time for much-needed editing and updates.

Day 38: Mountain Office

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I have to say I've become so used to conducting day-to-day business from a mountain that I'm starting to wonder why I need an entire office. A laptop and an Iridium sat phone are all you need, and of course a way to keep them powered. Brunton's portable solar panels are somehow able to suck enough energy from even the most overcast days to power the phone and laptop. These panels do away with the need for a loud generator and are the only option if you're backpacking.

Day 36: Scouting

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Soon the sheep will make their way to their rutting grounds where the rams will battle for the right to mate. Fierce headbutting competitions will establish the hierarchy and leave all exhausted. It's a time that promises plenty of action. Our camp is too far away from the rutting grounds, so we plan on relocating. But high winds (tent-destroying) are an issue, as the rutting grounds are completely exposed, so finding a somewhat sheltered camp location is crucial.

Today we packed light and made the long hike to scout for our new base camp location.