“I’m still processing it.”
Weeks after her visit to the Yukon and the Northwest Territories, National Geographic photographer Ami Vitale is struggling to find words to express accurately the depth and breadth of her emotional experience. She exhales deeply and adds, “It’s a place that shows you what you’re made of.”
Vitale is no stranger to travel. She’s been to more than 100 countries, explored remote communities in far-flung regions, championed unsung heroes, photographed disappearing wildlife and documented war zones. But it was here, in northern Canada, that she says the beauty of the people and the region caused her to catch her breath repeatedly.
“I think it is the most life-changing experience for anybody that goes to this place, because you leave with a different vision of who you are and what you’re capable of, and all that is within you,” she says, noting how the place and the people inspired her to try new things. “And it also connects to what we all are and the greatest that we can all be.”
It wasn’t Vitale’s first trip to northern Canada: She did a canoe trip through the region 13 years ago. But most of the spots on this trip were new to her. Whitehorse, with its collection of cozy cafés, restaurants with globally-inspired flavors on the menu, lively art scene and small-town-on-the-edge-of-the-wilderness feel, was a perfect place to start. And it’s no surprise that the documentary filmmaker, whose work with disappearing wildlife is renowned, headed first to the Yukon Wildlife Preserve. There, she says, she gained a renewed appreciation for the importance of spaces that protect and preserve wildlife.
“Most of these animals can’t be reintroduced into the wild, because they wouldn’t survive,” she says of the moose, caribou, lynx and more that she encountered. While she would go on to roam spaces like nearby Miles Canyon and the surrounding mountain ranges, the encounters at the sanctuary were her best shot at getting close to elusive wildlife. “You have these up close experiences that are really lovely, and the animals are adorable,” she says. “I learned a lot.”
Her next animal encounter would take her deeper into the surrounding mountains. Just outside the city, she met up with Deb Wild, of Caribou Wild Mountain Tours, and her son Ethan, and joined them on an overnight horseback trip into the shadow of Grizzly Mountain. Horses packed with gear followed them up the steep terrain. And though the trip required focus, it also offered a unique perspective for stunning views of mountains and valleys. It was an opportunity to appreciate the people and animals who traverse these lands.
“It’s a place that is ruled by big and small, from grizzlies to mosquitoes,” says Vitale. “I just felt so privileged to be with people who were still deeply connected to the land that they live on; in ways I think many of us have lost.”
Opportunities to connect with residents throughout the trip transformed her experience. She listened, more than she spoke, and reached for her camera only after forging authentic connections. And she pushed herself, both physically and mentally, to explore the lands with people whose connections to it were genuine and longstanding.
Those emotions culminated as she flew in a floatplane to a new campsite in Nahanni National Park Reserve. There, along the icy blue waters of Glacier Lake, she got her first glimpse of the Cirque of the UnclimbablesWe–a series of granite peaks rising out of the summer alpine forest floor. The beauty overwhelmed her to the point of tears.
“It filled my heart up,” she says. “The landscape is breathtaking. And you kind of come in and see this view, and it just takes your breath away. There’s, maybe, one or two places that I’ve [experienced and] thought were as breathtaking.
“It almost looks like you’re in the tropics,” adds Vitale who, against her Floridian instincts, felt called to join her guides and travel mates for dips in the ice-cold waters. The experience was in many ways a metaphor for her entire visit.
“In the beginning you’re like, ‘oh my God’,” she recalls of her first dip. “You can’t breathe. And then you just learn to breathe through it, and it’s amazing.”
Exploring the region alongside Indigenous guide and activist, Bobbi Rose Koe, helped Vitale better understand the work being done to reconnect young people to the land. Together with Joel Hibbard, guide and co-owner of Nahanni River Adventures, they paddled the waters through the UNESCO World Heritage Site. They spotted a lone grizzly bear during their time together, but for Vitale it was the conversations that impacted her most.
“It was so nice to have the perspective of people who are still very close to the land,” she says. “There’s just a knowledge that is really important to have as visitors and to have guides that can share that knowledge with you. I think it’s all about remembering that you are a visitor, and that part of the respect is knowing how to walk gently. We need guides to teach us how to do that. I really appreciated having that.”
In such a vast and remote landscape, she was amazed by the abundance that could be found when she knew where to look. From lakes teeming with fish to forests that provided hunters with everything necessary to survive, Koe and Hibbard pointed out that nothing in the north is wasted and nothing is taken for granted.
“There was plenty of everything, including the difficult things that you just have to get used to,” says Vitale. “For a photographer, it was amazing. I just was so excited. All of your senses are alive.”
For Vitale, it was also a reminder of the joy that comes when you immerse yourself in your environment. The remoteness of her location meant phones and Wi-Fi weren’t entertainment options. Instead, she focused on the rugged terrain, turquoise waters, and barely setting sun. Even when forest fires forced changes to her plans, her hosts taught her patience, perseverance and acceptance.
“They shift your relationship, and you’re not afraid of animals or the wild,” she says of the people she encountered and the wisdom they shared. “And it’s sort of like recognizing that we are wild, too. It was one of the coolest experiences I’ve ever had.”
There were also moments of reconnection: In Lutsel K’e she spent time with some of the Dene First Nation families she’d met on her first trip. And saw the work and rewards that come with life in the north. The visits left her awed and impacted. She says it was also a reminder that as visitors, we need to slow down, embrace the quiet and be open to learning anew.
“You realize, it’s beautiful, but it’s fragile,” she says of the north. “We want to encourage tourism, but we also want to make sure we encourage the right kind of tourism, because it’s such a special place. It needs to be treated very delicately. It is a sensitive habitat.”
Ami’s experiences in Canada during the Season of Wonder were part of The Open Assignment: A first of its kind photography project where three National Geographic photographers got to experience unique regions of Canada and bring their own unique vision to life. See more of the project here.
