IN THIS ISSUE: MYTORTOISE THEORY
WISDOM: "You can't turn back the clock but you can rewind it." Unknown
COACH'S CHALLENGE: What does your age have to do with it?
SOUL TRAVEL: ADVENTURE IN THE TUNDRA
2003 RIVER TRIP - Last call for river rats!
MY TORTOISE THEORY
Having just revisited the story of The Hare and the Tortoise with my 5 year old grandson -- you remember, the tale about the race between the arrogant rabbit and the air-dynamically challenged tortoise -- I found myself feeling a whole new sense of appreciation for the Tortoise. Since tortoises appear ancient no matter how old, my own age suddenly made us soulmates. Previously, I had perceived this endearing fable as a moral lesson in the triumph of perseverance and the downfall of arrogance; now I just admired the steady pace of the tortoise and the fact that she got where she was going.
"Racing" is available no matter what your age; the pace is just different. This was very much on my mind when I was hiking in the Northwest Territories with my fellow photographers this summer. In my younger days I was always out in front. This time I was always bringing up the rear. It's an adjustment. But I get there and bringing up the rear is perfectly okay. Unlike the rabbit in the fable, the rabbits I usually run with aren't lazing about the glen, so as the tortoise, I just need to keep truckin'. Slow and steady works.
We are the perfect age for where we are in life. Some of the parts slow down over time but that just means some things take longer. What we discover is the longer we take, the more we see.
ADVENTURE IN THE TUNDRA
Yellowknife, the bustling capital of the Northwest Territories, 18000 population, is right out of Northern Exposure. One expects to run into a moose wandering down the middle of the street at any moment. Yellowknife sits on the shore of Great Slave Lake, the fifth largest body of freshwater in the world, and began with a gold rush. Now it is in the grip of a "diamond rush" that has brought money and lots of activity to the town. Restaurants offer caribou, musk ox, fresh halibut, trout, arctic char and whitefish as part of the local fare. A prevailing sound in the town is the romantic drone of float planes taking off and landing, loaded with hunters, fisherman, and, in our case, photographers headed out to or returning from the arctic tundra.
A float plane landed us at our camp on the edge of Whitefish Lake 200 miles Northeast of Yellowknife. Tundra Tom and his crew welcomed us. It was a sunny day; the last sun we saw until the end of our stay. Heavy, roomy tents for two were equipped with platforms and foam mattresses for our sleeping bags, a Coleman lantern and a butane heater if needed. There was a shower/laundry/sink shack, two outdoor toilets and a small building that housed kitchen, dining table and small conversation area where Tundra Tom read to us after dinner from the history of the area's legendary pioneers.
All the water used in camp was pumped directly from the lake.
This pristine land is beautiful. It is not the land of forests but of the starkly haunting vastness of the tundra, lush with small plants, mosses and exotic mushrooms, combined with eskers (islands of sand left by the glaciers). The eskers are often dense with small versions of spruce trees, contain many ponds and giant sculptured sand traps that appear as though they were transplanted from the most luxurious of golf courses. Wild berries such as cranberries, blueberries and cloud berries--a tasty pale orange berry that looks like a raspberry-were abundant. The bearberry plants that covered many of the hillsides were turning on their bright red fall color.
And there were lots of caribou making their journey south to the calving grounds. We tracked caribou every day. When we spotted them, our guide would do the Caribou Dance -- arms up high and swaying from side to side -- to attract their curiosity and lure them closer. It worked. How exciting to be hunkered down behind rocks and watch caribou move in close enough for head shots with 400-600 mm lenses. I felt sure they all must have headaches due to the extraordinarily large racks that seemed too cumbersome for their small heads.
One morning early, a musk ox was spotted on the beach. We sprang into action and, circling wide in order to come up from down wind, we approached the beach. He wasn't there, but we found his tracks and followed them. Down in a small ravine we heard his deep-throated rumble and posted ourselves in a row at the edge of the ravine.
Up he came, not 50 feet from us. He stopped, watched us for just a few seconds trying to figure out what strange creatures we were, then turned and ran up the hill, stopping again to check us out at the safer distance. What a glorious moment! This strange, almost prehistoric beast, so close!
Much of the time I spent making macro photos of the flora and fauna, sometimes grabbing a handful of wild blueberries as I worked.
One day I returned to camp early, absolutely exhausted from a long hike, and hit the shower shack. I looked out the window and there was a caribou no more than 30 feet away meandering right through camp. No camera. Sometimes there is no justice! But I probably would have looked rather silly chasing a caribou with a towel wrapped around me anyway. Not that I wouldn't have done it for a photo op.
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An excursion by boat to another esker at the opposite end of the lake expanded our view of this land and appreciation for the size of the lake. "Fish for lunch", said the crew. Within one-half hour they had caught three 15-20 pound lake trout that were soon simmering in the frying pan over a fire.
The weather was cloudy, often windy and rainy. It was so windy on one occasion, both outhouses, sans occupants, were blown over. Sometimes fighting the elements was not pleasant. There were also tons of mosquitoes. We barely got a glimpse of the northern lights at camp but I made up for it after our return toYellowknife when I spent almost all night watching this spectacular event.
When we left camp, three majestic bull caribou were outlined against the horizon on the hill near the camp, as though bidding us farewell. When our float plane landed back at Yellowknife, we emerged and saw a palette of caribou racks on the tarmac. It felt very sad but it will mean food for many of the native people this winter.
2003 RIVER TRIP - FLOAT TRIP DOWN THE RIO GRANDE, BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK, TEXAS
LAST CHANCE TO SIGN UP!
This is a five day river float trip (no rapids) through two gorgeous canyons with an outfitter I have rafted with twice before - in Arizona and in Mexico - and can vouch for the quality of their trips. (The food is superb.) I have consistently heard people talk about these canyons and how beautiful they are. This trip has been on my list for some time. We will have live music, campfires and lots of elective hiking opportunities. (Fire was no problem in Texas this year if you built it in a fire pan.) Trip on the river begins February 24 through February 28 plus a day on each side for travel to Midland, Texas and renting a car for four hour drive to Big Bend. We can share the cost of a rental car or cars. The February timing is important because of water level. It is highest at this time and will assure us (reasonably) that there will be water enough (before the farmers take it for irrigation) to float the choicest canyons. The water will probably be too cold for swimming for most people but the weather should be very pleasant. We will have the trip entirely to ourselves if we number at least eight people. The river trip will cost approximately $690 plus transportation to Midland and cost of rental car and two nights lodging. This is a great place to try out your river wings. If you think you are interested, please let me know. NEED $350.00 deposit. (Phone: 480-949-9511
Recommendation: Deb Martin is a wonderful coach who often sponsors retreats in great places, loves to fish and writes a good newsletter from her home in the woods in Michigan. She describes herself as a transition coach making life an adventure and transitions flow smoothly. You might enjoy perusing her website at www.portagecoach.com
Next month: Christmas in Buenos Aires
THOUGHT FOR THE MONTH: "Life is a banquet and most people are starving." Patrick Dennis
If a person can't see and smell the banquet, malnutrition becomes a habit. Allison
Have a great month! And for heaven's sake, don't act your age!
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I WANT TO THANK THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE TAKEN THE TIME TO LET ME KNOW HOW MUCH YOU ARE ENJOYING THE MUSELETTER AND THANKS ALSO TO THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE GIVEN ME E MAILS OF OTHERS YOU THINK MIGHT ENJOY IT. IT GIVES ME GREAT PLEASURE TO HEAR FROM YOU. YOUR COMMENTS ARE WELCOMED!
I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE A MAILING LIST OF AT LEAST 1000 BY THE END OF THE YEAR SO PLEASE KEEP THE REFERRALS COMING.
EXPLORE MY WEBSITE AND PHOTO GALLERY AT WWW.DANCEWITHEAGLES.COM
EMAIL: allison@dancewitheagles.com
Feel free to forward this on to anyone you believe might enjoy it and encourage them to subscribe for themselves. Comments, submissions and suggestions are welcome. My email is allison@dancewitheagles.com Although this material is subject to copyright, you may reprint this publication in whole or in part or use it in any way you feel it might be of benefit. Please state the following: Reprinted with permission from Allison Quattrocchi of Dance with Eagles, www.dancewitheagles.com All past museletters are posted on my website.
Names of subscribers will never be shared or sold.
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WINGS Vol. 1, No. 10, November, 2002
