Edge of the Tundra

Living at Cape Churchill, with constant evening parties, close quarters, no time off, and the same people, was as exhausting as it was exhilarating.

The old truck we used to take garbage to the dump was probably from the 1950’s.

A dog breeder just outside of town was well known for keeping and breeding Eskimo Dogs.

Tundra Buggy Tours were known as much for their eponymous vehicles as for the polar bears.

In my second year in Churchill, I was doing summer tours, which were typically small.

The tide was out and the low-tide zone along Hudson Bay made for pretty good driving.

Tundra Buggy tires are actually large agricultural tires.

Water for the camp was drawn from the local lakes.

Polar bear season lasts only about 6 weeks, from early October to about mid-November.

Summers were quiet in Churchill.

Tundra Buggy parking wasn’t really parking; it was closer to docking a space capsule.

For some people, seeing a polar bear in the wild wasn’t enough; they had a checklist of bear behaviours as well as other arctic wildlife that they wanted to see.

My first couple of days of being a driver felt more like being a tourist - it was my first time on a Tundra Buggy and my first time seeing a polar bear too.

Refueling tundra buggies meant leaving the safety of the vehicle—and discovering how quickly a polar bear could close the distance.

Before dawn, the rookie driver takes the crew out to Launch and learns why his bus licence mattered.

Arriving in Churchill for the first time, at the meeting point of taiga, tundra, and Hudson Bay.

For two seasons in 1996 and 1997, I worked as a driver and guide for Tundra Buggy Tours in Churchill, Manitoba.