b'Polar Bears(continued from page 63)andberries.Thebearsdonotmovefew times in the past, however as there much, as they try to conserve their en- wasnt any snow, the sleds had wheels. ergy for the big seal hunt. The mothersI joined Dave Daley and his team for and cubs are also wary of any males inaneducationaltalkaboutDogSled-the vicinity, as cannibalism is commonding, Mtis Culture and life in Churchill, amongthebears.Ishouldmention,Manitoba,followedbyanexhilarating polarbearsaretheonlyanimalthatdog sled ride through the boreal forest. hunts humans another good reasonThe weather was turning and it began to to remain inside the crawler. sleet. Although it was chilly, it added to Afteralengthyvisitwithourfirstthe experience.bears, we continued on and came uponThe next day I was back on the tundraThe driver of the Arctic Crawler as he takes several more. I liken the experience tosearching for bears. We came upon an- it through a small lake.safaris in Africa. Watching wild animalsother mother and cub, which entertained in their habitat is amazing.Times fliesus over lunch. I watched him for what I and before you know it, the day is over.thought was about an hour, which turned Seeing 12 to 15 bears is quite spectacu- out to be nearly three hours. The antics lar, and I was told it is rare to see thatof the bears were entertaining. A few min-many.There have been tours where,utes later, a cub approached the Crawler due to timing and bad luck, no bearsand tried to make a meal out of the tires.were seen. The experience was unique and ex- The next day I had a cultural tour oftremely enjoyable. It is something that the Churchill area, including an airplanehas been on my bucket list for many that crashed in the 60s, a visit to a fortyears. I was glad to finally venture forth, from the 1800s, and a very informativeand visit a unique spot in this wonderfulThe snack bar on the back of the Arctic visit to a museum. I was also able to walkcountry of ours. Crawler.to a food store where I was shocked by the prices. That evening, I was taken 30Jonathan van Bilsen is a television host, award winning photographer, or so minutes away from the lodge, to published author, columnist and keynote speaker.experience night dog sledding. Churchill and the Polar Bears will be the December episode ofI have had the opportunity to do this aJonathan van Bilsens photosNtravel show on RogersTV and YouTube.A bear walking along the shore of Hudson Bay. Bears eat berries while they wait for the ice to freeze.Heading South?Call us forMedical InsuranceTM TICO #4577532virginia.frew@marlintravel.ca905.985.2268158 Casimir Street, Port Perry64 FOCUS - DECEMBER 2021 TM'