The Living Edens: Tales of Denali

The dogs get eager with the first signs that you are ready to go, and their enthusiasm for rough travel makes traveling though this spectacular winter landscape a thrill. The dogs' great energy shows on the screen in the sequence we shot of the dogs in action. Apart from falling out of the sled a couple of times as I reached a bit too far for a shot of the dogs running ahead in their harnesses, dogsled rides were one of my favorite experiences of the entire project.

Not all of the shooting was done in the winter, however. Much of our work took place during the rest of the year, when access into the park by road is possible. Many of our best shots were taken literally from out of the back of our vehicle from spots along the Park's main road. Of course when we did have to leave the beaten trail, we sometimes split 80 to 90 pounds of camera gear between two people. We built specially compartmented backpacks to keep gear organized, one for the camera and tripod, and the other for the four lenses, extra film, batteries, filters and odds and ends. Photography of wildlife requires long telephoto lenses, and we usually carried a 300mm and 800mm lens.

Denali National Park is one of the best places in the world to see and photograph grizzly bears. When you have seen these several-hundred- pound carnivores tearing up the ground in search of ground squirrels or watched one tracking down and killing a young moose calf, you gain a respectful sense of caution about pressing your luck and getting too close. We had some terrific luck getting some spectacular material from safe distances, but we did experience one bear encounter that was too close for comfort.

I was working with camera assistant Peter Frantz one autumn day, trying to work through some stunted spruce trees for a better look at two huge moose bulls that were thrashing around in the bushes, sparring half-heartedly in preparation for the more serious battles of the coming rut. Preoccupied by the moose, we failed to see a young grizzly approaching, attracted by the commotion. By the time we noticed him in the shrubby undergrowth, he was only 15 yards away and Peter and I had only one option.