Original subtitles

Places of pristine nature

and fascinating scenery are not just a dream.

They can still be found because national parks protect

and preserve the rugged beauty of our planet.

More than 40 years ago in the far North of the country,

passionate conservationists established

what then was Canada's biggest nature reserve,

Kluane National Park, icy, isolated and with no roads.

This is a spectacular world.

A wilderness that attracts a special type of person.

For more than a year, we accompanied rangers and scientists,

bush pilots, and members of the First Nations here

and discovered the adventure of their everyday lives,

far away from noise, smartphones and stress.

With its seemingly infinite wilderness,

Kluane is full of mystery.

(slow orchestral music)

People up here in the Yukon will tell you that

to really experience the Canadian winter,

you need to do just what the First Nations and pioneers

from Europe did more than 130 years ago,

harnessed dogs to your sled and head off into the vast

expanses of the North.

(dogs barking)

This woman has become something of a local in the Yukon.

Eva Glanzman knows exactly where

she's going to go ice fishing today, so to her Huskies.

They love being together in a landscape

that could not be more remote or desolate.

As a child in Switzerland's Vanessa Oberland,

Eva always dreamed of feeling the Earth's beauty,

and living as if she were in another age.

(Speaking in foreign language)

What I love here is being able to work

far more directly for what I need in life.

I go out and get my meat from nature.

I have a garden and work more directly, not to earn money

in order to buy things.

I'm even building my own house,

I try to do as much as possible myself.

It's great when you can do that.

I think it would be hard for me to live in town.

I could never lead the sort of life I lead out here.

With just 700 inhabitants,

Haines Junction is located on the edge

of the huge Kluane National Park.

We have come to meet a woman who arrived here

on a visit from Northern Germany and stayed.

A park ranger, today Emma is on her way to Sheep Mountain.

It's one of her favorite places.

Being able to live here

is pretty exceptional, I'm so lucky.

It sometimes seems a bit like a dream.

Emma was a teacher

when she first visited Kluane.

She felt at once that it came closer to her sense of life

than anywhere else.

National Park is something wonderful,

but they're also regions we need to protect from ourselves.

We now have such a powerful influence on our environment

that we set aside parcels of land

and place them under protection.

We must try to live more imbalance with nature.

The Kluane Park borders directly on Alaska,

around 22,000 square kilometers in size.

It is the fourth biggest national park in Canada.

82% of its area is permanently covered by snow and ice.

After almost six months of icy cold,

when summer has long since arrived in other places,

the fall finally settles in.

Then in early June, everything happens quickly,

from well below zero the temperature climbs to 20 degrees

delighting the Park's inhabitants right through

to the Indian summer.

In 1980 UNESCO declared the region

to be part of the world's natural heritage.

It has always been the home of countless species of birds,

but this is also the habitat of large animals

like grizzly bears and moose.

They can withdraw into the mountains,

which offer them protection.

There are no roads in Kluane National Park.

The taxi drivers of the Yukon are it's bush pilots.

One of them is Thor Fender from Germany.

He regularly flies groups of venturous souls into the park,

scientists, adventurers and park rangers.

I suddenly had the chance to learn

and do bush flying here.

I attained my professional pilot's license

and started flying commercially here in the Kluane Park.

Once you've started something it's hard to stop.

It's like an addiction.

(speaking foreign language).

Today Thor is taking us to a small airfield

on the edge of the park.

He used to be an architect.

He learned to fly when he was only 15.

After visiting the Yukon for the first time,

he decided to give up everything back home and move here

to the far North for good, a part of the world,

which tests him every day.

The biggest danger here in the park

is strong turbulence in the form of powerful downdrafts.

You have to keep an eye on the cloud formations,

determine where the wind is coming from,

and avoid those areas with a strong downdraft.

The plane has a 300 horsepower engine,

but it is quite possible that not even 300 horsepower

will be enough to pull you out of a downdraft.

Two hours away,

somewhere in the middle of the wilderness,

lies the small Silver City airfield,

an insider's tip for researchers from all over the world.

From here, they set out on their expeditions

to the St.Elias Icefields.

Waiting for Thor in Silver City today,

is his old friend, Andy Williams,

one of the first bush pilots.

The two want to coordinate their transport flights

for the summer.

Morning Andy. Good morning Morgan.

Hello. There so much change.

Yeah. How are you?

Pretty good, pretty bumpy ride though.

I bet, I didn't mean to stand in the middle

of your runway, but there's a big bloody hole there.

Yeah, I don't wanna drop my nose Willy.

No, coffee?

Sure, that'll be great. No rush.

(slow upbeat music)

Andy, as he is known to everyone out here,

was already living in the Yukon

when the Kluane Park was established in 1972.

I've been there since very much the beginning of the park.

It hasn't changed very much at all.

So if your electrical system grows eight you're lost.

So really you're flying very much the way they did,

a hundred years ago.

A man of the North who loves stability,

and a park which to us seems more and more

like a monument against the rapid changes taking place

elsewhere in the world.

(rhythmical music)

Kluane is regarded as the wildest

of Canada's national parks.

25% of all the country's grizzly bears,

live here in the Yukon.

For a long time now, their paths have repeatedly crossed

with those of man.

Anyone moving here has to live with their proximity

and the dangers of the wilderness, which knows no bounds,

especially in the weeks when grizzlies

come out of hibernation.

(speaking foreign language).

(dogs barking)

For Eva and her pack of half wild Huskies,

it's time for a rump, away from civilization,

there are a closely knit team

and that also involves providing protection.

If we come across a black bear,

I'll let two or three of the dogs loose.

They'll chase it away.

So you've got less of a problem.

The baguettes scared and climbs up a tree,

I then whistle the dogs back.

The bear will leave us alone and won't come again.

Where a grizzly is concerned though,

we're talking about a bit more power,

a grizzly isn't afraid of anything.

When the dogs go after a grizzly, the game suddenly changes.

Then they get scared and the grizzly starts chasing them.

They come back and along comes the bear with them.

Eva's eight hectare plot of land

borders directly on Kluane National Park.

Here she plans to live independently

and be totally self-sufficient.

In spring, Eva sows her vegetable garden.

She grows lettuce, carrots, and cabbage.

The North demands a lot of personal initiative.

Something Eva first had to learn when she came here

as an immigrant.

The most important thing I had to learn

was to be independent, to do everything myself.

And as a 23 year old, I found that hard.

I don't really like doing things that are a bit unpleasant.

So I keep putting them off until I was neck deep.

At first, it was really difficult for me to organize things

and motivate myself.

In 1942, the Alaska Highway was a gravel road

used mainly by the military.

In Haines Junction time seems to have stood still.

The next town, White Horse is 160 kilometers away

and Anchorage in Alaska, a mere 835 kilometers away.

Extreme isolation and nothing but nature,

that is something you have to love, and Emma does.

Born in Northern Germany, she was over the moon

when she was given a job by Parks, Canada.

I feel so privileged to be allowed to work

for the national park.

It's such a satisfying job being able to protect my belief

and the importance of the environment

and knowing that there are still such places in the world

is really special.

And being able to share that with other people

is such a privilege.

Her special field of research is the Dall sheep

named after American zoologist, William H Dall,

who first mentioned the species scientifically.

Dall sheep are only found in Northwest Canada and Alaska.

So far the breed has not been studied in any depth.

Dall sheep live in small groups,

consisting of ewes and lambs.

The rams usually form separate bachelor communities

and only congregate with the female animals

in the mating season.

Here on Sheep Mountain, Emma has the chance

to observe the animals without disturbing them.

Sheep Mountain is of great importance

to Kluane National Park.

It's truly a unique region.

The mountain is directly visible from the Alaska Highway.

It's very rare to have such direct access

and observation possibilities.

Emma's colleague belongs to the Ishihic tribe.

Since 1995, the Indians or First Nations,

as they are known in Canada, have had a share

in administering the park.

Today in the modern park world,

their ancient knowledge of people in the wilderness

is again, highly respected.

Here in the North, First Nation peoples have followed

the routes of the moose for thousands of years,

so did Karrie Brown's ancestors.

When she was a little girl,

her grandmother used to take Karrie into the forest

and explain the trees, the grasses and the herbs to her.

Today, Karrie tells her son, Kassius

about the world of their forefathers.

We're looking for animals.

There's animals everywhere. Bears.

What else? Moose.

Moose.

Hey, Kassius, do you wanna take a look at this?

Which tree is this? Peepal.

Yeah, do you know how to say that in native language?

Yes. Can you say (indistinct).

I grew up with my grandmother and my grandfather,

and I spent a lot of time fishing and hunting

and in the winter times trapping with them.

So I learned quite a bit about

not only about hunting and fishing,

but as well as the history and culture

that they have brought from their parents growing up.

Karrie wants her son to learn about

the heritage of the First Nation peoples,

in addition to getting the European-based education

of Western Canada.

In the future generations,

for someone like my son, Kassius,

it's important for him to know, you know,

how to survive and harvest and hunt these animals

that we've been doing for countless generations.

A new generation that could also thrive

on a self-sufficient basis.

Eva has a big job on our hands.

She's building herself a house with Canadian pine.

She started last autumn,

and hopes to have it ready this year.

Last winter tarpaulins provided protection

from snow and ice.

Over the next few months,

Eva plans to have the roof in place.

Last year I completed the ground floor,

but because I had to work and attend to other things,

I didn't have time to build more than I did.

But I think it's great that I can do so many things myself.

This winter, we didn't have that much snow.

So in February I went into the forest, cut down some trees,

and took them to the sawmill.

(speaking in foreign language)

I'm now cutting planks

for the upper floor.

The house will be a standard North American style log cabin.

(speaking in foreign language)

The timber for roof construction

has to be prepared in spring.

Eva cuts her pine logs to size

at the only saw mill far and wide.

In Northern Canada,

it's a case of self to self have, even for women.

I enjoy doing everything myself

and not having to rely on someone.

In the past, I used to be far more dependent

on my partner for instance, who is now my ex.

I've learned an awful lot.

(speaking in foreign language)

Women I think,

should have far more confidence in themselves.

It's such a pity they don't.

Eva has a tip for any woman

who would now also like to build her own house.

You wouldn't start learning

to surf with a board for advanced surface.

And the same thing applies to power saw and so on.

There are light power saws,

and that is what you should start with.

Then you will slowly become proficient.

You notice what matters and you progress.

27 Years spent in Kluane.

No expectations, no deadlines,

the feeling of freedom.

The parks proximity to Alaska would, you might think

result in a cold climate,

but amazingly the temperature today

is a pleasant 20 degrees.

From time to time,

it's said they even get 30 degree heat waves here.

Because of the warm air from the Pacific ocean,

the plant and animal life here is more diverse

than anywhere else in Northern Canada.

In the summer months, the Kluane Lake airstrip

is almost a hive of activity.

Andy is giving his plane, the once-over.

Out here you always have to be well-prepared.

The slightest technical problem in this remote region

can be life-threatening.

Today, Andy is flying with his daughter Shan.

He taught her to fly because in the Williams family

flying is a tradition.

Teaching your children to drive

is apparently one of the most stressful things

you could possibly do.

No, I enjoy it.

Andy has flown to the glaciers

in virtually all weathers and at all times of year.

The park's mountains are like old friends to him.

And he's had plenty of opportunity to observe

how they are changing dramatically.

The environmental changes are fairly obvious,

the glaciers themselves are down wasting.

And I think the larger glaciers

are just proceeding recession.

Typically what happens with large glaciers is that

they will get thinner and after they've thinned down

to a certain level, then they'll start to retreat.

So yeah, the changes are dramatic.

Worldwide, the glaciers

in Kluane National Park are regarded

as the biggest ice field, outside the polar regions.

We have arranged to meet a German scientist.

He and his team are using the summer

to camp out on the glacier for several weeks,

for research purposes.

Christian Schoof is professor of glaciology

at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.

It all started for me,

when I took out climbing while doing my degree.

I found the world, the mountain simply fascinating.

And when you have emotional ties to your field of research,

it is really helpful, it motivates you.

I couldn't do the same thing

on board a ship at sea, for example,

certainly not with the same enthusiasm.

Glaciers are his field of research,

and they fascinate him.

But how will they develop?

How quickly do they melt?

What influences their flow velocity?

To answer these questions,

Christian Schoof has to understand

the behavior of the ice masses.

Christian Schoof is convinced that we know far too little

about change in the eternal ice.

Today, he's going to descend

into a glacier crevasse himself.

A keen climber, it was this moment he looked forward

to most of all, and he is amazed at what he sees.

This is the highlight of his scientific career,

but it is also a risky operation.

The main danger with this kind of work

is the icicles, which hang down the wall like a curtain.

When they break off, it's wise not to be in the way.

There's also a section of glacial ice hanging further up

in the crevice.

Let's just hope it doesn't come down in our direction.

(speaking in foreign language).

Whats more we have to be careful

that we don't do anything to injure one another.

The scientists are going to drill holes

in the eternal ice and install thermometers.

They will provide information on the development

of the temperature in the interior of the ice.

Today, everything is taking longer than expected.

The team have had difficulty cabling the probes.

When Christian Schoof finally emerges from the crevasse

after four hours, it's almost nightfall.

Things didn't go quite as we'd planned,

but the cable is now in place and everything is fine.

It was wonderful down there, but it all took a bit too long.

It will now take the men a good hour

to descend to the camp.

Every summer, more and more adventurous tracking groups

in the Kluane National Park head for the glaciers.

Holidaying in the middle of the wilderness means,

mountains, broad river valleys, and endless expenses.

Ranger Emma makes regular checks to see that visitors

are observing park regulations.

Keeping the balance between nature

and humans is also a major challenge

for us here in the park.

On the one hand of course, we want people to come

and experience Kluane,

but obviously the higher the number of people who come here,

the greater the pressure on nature,

and that makes it more difficult

to maintain the equilibrium.

It will always be a balancing act.

Hello, bonjuor, good morning.

Hello?

Here we have a classic situation.

No one around, too many people on the camp site,

scraps of food lying around, and the fire is still burning,

not exactly what we want.

It turns out though that other campers

have agreed to keep an eye on the smoldering fire.

You guys are close by.

If you're staying by, then that's fine.

Okay. Okay.

Anyone who plans to head off for a few days,

and people come here from all over the world,

first has to register with the park administration.

What sounds like bureaucracy, is a safety measure.

Emma likes to have a word with visitors before they set out.

You're not getting away, are you?

'Cause you're trying really hard, get going.

Oh, that's like a heavy pack.

Not as heavy as mine.

Yeah, right.

Be safe on the Creek crossings.

I'm not sure how they will be,

but you've probably heard that the water levels go up

and down for a bit with temperature.

So just take that seriously.

You have footwear for going across the Creek?

Yeah, either sandles...

Yeah, anything is better than going bare feet.

Okay, can you take a group photo of us,

that would be wonderful.

Okay, let me go back a little bit more.

They're all excited, what awaits them?

They looked well prepared,

but there are certain risks here that perhaps don't exist

in places where visitors to the park come from.

There are of course, wild animals here, mainly bears,

Grizzlies and black bears.

Sometimes moose can also be a bit aggressive.

They also need to be taken seriously.

And then there is the simple fact

that this is really a wilderness.

When you go off hiking somewhere,

you have to remember that you won't have

any mobile phone connection for several days.

White Horse is the capital of the Yukon.

It is also the supply point for the park.

For Thor, our bush pilot,

summer is the busiest time of year.

Today he has to take material to a gold mine

on the edge of the Kluane National Park.

Flying time, two hours.

The runner way from White Horse

to a goldmine at Squigy Creek,

they urgently need certain spare parts for their machines.

It's really difficult to get there by road.

So basically they have to be supplied by air.

(speaking foreign language)

Time and again, the siren call of gold

rings out from Canada's wilderness.

Many gold mines in the Yukon

are still in operation even today.

Thor flies to this small mine, halfway to Dawson City

several times a year.

He knows it well but even so, it still fascinates him.

It didn't take us long to find out why.

A handful of fortune seekers here still believe

in the promise of gold.

I got some milk, some tobacco for Jason.

Thank you.

So does a woman with two small children.

The family come from New Zealand and Thor knows them well.

Caroline finds family life as a gold prospector so exciting.

The life here is brilliant like where you pick mushrooms

and berries and we're mining.

And we live in the bush for four months,

five months then that's good.

Daniel is two and he first came out here

when he was five weeks old.

And George is five months old,

he came out here when he was one month old.

It's a good life.

The family's prospecting

suddenly came to a halt when the machine broke down.

So Nick who is least the mine, has been trying for days

to repair it, but to no avail.

Hey, sorry how's going?

Well, as you can see, problems...

Problems in a big machinery.

How's your summer going?

Oh, it's been good, really nice summer, very hot but...

Yeah, pretty hot day.

Do you wanted to see some gold?

Yeah.

A little bit, just a few nuggets we picked out

of a sluice box.

Wow, that's heavy.

That's about 10 ounces. 10 ounces.

300 grams.

When I first came to Yukon,

the only thing I knew is Jack London books, right?

So Yukon was the place.

So when I came here, I figured...

I didn't wanna work nine to five, you know,

for it was still my days.

So I figured into something seasonal, and originally

I wanted to do like fishing lodge or whatever.

I never dreamed I could do something like this.

But you know, one thing led to another,

and slowly I got into it.

Took me a long time, but it's good life,

you know a good lifestyle,

different but I got into so, which is great.

I can go New Zealand or wherever.

The family drive back to their summer cabin.

The children are hungry.

Thor has to head off as well,

he can't even stay for an hour.

He wants to be back before dark.

Eva has a visitor from Europe.

Her niece Siena, from Switzerland,

wants to get to know life in the wilderness.

Today canoeing is on the agenda.

The two plan to catch their evening meal.

Sometimes is not easy.

She's only 16 and isn't used to being alone,

but it's really enjoyable having her here

and giving her an insight into a life that is totally

different from what she is used to in Europe.

With school and other things there

that are regarded as important.

It's good for her to experience that you can still lead

a different kind of life.

(speaking foreign language).

Yeah, okay.

Okay, you can now let him go

so he can jump out when he wants.

Have you seen how the fish leap?

Why don't you try casting your line on this side?

(speaking foreign language)

There have always been fish in abundance here.

The name Kluane, comes from the First Nation language

and means, Whitefish country.

But today, the two women are out of luck.

As if that weren't enough, it started to rain.

(speaking in foreign language ).

I think we'd better head back to the shore

and get our jackets.

(speaking in foreign language)

Construction of the Alaska Highway

brought not only settlers to the region,

it also brought poachers.

The government took drastic steps against poaching.

All the inhabitants had their ancient hunting

and fishing rights revoked,

including the members of the First Nation.

For them, it was a tragic decision.

Today, we have come to meet Karrie and her grandmother.

I come to visit, help you today

with your hide. Yeah.

When did you get this moose?

I got this moose last spring.

Okay, and you shoot it.

Yeah, I shot it, Michelle.

Where was that at?

Just down the road, down...

Provide lots of meat. Yeah.

Oh, that's good.

Scraping it? Yes.

The region covered by the present day park,

has always been the traditional home of the Ishihic people.

It is important to Karrie,

to learn all about their ancient skills and customs.

Her grandmother is also going to teach Karrie

the Indian art of beading.

The knowledge she has can't be found in books.

It has to be handed down.

And then maybe... 29.

Well just wait this way. This is good.

Okay.

I teach my grandchildren what my mom taught me.

I have 10 grandchildren, two great grandchildren,

and I'm looking forward to teach them more traditional life,

everything not only 10 and how to harvest some berries,

and make some dry meat when we get moose.

All these things I want them to learn

so they can carry on their tradition.

Karrie learns quickly, and she is a realist.

That's very good.

Maybe they'll end up in a museum one day.

The snow-covered mountains

of the Kluane National Park,

are still guarding their secrets.

In the morning after a cold night

on the edge of the glacier, Christian Schoof and his team

first have to warm up in the supply tent.

Up here, even in summer, the temperature fluctuates

between plus 15 degrees during the day and minus 15 at night

and up to 30 centimeters of new snow can fall at any time.

The first thing Christian Schoof wants to do today,

is check the data from the new instruments.

This is the glacier we're working on.

The screen shows that we have now drilled around 150 holes

in the glacier.

Unfortunately, the instruments don't survive for very long.

So out of the 150 holes we've drilled,

only about 60 are currently active.

Since we are restricted in the number of holes

we can drill per season, this makes it very hard

to ever get a complete picture.

(speaking foreign language).

In a year's time,

a good proportion of the sensors might no longer be working.

In places where there is no human habitation

far and wide, nature seems to be totally intact.

But we have long known that when these glaciers melt,

this landscape too will be just a memory.

Then minerals will be exposed that are already coveted.

And in Canada, industrial giants

have thwarted conservation projects, time and again.

(speaking in foreign language)

There are widespread

mineral deposits here,

which would most certainly be exploited

if the national park didn't exist.

This of course is a contentious political issue

that if you believe that this landscape

is worth protecting and preserving,

a national park is most definitely important.

(speaking in foreign language).

Thor Fender too is only too aware

of this threat to the park.

He often flies to the golden silver mines

on the edge of the Kluane.

Through flying I've become familiar

with the unadulterated beauty of Kluane National Park,

but I've also seen the destructive power

of the raw materials industry.

And the raw materials industry has already obtained

mining rights in the immediate vicinity

of the national park.

I can only hope that the governments of the future

will be able to resist any further advances into the park.

Thor's season as a pilot already comes

to an end in late summer.

This is his last flight of the year.

In winter he'll again be working as an architect.

Planes up here in the North now have

to be stored in hangars.

Putting his aircraft away for the winter,

always makes bush pilot, Andy, feel a bit wistful.

Imagine flying is a...

It's a particular kind of experience

and not many people do it,

it's certainly in the high maintenance on the glaciers.

And I think you've been back in the country,

you've seen how vast it is,

and how changeable it is from day to day.

And I think that sort of challenge

for a pilot is very interesting.

Autumn in Kluane National Park

is short and beautiful.

Often September already sees the first frosts arrive.

Near Haines Junction, this is also the hunting season.

Bears now eat as much as they can, it's their last chance.

Soon snow and ice will return to the North

and the bears will hibernate and silence will reign.

Autumn is once again an important season

for First Nation people.

Karrie is out and about

with her brother, Lance and her son, Kassius.

Together, they're roaming the park in such of game.

I'm Champion Ejac and we have a boundary

of traditional territory that we're allowed to hunt

for a subsistence harvesting.

So we try to keep up with our traditions

and especially for, you know,

to keep our freezer full of meat for the winter.

But for my grandfather, you know is definitely different.

It was either...

Sometimes some situations was life or death,

depending on if you caught a moose or not.

It was not until 2008

that the Canadian government officially apologized

to the First Nations and revoked laws,

which destroyed ancient knowledge.

For the first time, Kassius is seeing the classic way

to set traps.

Karrie wants her child to be able to live independently

and in close touch with nature in modern day Canada.

Most children don't get to experience

these things anymore.

You know, there is a whole different world

out there right now and the use of traditional food

ain't needed like it used to be.

So yeah, I'm just bringing him out and exposing him to it.

It is I think just good for him just to, you know,

keep in mind that someday he might need to use it as a skill

for actually food instead of just to be there.

Karrie's speaks for a new generation

of the First Nations,

one committed to the traditions of their parents,

and to Canada's Western culture.

When winter comes to Kluane,

the temperature quickly drops to well below freezing.

Eva wanted to have got a lot further with her house,

but as she well knows here in the Yukon

clocks tick differently.

I'm sitting in what will be my parlor

and looking forward to furnishing it.

I want to do as much as possible myself.

But for Eva too,

winter is a special time of year.

It's now that a few people who live in the North,

come closer together.

And we won't forget them.

All their love of their park, their dreams, their concerns,

and their visions.

I've worked in Kluane National Park for 40 years.

It's an area that is very important to me,

my family and I hope for my extended family.

Without protection, this landscape

would no longer exist the way it is.

We usually just move forward, keeping it the way it is

for the next generation to come and see.

I want it to stay the way it has done

for the last 20 years.

I want this region to remain just as peaceful

because it's a wonderful place.