In the seemingly neverending daylight of the Northernmost point of Wood Buffalo National Park, it is hard enough to sleep as it is. Regardless of how tired you are, it felt. I sleep only as long as the sun is down. Camping out with the endless light my sleep struggle was compounded by the constant and continuous calls of the Sandhill Cranes.

 

It drove me a little bit crazy due the vast emptiness of the area and how they were always so well hidden in the grasses. You could hear them everywhere. They sounded as if you were completely surrounded at all times yet whenever I thought I was close to being able to get a good photograph they could not be found. Only heard.

 

I decided one morning that I would just sit with my camera facing the direction where they were the loudest. Enough with trying to find them, I would just wait and let one walk in front of me. To my surprise, only about ten minutes went by when one did just that. Right into the sunbeam, and paused. Then it was gone and I do not think I saw another one for the rest of the trip.

 

-Tyler Thoren