Bears and meditation

I’m on my way back to the far north of Finland today for my annual bear trip in the land of the midnight sun. A group of six of us will spend the next few nights waiting in purpose built hides for bears, wolverines and if we’re lucky wolves to pass close by. With two people per hide we’ll spend 14 hours  each night (from 5 pm until 7 am) before emerging for a well earned breakfast and rest during the day. There’s no darkness this far north during May and June with the sun skimming below the trees about midnight and rising again by 1 am.  To some it might sound like a feat of endurance but it’s also an opportunity for pure meditation – a chance to sit and be and breathe all night with the reward of some truly intimate wildlife encounters. Below are a few photos from last year’s trip – if you’d like to come on a future bear trip there’s more info here.