Close encounter with a polar bear. Seal River Heritage Lodge. Brian Scott photo.
Dr. Brian Scott carries more than medical training into the Manitoba wilderness. As a family physician from Ankeny, Iowa, he’s accustomed to calculated risks, careful observation, and keeping calm under pressure. But even his professional composure couldn’t have prepared him for the moment a curious polar bear approached much closer than anyone expected during their group encounter on the tundra near Seal River Heritage Lodge.
“The bear got incredibly close to us,” said Brian. “And it was fine. It was the most exhilarating thing ever.”
That encounter would become the highlight of what Brian and his wife Kellie describe as an extraordinary week on Churchill Wild’s specialized Summer Polar Bear Photo Safari, a trip that would also include an unexpected medical emergency that would test both their resilience and the lodge’s legendary hospitality.
Polar bear close up. Brian Scott photo.
From Netflix to the Real North
The Scotts’ Arctic adventure began, like many modern wildlife pilgrimages, with a streaming service. “My wife saw Polar Bear Town on Netflix,” said Brian. “So she’s like, ‘Oh yeah, we’ve got to go to Churchill Wild.’”
What set Churchill Wild apart during Kellie’s research wasn’t luxury accommodations or gourmet meals, though both would prove exceptional, but something no other operator offered. “You guys are so unique in that you get out on foot with the bears,” said Brian. “Nobody else seems to be doing that.”
Having already experienced polar bears in Svalbard, where encounters meant staying in boats whenever bears appeared on land, the Scotts were drawn to Churchill Wild’s ground-level approach. Their first trip to Nanuk Polar Bear Lodge several years earlier had been transformative. “Kellie totally fell in love with the bears,” said Brian. “There wasn’t a question. She’s like, ‘When are we going back?’ Not if.”
When they learned about the Birds, Bears and Belugas safari combining Kellie’s two favourite species, polar bears and beluga whales, “it was an easy sell,” said Brian.
Polar bear hunting beluga whales. Kellie Scott photo.
Medical Emergency Meets Arctic Hospitality
The trip took an unexpected turn when Brian began experiencing severe pain, a kidney stone that would challenge both his endurance and the lodge’s crisis management capabilities. “I had the misfortune of passing a kidney stone while in the midst of the trip,” said Brian. “That wasn’t any fun.”
For someone who had never experienced kidney stones before, the timing couldn’t have been worse. Yet even through the pain, Brian found ways to stay engaged with the experience. “It was easy to distract yourself with the amazing bears and all the other things we were doing,” he said.
The lodge’s response impressed both guests. Lodge manager Ben (Lawrence) immediately offered helicopter evacuation if needed, while guide Luke Kolla’s first aid training became apparent when another guest suffered a minor injury. “Ben said, ‘Hey, if you need to go, let me know. I’ll call the helicopter,’” recalled Kellie. “‘Let me know if there’s anything you need. Leave your husband here, go out on the excursions, and we’ll check on him, we’ll make sure he’s okay.’”
The level of care extended beyond medical emergencies. “For both experiences, you really feel like anything that you could want or need is there,” said Kellie. “Your staff really goes above and beyond to make the experience special and amazing.” .
Polar bear posing in the fireweed. Brian Scott photo.
The Art of Close Encounters
Despite Brian’s condition, the group experienced some of the most intimate bear encounters either he or Kellie had ever witnessed. Unlike their previous experience, where bears required longer searches, this trip delivered consistent, close-range opportunities. “The bears were a tad bit more curious”, said Brian.
The defining moment came during their final day, a three-hour visit with a polar bear that began near the lodge. “It was an awesome encounter,” said Brian. “And the people that had stayed back at the lodge, got to share in it. It was really cool.”
What could have been a terrifying experience became a masterclass in wildlife management and group dynamics. The guides had thoroughly prepared their 18-person group through detailed orientations. “The guides had done such a nice job of indoctrinating us into the rules,” said Brian. “Here is how you will behave. This is what we will do.”
When the moment arrived, training became instinct. “We ended up shifting nearly a full 360 as this bear was circling around and just rummaging and stuff,” said Brian. “All of the things that they asked us to do, everybody just did it without really having to think that hard. They were just so caught up in the moment. And it worked so well. Nobody freaked out.”
The encounter challenged even experienced photographers. “All of our really close encounters, the bears got too close for our long lenses,” said Brian, who had to resort to a wide-angle lens strapped to his chest for the closest approaches.
Photography Mentorship in the Field
Unknown to the Scotts during booking, they had joined a specialised photography safari led by guide Boomer Jerritt, whose artistic expertise elevated the entire experience. “Boomer is a really skilled photographer and artist, and he really went out of his way to help educate us on not just the technical aspects of getting good bear pictures, but the artistic aspect,” said Brian.
Boomer’s instruction went beyond camera settings to artistic composition. “He was constantly giving us guidance on lining up this way or that, on working with colours and lines,” said Brian. Even experienced photographers in the group benefited from his expertise, “picking up things from him pretty regularly.”
Photographing a polar bear outside Seal River Heritage Lodge. Brian Scott photo.
Dawn Encounters and Cinnamon Roll Bears
Some of the trip’s most memorable moments happened during quiet times. On their final morning, Kellie rose early and witnessed an intimate scene few guests experience. “I got out there into the lounge and there was only one other lady who was up,” said Kellie. And she said, “There’s a polar bear’ “And we watched this polar bear come right up to the lodge. It’s just me and her, you know, totally quiet. The bear walked right up under the window and looked up at us.”
The bear’s behaviour suggested it was following its nose. “The polar bear walked around the edge, and then went back to the gate by the kitchen,” said Kellie. “You could tell it was smelling for the cinnamon rolls.” The intimate encounter, captured entirely on her iPhone, provided some of Kellie’s favourite images from the trip.
That same morning brought another special moment. “That was also the morning we had the mom and two cubs come through,” said Kellie. “And the cubs decided that they really liked the wind sock. So they were playing with it. You know, it was just a really special last morning.”
The Fellowship of Wild Places
Like many Churchill Wild expeditions, the group became a temporary family drawn from diverse backgrounds. “We had one of the few Narwhal experts in the world on our trip this time,” said Brian. The expertise enhanced their beluga whale encounters, with professional insights that enriched everyone’s understanding.
The age range impressed everyone, particularly an 85-year-old couple who “didn’t skip a single hike,” said Brian. Their determination embodied the spirit that draws people to these remote encounters regardless of age or physical limitations.
Trust in the Wilderness
What distinguished the Churchill Wild experience wasn’t just wildlife proximity, but the absolute confidence guests developed in their guides. “There are a lot of places in the world that if you go out on foot with potentially deadly animals, if you don’t have 100% confidence in those guides, you won’t do it,” said Brian.
That confidence came from more than professional competency. “Your guides do a really nice job of kind of incorporating themselves in with the group,” said Brian. “They’re very comfortable. Their competency is just outrageous.” The guides joined guests for every meal, sharing stories and building the trust essential for ground-level polar bear encounters.
During the group’s most dramatic encounter, that trust proved essential. “There wasn’t a single person who was nervous about this bear, that approached pretty darn close,” said Brian. “Everybody was excited and juiced, but nobody was like, ‘Oh my God, this is scary. I’m afraid.’ We were prepared. We knew what to do. The guides were able to predict how the bear was going to kind of cross paths with us.”
The sik-sik was screaming but the guests were calm and cool. Brian Scott photo.
The Measuring Stick of Adventure
For seasoned travellers like the Scotts, who take “one or two trips like this per year” to destinations across Africa and the Arctic, Churchill Wild has become their measuring stick. When asked how the experience compared to other wildlife adventures, “The wife just gave a big double thumbs up,” said Brian.
The proof lies in immediate action. “We got home at about 9 or 10 o’clock on Wednesday night and I was back to work at 5 o’clock Thursday morning,” said Brian. Yet despite the quick return to routine, “Kellie has already been on the website looking at signing up for trip three.”
When people ask about walking with polar bears, the Scotts have learned to address the obvious concern. “Everyone I tell thinks we’re crazy until I explain how not scared you are when you’re there,” said Brian. “When you’re actually in it.”
That confidence comes from expert guidance and careful preparation, but also from something deeper, the recognition that true wilderness encounters, properly managed, offer rewards that justify their inherent risks. “You are in their environment, living it with them,” said Brian.
The difference became clear when comparing their Svalbard experience, where Zodiac approaches kept bears at a distance. “You are, yes, you are in their environment, living it with them,” said Brian of the Churchill Wild approach. “These bears know you’re there, they look at you, they know what you’re doing. It feels a little like Grizzly Adams, you know, at one with the bear.”
Polar bear poised, waiting for beluga whales to swim by. Brian Scott photo.
Sharing the Wonder
Brian shares trip photos with patients in his Iowa medical practice, rotating images on large screens in exam rooms, and he’s spreading more than just beautiful photography. “I’ve got 42-inch screens in my exam rooms that I scroll the trip photos on, so my patients get to experience parts of the world,” he said.
The gesture reflects a deeper philosophy. “If a patient absolutely loves an image, I’ll give them the file. I’m not worried about it. I just want people to smile.”
That same spirit drove their Arctic adventure, not conquest or competition, but connection. When asked what they tell friends about the experience, Kellie’s response captured the essence: “Do it if you can. It’s a once in a lifetime experience you just really can’t find any place else in the world.”
For the Scotts, it’s an experience worth repeating, kidney stones and all. Because sometimes the most profound encounters happen when we step into another creature’s world, trusting expert guides and our own capacity for wonder. In those moments, standing on the ancient tundra as polar bears pursue their timeless patterns, the distance between human and wild collapses into something approaching reverence. As Brian put it:
“There wasn’t a person in the line that felt like running away. Everyone was just like, ‘Too cool. This is the best thing ever.’”
Nanuk Polar Bear Lodge
