Feature Story in Canadian Geographic: Wildflowers

A journey of friendship, loss and healing in the footsteps of early 20th-century mountain explorer Mary Schäffer Warren

Hot off the press, the latest issue of Canadian Geographic features a large feature about Wildflowers and walking in the footsteps of Mary Schäffer Warren, and includes numerous photographs by the late (and great) Natalie Gillis. 

Established in 1930, Canadian Geographic is one of our nation’s most widely-read magazines, with over 4 million readers. We are honoured to see the story of this film featured in such a well-respected Canadian magazine, and the opportunity that is to bring our message to a wider audience.

The seed of this piece was first planted during a hike Nat and I took to Taylor Lake and Panorama Ridge back in October 2023 when I asked her if she’d be interested in collaborating on a pitch to CanGeo. Of course, she was keen. She’d already taken the images, so it was a matter of me writing a story to accompany them, if the editorial team at the mag was interested. 

Then, the unthinkable happened.

Fast-forward nearly a year and the pitching process, which began with me pitching a short story about Natalie’s repeat photography for the film resulted in them assigning a large feature. The piece explores Mary’s remarkable story and the making of Wildflowers, but also the threads and themes that ultimately bonded Mary and me over a century apart: finding healing in nature and learning to be a hunter of peace. 

When we commissioned this photo collection from Natalie, including images of the expedition, behind-the-scenes and several repeat images that offer a comparison with historic photographs, we could never have imagined the incredible gift they would be.

I dedicate this piece to Natalie.

“On our final morning, we bask in the first light of day and witness a quiet world coming to life. I am not ready to leave when we reach the docks that mark the end of our journey. What I don’t know, as we haul our canoes out of the lake, is just how sweet our memories of Maligne will be — that there will soon come a day when Natalie will have gone “on the long trail alone” and I’ll understand the grief Mary carried into the wild.”