Geology has landed Gary Vivian in some extremely remote Northern locations, and a few of those landings had his heart in his throat.

With a career that has spanned more than 40 years, heSA国际影视传媒檚 climbed aboard planes and helicopters thousands of times, bound for destinations that many Northerners have never seen.

One trip made him fear for his life when the Beaver he was flying in lost engine power due to a frozen fuel line while outside of Rankin Inlet.

SA国际影视传媒�(The pilot) called mayday a couple of times going down. Although you sort of sh*t your pants, I didnSA国际影视传媒檛 really think that we were going to hit that hard because those Beavers glide pretty well,SA国际影视传媒� he recalls.

The plane was on wheel-skis and bounced off a frozen lake, coming to a stop without tragedy.

SA国际影视传媒淗e did a good job,SA国际影视传媒� Vivian said of the pilot.

HeSA国际影视传媒檚 also saved people from helicopter crashes on different occasions. But he was sure to praise the safety records of Northern airlines as the vast majority of his trips went without a hitch.

There have been multiple harrowing wildlife encounters, too. Vivian has awoken to the terrifying sound of his tent being ripped open by a bearSA国际影视传媒檚 claws more than once.

SA国际影视传媒淲e yelled and screamed and slammed some pots, but he was still coming through,SA国际影视传媒� he recalls of one of the incidents. SA国际影视传媒淯nfortunately, we had to shoot it.SA国际影视传媒�

The caribou south of Diavik and Ekati didnSA国际影视传媒檛 pose risk to life and limb, but they wreaked havoc on surveying efforts at times.

SA国际影视传媒淭he caribou would walk between myself and the transmitter guy, right over the cable and then weSA国际影视传媒檇 spend an hour trying to fix the cable because they cut it up in many places,SA国际影视传媒� he says of their sharp hooves. SA国际影视传媒淭hey werenSA国际影视传媒檛 afraid of us at all.SA国际影视传媒�

Vivian has encountered more than his share of parasitic flying insects on the land as well, but one particular trip still leaves him itchy at the thought: Fox Lake camp, south of Baker Lake, in 1978-79.

SA国际影视传媒淵ou were wishing for a wind just to get the bugs to be at your back and not at your face. They were unbelievable,SA国际影视传媒� he said, adding that he relied on bug spray to provide some relief from the mosquitoes. SA国际影视传媒淭hey drive the caribou and the animals absolutely nuts.SA国际影视传媒�

While he was building his reputation as a geologist, he remembers routinely spending three to four months in the field at a time in all seasons SA国际影视传媒� about 80 per cent of his working life at the time. Those were the days when cellphones and other satellite communications devices were not part of the adventure. Four members of the geology team would bunk down in two tents, and they mostly saw eye-to-eye, according to Vivian.

SA国际影视传媒淭here werenSA国际影视传媒檛 very many times when we didnSA国际影视传媒檛 get along, and if we didnSA国际影视传媒檛 it was straightened out pretty quick,SA国际影视传媒� he says. SA国际影视传媒淚 canSA国际影视传媒檛 think of a small camp I was ever in that we had any serious issues where we had to bring a plane to get somebody out.SA国际影视传媒�

Meals commonly consisted of canned meat like Klik that SA国际影视传媒渨ould last forever,SA国际影视传媒� he recalls. There were also times when they ate canned whole chicken.

His days would be spent doing geophysics, line cutting, mapping, staking, surveying and building camps. He remembers the excitement of being involved in the Kennady North diamonds discovery near Gahcho Kue.

SA国际影视传媒淚t was probably the most rewarding experience I ever felt because we took that project from nothing, basically grassroots with a couple of tiny, little kimberlite hits and turned it into a 9-million-tonne resource,SA国际影视传媒� he says.

There have been other times when heSA国际影视传媒檚 walked away from exploration sites that never resulted in a significant find, although he felt that there was potential. Sometimes companies quickly run out of money, he explains. There have been periodic opportunities to return with other clients who explore more extensively and wind up with the results that the first company was looking for, Vivian says.

SA国际影视传媒淭hatSA国际影视传媒檚 why weSA国际影视传媒檝e always been about telling clients that you need to explore systematically. Yes, it might be a bit slower, but at least youSA国际影视传媒檙e going to get a proper answer. Whereas if you walk away, somebody else comes back 20 years later and finds something,SA国际影视传媒� he says.

The North, he adds, is still a SA国际影视传媒渇rontierSA国际影视传媒� ripe for more mineral and metals discoveries.

These days, Vivian spends most of his time mentoring junior geologists and administering programs as a senior project manager and chairman of Aurora Geosciences in Yellowknife.

He has worked in most of CanadaSA国际影视传媒檚 provinces and all three territories, but itSA国际影视传媒檚 the North where he decided to stay.

SA国际影视传媒淚 love the people. I love the Indigenous people,SA国际影视传媒� he says. SA国际影视传媒淭heySA国际影视传媒檝e been great to work with, and ISA国际影视传媒檓 a believer that they are the resource rulers. We tell all of our clients when they come here that you reach out to the communities first before you do any project or anything on the land SA国际影视传媒� you go talk to the land owners first. Whether theySA国际影视传媒檙e Inuit or Dene, M茅tis, you go to the communities first and you introduce yourself.SA国际影视传媒�