Being Caribou.

In April 2003, wildlife biologist Heuer and filmmaker Leanne Allison, his wife, set out on a journey to document the round-trip migration of the porcupine caribou herd between the Porcupine River in Yukon territory and Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), an area targeted for exploration and drilling by oil companies. ANWR is where porcupine caribou make their calving grounds. Heuer and Allison's journey amounted to a more-than-5-month-long wilder ness expedition. The couple set out to follow the herd and in the process became intimately acquainted with this majestic area. In their adventure, the naturalists documented hitherto unknown physical feats and relentless determination by the caribou. Heuer tells of struggling to keep up with the animals as they trekked across the snowy wilderness. He and Allison traveled more than 1,000 miles on foot, on skis, and by canoe--each person toting up to a 70-pound pack. Battling fatigue and the elements, and on the lookout for wolves and the occasional grizzly bear, Heuer and Allison ultimately gained a closer understanding of and appreciation for the caribou and, in a sense, became one with the herd. Mountaineers Books, 2005, 237 p., color plates, hardcover, $24.95.