When we arrived at the lodge in the remote Kaska Coast of Canada, a young girl came out in vibrant red to welcome us. Who knew, we would be seeing her everywhere in the next 10 days.

She’d be on the back of skidoo before sunrise, leading the caravan of komatiq (in cree language, sled designed to travel on snow and ice) in negative 50 degrees.

She’d be there helping teach us how to start a fire (wilderness survival 101) with no match.

At the end of the day, when we barely made our way to our room (those in the subtropical/tropical weather won’t understand how much time it takes to take off your clothes :-) ), she’d already changed and was ready to pour wine and serve dinner when we arrived in the dining room.

I’ve never based my life choices on my gender. But this girl impressed me by the amount of talent and energy such a slender figure can hold. The best that I could do was to focus on what I was familiar with, that is to photograph, while trying to survive the harsh environment.

She said she’s our lodge manager. I think she’s a girl extraordinaire. Her name is Bella.

Let’s celebrate the talented girls/women in this world every day. Only when all talents in this world are tapped will we as human race reach our full potential.