A paradise for photographers and explorers!

Six day expeditions into the world's largest intact temperate rainforest on the Central Coast of BC, Canada

Princess Royal Island is located 520 km north of Vancouver and 200 km from Prince Rupert. Aside from the Tsimshian who once inhabited the island, almost no people have entered the inland rainforest of the island to call home.

Princess Royal Island is best known for being home to the white Kermode Bear. These bears are found nowhere else in the world, other than the Central Coast of British Columbia.

The Kermode bear has lived on Princess Royal Island for thousands of years. The Tsimshian Tribe call this white bear Moksgmol.

It is believed that one out of 10 black bears in this area are white.

With all the information about the Kermode Bear I thought it would be interesting to take an expedition and see for myself what all the talk was about.

I took a wilderness and cultural expedition to the Great Bear Rain Forest with Capt. Ralph of EXPLORE! CHARTERS. I flew into Bella Bella on Pacific Coastal Airlines, meeting the ROLANO, moored at the wharf. The boat was a beauty. 80 with sails, large deck space and a crew of three.

We left Bella Bella and headed towards the community of Shearwater. Evidence of the fishing industry was all around. Hooks, nets, lines and boats. That evening we anchored in a quiet cove, had a great dinner of seafood chowder and salad.

The next day we headed towards the small village of Klemtu. Waiting for our bear guide, we saw locals fishing off the wharf. Large salmon were being landed and I wanted the opportunity to try my hand at fishing. Others on board walked through the village,while the captain spent his time talking to the chief and band manager. We were given permission from both of them to operate in the area, and their blessing to search for the Kermode Bear.

Arriving at the first bear spotting area, our guide mentioned the rules of the forest. Low voices and stay off the bear path were the main rules to follow. Several black bears were seem that morning. Feasting on the carcass of the spawning salmon, the bears didnt seem to mind that they had visitors. The smell of the rotten fish and bear piles were pungent!

Through out the next several days we spotted more black bears but we were all anxious to see the kermode!

Traveling through a narrow channel, we spotted a wolf swimming across. Its slender body was soaking wet, just the head sticking out of the cold water. We headed toward the wolf in the zodiac. As we gained on it, the wolf reached the shore. It shook the water from its back and ran into the forest. We could hear howls from the wolves all through the channel. The howls echoed and seemed to be right on the ship. An eerie sound filled the fjord!

We had one more day with our guide before we said goodbye. An upcoming artist, we had several opportunities to learn the techniques of native drawing. Long lines, curves, and circles made intricate shapes of bears, salmon, wolves and whales. Princess Royal Island is located 520 km north of Vancouver and 200 km from Prince Rupert. Aside from the Tsimshian who once inhabited the island, almost no people have entered the inland rainforest of the island.

Princess Royal Island is best known for being home to the white Kermode Bear. These bears are found nowhere else in the world, other than the Central Coast of British Columbia.

A cream coloured bear, the Kermode is only found in the rainforests of BC. While bears are predominately black, they can also be shades of brown, blonde, cinnamon auburn, gray and white.

The Kermode bear has lived on Princess Royal Island for thousands of years. The Tsimshian Tribe call this white bear Moksgmol.

It is believed that one out of 10 black bears in this area are white.

With all the information about the Kermode Bear I thought it would be interesting to take an expedition and see for myself what all the talk was about.

I took a wilderness and cultural expedition to the Great Bear Rain Forest with Capt. Ralph of EXPLORE! CHARTERS. I flew into Bella Bella on Pacific Coastal Airlines, took a taxi, and met the ROLANO, moored at the wharf. The boat was a beauty. 80 with sails, large deck space and a crew of three.

We left Bella Bella and headed towards the community of Shearwater. Evidence of the fishing industry was all around. Hooks, nets, lines and boats. That evening we anchored in a quiet cove, had a great dinner of seafood chowder and salad. A very peaceful sleep!

The next day we headed towards the small village of Klemtu. Waiting for our bear guide, we saw locals fishing off the wharf. Large salmon were being landed and I wanted the opportunity to try my hand at fishing. Some of the guests walked through the village looking at the surroundings, and the captain spent his time talking to the chief and band manager. We were given permission from both of them to operate in the area, and their blessing to search for the Kermode Bear. Our guide caught up with the group and we were off, leaving the small village behind. Our guide would be with us for the next three days. He knew the area very well and showed us some of the unique areas. We were able to see petroglyphs, ancient totems, and pictographs.

When we arrived at the first bear spotting area, our guide mentioned the rules of the forest. It was important to keep our voices low and if a bear were to come towards us, it was important that we move off the path. We saw several black bears that morning. Feasting on the carcass of the spawning salmon, the bears didnt seem to mind that they had visitors. The smell of the rotten fish could be smelled for a distance and there was also the smell of bear piles. A bear den was spotted in a distant tree and we went to investigate. Closer we realized that there was a mother and two cubs, we had seem enough! It was amazing to see the gentleness of such a large creature with her cubs, as she fed them salmon and assisted them with tearing the fish apart.

Through out the next several days we spotted more black bears but we all knew that we were really anxious to see the Kermode. Traveling through a narrow channel, we spotted a wolf swimming across. Its slender body was soaking wet, just the head sticking out of the cold water. We headed toward the wolf in the zodiac. As we gained on it, the wolf reached the shore. It shook the water from its back and ran into the forest. We could hear howls from the wolves all through the channel. The howls echoed and seemed to be right on the ship. An eerie sound filled the fjord!

We had one more day with our guide before we said goodbye. An upcoming artist, we had several opportunities to learn the techniques of native drawing. Long lines, curves, and circles made intricate shapes of bears, salmon, wolves and hummingbirds. I asked for a hummingbird, it was drawn in only minutes. A large bear was drawn for the captain, and he hung it in his berth. A smaller bear was drawn, and given for a logo.

Dropping our guide off in Klemtu, we spent a few minutes in the local stock up on provisions. We bought a pound of bacon, it was over $7.00. The next am everyone mentioned that it was the best bacon they had ever tasted, and at $7.00 lb it had better be the best. We all thanked our cook for the extra bacon.

That afternoon we had a BBQ of vegetable burgers and then prepared for our search for the Kermode. One of the other guests seemed to know a lot about bears and knew where the Kermode might be. He had taken several trips to this area, although he was from Switzerland, he knew the area and was a perfect guide. After getting our boots and rain gear on, engineer Bill and Captain Ralph took us in the zodiac to the beach area. A walk through a muddy forest area leads us to the riverbank. Sitting on a damp log, we waited for the Kermode to show. The salmon were spawning in the river, which gave the bear an easy meal. Hundreds of salmon struggled up the river to their birthplace to spawn. The only sound was the rush of the river. We had remembered the words of our guide, silence was important and we knew that if we were going to see the bear we would have to do so. There were hundreds of little bugs flying around, making the wait seem longer, but worth it. Suddenly there was a flash of white in the forest. Could it be? All of the guests sat in silence, waiting, anxious. There it was…the Kermode. Walking down the forested hill, the bear was heading towards the river. The sounds of the river echoed through the forest, but for some reason once the bear arrived, the sound of the river seemed to silence.

The cream colored bear walked down the mountain side with ease. One foot after another, its paws carried the bear over the rocks and logs with ease. A leap into the water, the bear emerged its head into the rushing water, no fish. Another attempt, the bear had a salmon in its mouth. The salmon thrashed as the teeth of the bear sank into its flesh. The bear slowly escaped into the forest and upon its return, evidence of its meal was all over the paws. Bloodstains were all over the bears cream coloured skin. Jumping into the water again, the Kermode was determined to catch more salmon. Coming out of the water, the bear shook, drops of water could be seen flying off the fur, and you could almost feel the water drops fly across the river and feel the mist. The sun was beginning to set behind the trees and with all the excitement of the Kermode, we were unaware of the black bear that was sitting just behind us. There was rumor of the black bear and the Kermode being siblings, the black bear there to protect the cream coloured Kermode. Was this the case, or just a curious black bear? After staying with the Kermode for about an hour, the bear decided it was time to end the display. We too thought it was time to be heading back to the ROLANO, as we had an hour to walk through the forest and another 20 minutes in the zodiac.

Arriving back on the ship, we spent time looking over video, and digital camera photos of the day. I was thrilled to see the video of the bear; it was nothing like being there in person, and the thrill of seeing the bear live almost was like missing parts. Viewing on video gave more of an opportunity to see what the bear was doing. Diving, fishing, walking along a broken log, and eating its meal, it was amazing!

I will never forget seeing the Kermode Bear. Its not that easy to find one of these bears, but when you do the experience is once in a lifetime and youll want to do it again and again.A large bear was drawn for the captain, and he hung it in his berth. A smaller bear was drawn, and given for a logo.

Dropping our guide off in Klemtu, we spent a few minutes in the local stock up on provisions. That afternoon we had a BBQ of vegetable burgers and then prepared for our search for the Kermode. One of the other guests seemed to know a lot about bears and knew where the Kermode might be. He had taken several trips to this area, although he was from Switzerland, he knew the area and was a perfect guide. After getting our boots and rain gear on, engineer Bill and Captain Ralph took us in the zodiac to the beach area. A walk through a muddy forest area lead us to the riverbank. Sitting on a damp log, we waited for the Kermode to show. The salmon were spawning in the river, which gave the bear an easy meal. Hundreds of salmon struggled up the river to their birthplace to spawn. The only sound was the rush of the river. We had remembered the words of our guide, silence!

Suddenly there was a flash of white in the forest. Could it be? All of the guests sat in silence, waiting, anxious. There it was…the Kermode. Walking down the forested hill, the bear was heading towards the river. The sounds of the river echoed through the forest, but for some reason once the bear arrived, the sound of the river seemed to silence.

The cream colored bear walked down the mountain ~ One foot after another, its paws carried the bear over the rocks and logs with ease. A leap into the water, the bear emerged its head into the rushing water, no fish. Another attempt, the bear had a salmon in its mouth. The salmon thrashed as the teeth of the bear sank into its flesh. The bear slowly escaped into the forest and upon its return, evidence of its meal was all over the paws. Bloodstains were all over the bears cream coloured skin. Jumping into the water again, the Kermode was determined to catch more salmon. Coming out of the water, the bear shook, drops of water could be seen flying off the fur, and you could almost feel the water drops fly across the river and feel the mist. The sun was beginning to set behind the trees and with all the excitement of the Kermode, we were unaware of the black bear that was sitting just behind us. There was rumor of the black bear and the Kermode being siblings, the black bear there to protect the cream coloured Kermode. Was this the case, or just a curious black bear? After staying with the Kermode for about an hour, the bear decided it was time to end the display. We too thought it was time to be heading back to the ROLANO, as we had an hour to walk through the forest and another 20 minutes in the zodiac.

Arriving back on the ship, we spent time looking over video, and digital camera photos of the day. I was thrilled to see the video of the bear; it was nothing like being there in person, and the thrill of seeing the bear live almost was like missing parts. Viewing on video gave more of an opportunity to see what the bear was doing. Diving, fishing, walking along a broken log, and eating its meal, it was amazing!

I will never forget seeing the Kermode Bear. Its not that easy to find one of these bears, but when you do the experience is once in a lifetime and youll want to do it again and again.