The iconic animal of the Great Bear Rainforest is the
white or cream-coloured Spirit Bear. The Spirit Bear
is actually a black bear. More precisely, the Kermode
Bear (named after a British Columbia biologist) is one
of twelve sub-species of black bear. Kermodes can
carry a recessive gene for cream-coloured fur, and if
a Kermode cub ends up with two recessive genes it will
be cream-coloured, that is, a Spirit Bear.

Spirit Bears are rare, and almost all of them are on
Princess Royal Island and Gribbell Island. This photo
is taken on a bear viewing stand on Gribbell Island.
The viewing stand is operated by a member of the
Gitga'at Nation who lives in nearby Hartley Bay.

We walked in to the viewing stand on a very rainy day.
Although it is not apparent in this photo, the viewing
stand has an overhead cover. Our plan was to stay out
all day in hopes of seeing a Spirit Bear.

One member of our group had been on this trip before.
In fact, this was his fourth trip over a span of twenty
years. He did not see a Spirit Bear in any of his
previous trips. Is his luck about to change?

Best viewed at original size.