Past Adventures Galleries

Spirit Bears 2009 : Last week I was very fortunate to meet, observe, and photograph a rare (in my words) Kermode Bear on beautiful Princess Royal Island, BC. Also know as the white or "Spirit" bear in British Columbia. Overall the trip had ups and downs mainly due to the general lack of bears. Over the course of 3-1/2 days of continuous Spirit bear searching, I personally only saw one bear. I am sure lucky it was a Spirit bear as that was the groups' primary goal - photographically. It was not until the later part of the 4th day did we encounter the Spirit bear, and photographed it 3 times in the same location over a 3-4 hour period. So why so few bears? Speaking with the local experts like Ian McAliister and Doug Neasloss, there were several theories ranging from a long 2008-09 winter, low salmon numbers during fall 2008, and the ever fragile topic of hunting. I shall leave it with you on what your thoughts are for the low black and spirit bear numbers. All in all, very satisfied with a well rounded trip that involved cultural learning, orca sightings, good company and to finish off by photographing a Spirit bear. With current numbers estimated at 100-150 that should say how lucky we all were that day. Dave * Full length photo essay to possibly be published in 2010.

Spirit Bears 2009

Last week I was very fortunate to meet, observe, and photograph a rare ...

Updated: Oct 14, 2009 3:18pm PST

Strathcona Park - Mt. Myra & Kweishun River : I returned from a recent 3 day trip into Strathcona Provincial Park here on Vancouver Island. One of my favourite places to visit due to its rugged and remote nature turned nasty on the first night of camping on a ridge just below Mt. Myra. Thunder and lightening prevented us from moving in the middle of the night. We were also 8km or 1375 metres in elevation from the vehicle so not easy to get to. The next day my partner, Cliff and I, decided to leave the area as the low pressure system was very deep and not letting up for 2-3 days. I was not willing to wait that long. The third day we did a day to Kweishun River (Valley) and found two spectacular waterfall areas. Weather was still moderately nasty. I was constantly wiping and cleaning my filters trying to get a few shots to keep. After 3 hours of photography I have a few images to share. I will definitely be returning to this "secret" area again very soon. Thank you for looking. Dave

Strathcona Park - Mt. Myra & Kweishun River

I returned from a recent 3 day trip into Strathcona Provincial Park he ...

Updated: Oct 19, 2009 4:10pm PST

Grizzly Bears 2009 : I recently returned from my second visit to the Khutzeymateen Grizzly Bear sanctuary in northern B.C. Simply a beautiful and untouched part of the world I am grateful to visit and photograph. The first two eagle images were taken in Prince Rupert a few days before traveling to the "Khutz". The selected fine art prints and canvases are in their respective galleries throughout the web site. Feel free to comment and/or ask questions as you wish. Dave

Grizzly Bears 2009

I recently returned from my second visit to the Khutzeymateen Grizzly ...

Updated: Jan 14, 2010 2:33pm PST

Strathcona Provincial Park BC (Augerpoint Traverse) : I just returned from backpacking (some may call it mountaineering) for 3 days around Strathcona Provincial Park on BC's Vancouver Island. This was a much anticipated trip for me as this is relatively close to my home and my present captive photography market. My guide and partner for the trip, Cliff Umpleby did a perfect job of navigating around the park, especially when we left "the grid". Sometimes, the trail would disappear but Cliff knew where we were. Perfect for me. I just took photos and did not worry about getting lost. Well done Cliff. So here is the brief story. On Saturday morning, we left the Mt. Washington (Raven Lodge) parking lot at about 8:20am. The parking lot is at about 1,200 metres elevation. We reached Circlet Lake, a popular designated campground (charges $5 a night) at 11:37am. After that some harder work started as we headed to Mt. Albert Edward. Unfortunately, a combination of bad weather (hail, and yes snow) and fatigue (I had not done 6-7 hrs of exercise in a day for a long time) stopped us just short of the summit at 1,920 metres. Sunday morning, we left our weathered camp spot at 7:40am and headed for the Albert Edward summit. Energized from a good night sleep (ya right with snow and 30-40k winds beating the tent) and a short 40 minutes later I reached my first summit at Mt. Albert Edward. Felt rewarding to see such a beautiful viewin any direction ... and the storm long gone. We could not hang around too long as we had a moderate day of ups and downs through cols, around ponds and lakes, over creeks, to reach Ruth Masters Lake (1,420 metres) at 1:30pm. An early day as we made good time on the hiking and now had more time to make some images. I personally loved this spot and will plan to spend 2 days in the area next time as there are some other stunning vistas that were I was not able to photograph due to time of day and sun angles. Another time!!! Monday morning we left Ruth Masters Lake, after photographing a nice early sunrise, at 7:40am. This was the toughest hiking of the trip as we both had to "pay" for the free 1,200 metre gain we got at Mt. Washington driving to the Raven Lodge parking lot. The descent down Jack's Augerpoint Trail was about 1,200 metres (3-4 hours) and tough to say the least. Both Cliff and I were feeling the effects on our feet with a few hundred metres still to descend. We reached the vehicle on Hwy 19 (at Buttle Lake - 200 metres) at 3:30pm and headed out to Campbell River to eat. Hope you enjoy the images.

Strathcona Provincial Park BC (Augerpoint Traverse)

I just returned from backpacking (some may call it mountaineering) for ...

Updated: Mar 23, 2009 11:33am PST

Garibaldi Provincial Park BC (Wedgemont Trail) : I completed my first mountain climb on the BC Mainland (and first one ever) this week. Very strenuous to say the least but a very worthwhile experience for both photography ... and for future treks. The "Wedge", as the locals call the Wedgemount Trail, climbs 1220 metres (or 3,965 ft) in 6km. I have tried to show the change in terrain and the eventual rugged and near barren area where camping is permitted. Over the next few days and preparing a detailed short story of the trip for future publication. Hope you enjoy a look at the "Wedge".

Garibaldi Provincial Park BC (Wedgemont Trail)

I completed my first mountain climb on the BC Mainland (and first one ...

Updated: Sep 23, 2008 9:35pm PST

Grizzly Bears 2008 : “Grizzly Bears of BC’s Khutzeymateen … a true treasure”. Honestly, I did not know what to expect when I ventured to Canada’s only Grizzly Bear provincial park, the Khutzeymateen Grizzly Bear Sanctuary. Located about 40km north east of Prince Rupert with no amenities in sight. For me not having internet or cellular reception meant I could focus 100% on photographing BC Grizzly bears in an environment rich in plant life … and sedge grass. I had hoped to see a few bears in various environments and compositions. I was happy with the outcome. Dave

Grizzly Bears 2008

“Grizzly Bears of BC’s Khutzeymateen … a true treasure”. Hone ...

Updated: Apr 16, 2009 11:36am PST

Vancouver Island Black Bears : The first two Black Bear images in this gallery were taken on a trip to Ucluelet / Tofino May 2008. Vancouver Island Black Bears - Where is the water??? My close friend, Shane, his friend Scotty, and myself ventured into the wilderness on Vancouver Island to hopefully catch a glimpse of Black Bears. I had envisioned the days before to view a bear fishing. All three of us had hip waders, rubber boats, lots of camera gear and all ready to truck through creeks and river beds ... to see bears! The first few hours on the first day were quiet and both Shane and I kept asking Scotty; Where are the bears? Scotty has been travelling these parts of Vancouver Island doing fishing tours for 16 years. He was confident we would see bears and knew the spots well. Not long after that, the three of us were trucking down a river bed and spotted a bear, then two, then three. At one point I believe we had 5-6 within sight and range of our camera equipment. This section of the river was popular for the bears and we visited regularly over the next 2-3 days. One reason for the popular spot was the shockingly low level of the river and the relatively easy access for the bears. To me, it looked like a creek. With our very low rainfall over the previous 4-5 months (and past 4 summers I have lived on Vancouver Island), salmon were stuggling to make it up the river to their spawning ground. This made for a very up close and personal encounter with the black bears as the salmon we getting tired from the low river level. One particular bear put on special show. She tired 5 times to find a specific salmon of her choice. The first few salmon where Chum and Coho, but not good enough. One bite and the bear would throw the fish back into the river and run around looking for something else. In the moment, I had no idea that the result would be a 30-40lb Chinook. That bear was so proud and content that it finally got the “Catch of the Day” ... and was gone up the river bank and into the bush in about 10 seconds. That was one of my favourite photographic moments (and resulting images) of the entire year. Scotty later told us that the Nitinat River used to 15-20 feet higher which was mind blowing to comprehend. In some of the images, the bare river bank is visible. Something drastic is happening with our ecosystem. Is is global warming, I am not totally convinced. One thing is for sure, the Nitinat River level was down to the inches in some areas, but why? These conditions lead to a photographic experience I will never forget.

Vancouver Island Black Bears

The first two Black Bear images in this gallery were taken on a trip ...

Updated: Sep 23, 2008 9:47pm PST

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