Old Coast Ghost

“Old Coast Ghost”

When I first learned about spirit bears it soon became a dream of mine to photograph these amazing creatures. As luck happened, Keltie and I got in on a last-minute cancellation for a spirit bear trip that was happening that fall. We ended up staying, with the guardian of the Great Bear Rainforest, Marvin Robinson, in his native settlement for a week, and from there he would take us out into this lush boreal rainforest by boat to various islands. This particular day we were very blessed to see the arrive of “Ma’ah”, which means “Grandmother” in Gitga’at. The locals were ecstatic to hear she had finally showed up, as every year was a blessing to see this amazing matriarch. Marven shared with us that she was a nineteen-year-old spirit bear and had mothered a lot of the spirit bears in this area.  As I watched her demeanor, you could see she was a slow-moving bear and would often feast on the leftovers left by other bears. Marvin told us that she felt very comfortable around humans and not to be startled if she came near us. At one point, while sitting alone on the banks of the creek, Ma’ah slowly approached me and looked right inside my camera lens, much too close for a picture! As I looked out from behind my camera, I could see into her eyes, and hear her say to me “I’m a tired old bear.” I reassured her that she was still a beautiful old bear and thanked her for the opportunity to meet her. She then just turned and walked away. Marvin saw the encounter and later told me that I must have good energy as she only approaches those that do. Little did I know that this would be the last year anyone would see her, and she truly would become the “Old Coast Ghost.”

  - Stan Masters

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