VOYAGE Into the spirit world

Never trust a black bear. This is the advice running through my mind as I watch a particularly large one dive under a log a few feet away from my perch on the riverbank. A grizzly bear, the apex predator round these parts, needs only to assert its dominance; a black bear, on the other hand, is the underdog, falling below grizzlies, cougars and wolves in the hierarchy. It will fight to the death if feeling threatened, simply because it has to.

With a hefty leap, 330 pounds of wet bear hoists itself out of the river and on to the log. This was its second dive for salmon, the first scoring it a wriggling fish. Coming up unsuccessful this time, it gives our gaggle a stare and walks straight towards us. We hold our collective breath as Colin Griffinson, owner and captain of our host yacht pulls out his bear spray and