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Hudson Bay, Manitoba, Canada

Captured on a WALLSabout Polar Safari

Polar bears are remarkably curious and totally fearless. Hence, when a polar bear notices a group of WALLSabout travelers walking in their environment, they almost always investigate. Not in an aggressive or predatory way, but in an inquisitive and almost contemplative way. Seals and whales make up nearly all of the polar bear’s diet, so they see humans as a curiosity more than potential prey.

The evening this image was taken was unusually cold, even for the Hudson Bay, with temps just above 0°F and the wind chill far below. There was a king tide the night before that flooded the coastal flats, leaving a sheet of sea ice blanketing the coastline with small islands of willow sticking through the ice. We’d seen nearly 90 bears on our WALLSabout Polar Safari thus far, but I was yet to capture a gallery-worthy image and that fact was ticking in my mind. As we entered the nearly two-hour twilight period, colors began to dance across the sky and we spotted a large male polar bear nestled on a willow island, surrounded by ice. We offloaded the ATV’s and began our approach on foot. Our group was made up of a dozen WALLSabout travelers, three armed bear guides, and me. We approached to about 300 yards before the bear noticed us and…he just sat there. “Are you too cold to be curious?” I thought to myself. The sky was absolutely electric behind him, but he was well out of range for any decent image. It would soon be dark, and the ice made walking precarious and slow. It killed me to admit it, but it was time to be prudent – the guides informed the group we were heading back.

As soon as we turned, the bear stood and sauntered our way – his curiosity had kicked in, and he simply couldn’t allow us to walk off without investigating. Relief washed over me, this was going to be an epic sighting, but my mind quickly shifted. I had doubts that my camera would function at this temperature, plus I needed the full dexterity of my fingers to change settings, and they were barely warm in my mitts.

With the bear finally in range, I peered through the viewfinder, and it was like a lucid dream: the last rays of sunlight bathed the tips of the ice, the bear’s fur and the willows with color. I quickly adjusted my settings and squeezed the shutter – it had never sounded so sweet.

An hour later, we all gathered by the fire, the group was buzzing about our adventure that day and the incredible “sunset bear” we had just witnessed.