Cross Princess Royal Island entirely self-supported. It's a feat rarely accomplished. From the time we depart in the middle of Whale Channel until we step into the native village of Klemtu on nearby Swindle Island, the team is reliant only upon their skills and determination to survive. There will be little chance of passing other travelers on the island.
Document what's there. Speed is not the goal. Bushwhacking deep into untraveled old-growth valleys will give the team a truly unique view of a land few have ever known in such depth. They will rely upon patience and photography to tell the story to those who cannot undergo such a journey for themselves.
Make the case for preservation. Select segments of the Great Bear Rainforest have been set aside with limited restrictions to logging and resource extraction. Most have not. Teaming up with ecologists and preservation teams intimately familiar with the Great Bear Rainforest, the Spirit Bear team hopes to shed some light on this truly unique ecosystem.
The CHALLENGES of the trip are more involved. Here's a bit of what the Spirit Bear Team is up against:

Northern Temperate Rainforests. Thick vegetation, steep terrain, and near-zero visibility make any bushwhack through old-growth temperate rainforests an arduous,rewarding journey. Untrailed wilderness. The old-growth woods of a temperate rainforest hold double the biomass of their tropical rainforest counterparts. Anyone who's spent time traveling away from trails in such terrain knows the challenges that entails. Over the course of three weeks, the Spirit Bear Team will lose a lot of skin and test their gear like a tissue in a blender. It is impossible to say where we'll camp until we get there. Navigation through such terrain is equal parts art and grit.
Weeks without resupply. The gear for such a journey focuses upon lightweight options. We cannot skimp on calories on such a trip, and three weeks of food adds up quickly in any pack. Loads will be heavy, and the terrain will be fierce. We must choose our routes carefully to avoid unnecessary risk of injuries.
Amphibious travel. When originally planning this trip, an experienced local trekker with good intentions once told me "As it stands right now, the only attempts to cross PRI are pure legend. It's not a backpacking trip." He was right. The entire geography of Princess Royal island is cleaved with impassable ridges, extended lakes and deep fjords, making a purely overland trip unfeasible over any large distance. Those traveling by boat (kayakers, canoeists) can get marginally further, but routes are limited to a selection of lakes & inlets accessible only from the ocean or by short portages. To traverse the most remote areas on the interior of Princess Royal Island, the Spirit Bear Team must rely upon rafts made from extremely durable lightweight materials... small enough to fit in a backpack, tough enough to handle a rainforest. Such gear has only become available in recent years, making our route a truly unique and untried experience.