How does Cole make himself invisible, and why is he doing this

Cole clears his mind. The Spirit bear, and other animals, only visit the calm minded. They visit people that feel no malice towards them.

He bathed, changed in clothes, attempted to mask the smell of humanity. He did this in an attempt to gain the trust of the things around him (example; the beaver). He broke the beaver's trust by trying to grab him, and then he realized how many times he'd broken trust with the people he's known.

he puts a mask on, takes a bath, and he does it because all the animals on the island come to people with a calm mind. He also does it because he wanted to see the sprirt bear and was wondering why he was not coming out when he want to see him