Whisky Jack Outdoor Co.

Wabakimi 2026 - Day 6

Today we planned to spend the day out fishing deeper water beyond our bay.  The forecast was calling for a brief but rapid warm up to zero around mid-day.  Given we were camped so close to the previous campsite and we had left a stack of processed wood behind, Martin and I decided to take the pulk overland and  bring the wood back.  To our surprise we made the round trip in just under 30 minutes.  After lunch the temperature had climbed up to 0 C.  Tom, Candace and Ken headed out to the lake under blue skies, and by the time I followed clouds were coming in and the wind was picking up.  I met up with the group and Candace headed back to camp, by the time I had a hole cut my gear was near buried by blowing snow, within minutes of dropping my line we were in the middle of an intense snow squall and the temperature started dropping.  That's when, between breaks in the wind, we noticed a large animal moving slowly in our direction, fighting the wind and snow.  We figured it was either a moose or caribou (or maybe a wendigo!) and must have been a half kilometer away.  Before long, the squall intensified, the trees were bowing over and soon we could barely see the shores through the blowing snow, let alone the animal out on the ice.  Our tracks had disappeared, and at the peak we could barely see 10 m away.  We gave up on the mystery animal and decided it was time to get back to camp.  We returned to find Tom and Candace's tent had taken a beating, poles had bent so we rigged up some reinforcement.   By dark the winds died down and we were back down to -20 C and dropping.  The pressure changed from 960 mb to 945 mb and back to 966 mb and the temperature swung from -20 C to O C and back to -25 C (without windchill) over the course of 24 hrs, by far the most intense weather system I had ever experienced on a winter trek.  It was a Type 2 kind of day.

Wabakimi 2026 - Day 5

It was -24 C when we woke up on Day 5, we packed up the gear and hit the trail mid morning. Working our way up the islands we spotted a well used animal trail on the far shore, possibly caribou or moose, easily seen almost half a kilometer away. The sun was shining and we were enjoying an easy travel day. We rounded the point on the island and broke for some lunch, after eating Martin powered ahead breaking trail while Tom and Ken tried fishing again, but the fish weren't interested. We headed east along the north shore of the island and found our way to a bay directly north of our previous nights camp. Noticing huge drifts facing west, we worked our way deeper into the bay until we hit the end. We set up camp on the edge of the ice with a beautiful view of the bay and the lake beyond. We intended to spend another layover day here and try some more fishing so we took our time setting up camp and gathering wood before settling in. With the wood stove pumping we spent the evening playing perudo and relaxing.

Wabakimi 2026 - Day 3/4

Knowing we were dealing with deep snow and tough hauling conditions we made a decision to alter our trek and cover less distance.  We took our time packing up the tent while Candace and Tom broke trail through the deep snow.  As we all trekked between islands we were fortunate enough to see six caribou tucked into a bay, three of them watched us watching them before disappearing into the forest, while a second group of three emerged from the forest and followed them across the bay.  We carried on and worked our way up the shore under overcast skies and head on squalls before tucking into a sheltered bay for the night.  The next day we spent around camp and fishing, it was cold with a fierce wind out on the lake, with no fish biting we headed back to camp to relax and enjoy the environment.

Wabakimi 2026 - Day 1/2

We met up in Washago at the VIA Station, Martin, Ken, Tom, Candace and I. Some of us had tripped before and some had never met. When the VIA arrived we loaded our gear into the cargo car and settled in for our trip. We spent the afternoon pouring over maps and watching the scenery change. The next morning, after spending nearly 24 hrs on the train, we stepped off and unloaded our gear. It was a frigid morning with temperatures at -23 C. We stashed some gear near the tracks for the return journey and prepped the rest of our gear to start trekking. The first bay and channel kept us on our toes with spider holes, ridges and slush, but once we opened up into the main lake the ice was less concerning. The snow was deep, really deep. Hauling the toboggans and pulk wasn't easy, and we opted for one person to break while others managed hauling. We crossed moose and other tracks heading north west up the lake, but no sign of the animals themselves. We cut west to an island and set up for our first night in Wabakimi Provincial Park.

What an experience, Wabakimi Provincial Park did not disappoint. From incredible wildlife sightings to wild weather, we experienced it all. More photos to come.

Off for a little adventure...

We’ve all been there: at the end of a long day’s trek, you finally get the stove going and just want to sit down and relax. For me, that meant pulling a milk crate full of camp gear out of my tank, dumping it all out, flipping it over, and spending the rest of the night digging through a mess on the floor.

​There’s a better way.

​The Whisky Jack Outdoor Co. Seat Board is built from solid textured HDPE to fit standard 12" x 12" internal measure crates. Instead of emptying your kit to find a seat, you just flip the lid and take a load off.

​Why it works:
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Keep Your Gear Organized: No more gear explosions; your kit stays inside the crate while you sit.

​Textured Top: The top side is textured to give you a stable seat or surface for your coffee, cards, or headlamp.

​Built Tough: Solid HDPE construction that won't crack in the cold or soak up moisture.

​Custom Hinge: Pre-drilled holes allow you to lace it up with some paracord or zip-ties to keep the lid secure.

​Simple. Reliable. Durable. Made for the bush. 🇨🇦

www.whiskyjackoutdoor.com

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