Whisky Jack Outdoor Co.

07/01/2026

So who's loving this heat and who would rather be out on a frozen lake!? With temperatures peaking at 48 degrees celcius with humidity here today, there is over an 80 degree temperature differential compared to the day this photo was taken, think about that....80 degrees!

Canada is wild, and we wouldn't have it any other way!

Happy Canada Day everyone!

06/17/2026

06/17/2026

Wabakimi 2026 - Day 9

We got up early and checked in on the train schedule, our 9 AM train hit delay after delay through Manitoba, so we took our time packing up enjoying some mild temperatures as we did. We made our way up to the tracks mid-afternoon and waited, watching freight train after freight train go by while reminiscing on the trip highlights. At times the trains kicked up so much spindrift it was like being in a complete whiteout. Thankfully, temperatures warmed to near zero while we waited. We snacked and enjoyed the last few drams of whisky as the sun lowered behind the trees. As it got dark we got a fire going which I'm sure made some of the passing freight trains wonder. Our VIA finally arrived around 7 PM. Curious passengers watched through the windows as we loaded our gear onto the train and made our way to our seats. We headed straight to the dining car for some dinner, enjoyed a hot shower and spent the evening at the back of the train. Nearly a full 24 hrs later we were back to our cars in Washago and headed home.

Few places match the profound winter silence and spectacular, pristine landscape of Wabakimi. It was an unparalleled trek that exceeded every expectation—just a completely unique, unforgettable wilderness adventure.

Now, how to top this one next year...

Thanks to my trekking partners Martin, Ken, Tom and Candace for an amazing trip!

If you enjoyed our trip, give a follow and a like to the Whisky Jack Outdoor Co. Facebook/Instagram page. If you are interested in any of the equipment we used, feel free to send me a message to chat and check out the webpage!

Thanks for following along!

06/15/2026

Wabakimi 2026 - Day 8

Tom's digital thermometer bottoms out at -40 C, and that's where it was when we woke up.  We didn't have a long trek today, we were headed back over familiar ground west towards the rail line.  Soon we were off the main bay any into the narrows, we too advantage of our original trail where we could find it and avoided slush that started to pop up.  As we approached the trail to the tracks we found a small bay tucked out of view and set up our final camp.  With the train coming around 9 AM the next morning we wanted to be as close to the tracks as we could.  Our final night was beautifully clear and bright. 

06/12/2026

04/25/2026

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.

04/19/2026

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.

04/15/2026

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.