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  1. #1
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    12 Days in the Northern Boreal Forest of Ontario - Wabakimi Provincial Park

    Hopefully, we can do this type of trip again in the near future. The logistics and planning took quite some time but we eventually made it happen.

    "The boreal forest (or “taiga”) is the world’s largest land biome. The boreal ecozone principally spans 8 countries: Canada, China, Finland, Japan, Norway, Russia, Sweden, and the United States. It is typically comprised of coniferous tree species such as pine, spruce, and fir with some broadleaf species such as poplar and birch.

    The circumboreal belt of forest represents about 30% of the global forest area, contains more surface freshwater than any other biome, and has large tracts of unmanaged forests across the high-latitude regions of Canada, Russia, and the United States. From a biological perspective, boreal forests are defined as forests growing in high-latitude environments where freezing temperatures occur for 6 to 8 months and in which trees are capable of reaching a minimum height of 5 m and a canopy cover of 10%."


    We flew deep into the park by way of a Beaver float plane that dropped us off on Burntrock Lake. We started our 140+ mile journey on a lake that greeted us with whitecaps and headwinds and ended 12 days later, hungry, bug bitten, sunburned, and wet on Tamarack Lake. We crossed the height of land in Canada while traversing 4 different river systems and their adjacent lakes that ranged in size from a few hundred meters to miles wide at times. Wildlife abounded - Beaver, Bull Moose, Bear, Bald Eagles, and the elusive Woodland Caribou. We saw each one except for the "Grey Ghost", the Woodland Caribou only left its tracks for us to admire. Maybe next time they'll show themselves. We paddled up the river, down the river, through rapids, waded, and lined only to be confronted again and again with portages. Some difficult, some easy, but always full of a bumper crop of Canadian blueberries that filled our bellies and made the carrying of packs and canoes worth every penny!

    Due to the nature of the Boreal Forest, we carried with us two separate shelter systems. Hammocks and tents. Due to the nature of the forest which consisted mainly of Jack Pine we were only able to hammock less than half the time. There was never the perfect angle for hammocking, we made due with what we were given but at the end of the day, we always slept well.

    Enjoy the pics!
    Attached Images Attached Images

  2. #2
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    Some more images
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    Last edited by dantolz; 08-25-2022 at 10:45.

  3. #3
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    I have friends returning today from Wabakimi. They used the rail option. This is a place I had always hoped to get to.

  4. #4
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    Thank you for posting. A very special trip to always remember.

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by TominMN View Post
    I have friends returning today from Wabakimi. They used the rail option. This is a place I had always hoped to get to.
    Rail is a good option if you want to start in the lower portion of the park. Our dropoff was 50miles north of Allenwater as the crow flies (northern portion of the park). That's a good distance in the boreal forest. I honestly don't think that you could actually walk through that forest without extreme difficulty. It would take an entire day to go a few hundred meters. Throw in a canoe and it is like pulling a ladder through a maze.

    One of the great features of the boreal is, that there's unlimited firewood everywhere. BTW - extremely few campsites show activity and if you're going off maps that show "x's" as campsites, I can attest that some have not been used in 5+ years. We found out the hard way on Whitewater Lake. A lot of "X's" but no real sites. That was one of the reasons hammocking was sometimes very difficult if not impossible.

    I think there was one time when I wanted to hammock and the only two trees were 30+ feet apart to use but I made it work I think this shows it.

    Nick_Dad_On_dock (26 of 53).jpg

  6. #6
    Senior Member Rhody Seth's Avatar
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    Great pics. Sounds like an awesome trip. For a second I thought there was a moose in the shadows behind that hammock with the red under quilt.

  7. #7
    Chard's Avatar
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    Very nice. Wabakimi's definitely on my bucket list.
    Survival is about getting out alive, Bushcraft is about going in to live - Chard (aka Forest-Hobo)

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  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by Chard View Post
    Very nice. Wabakimi's definitely on my bucket list.
    If you like Walleye and a lot of silence than that’s the place. We could of pulled 50+walleye out of some of the honey holes. Just find the end of rapids and throw a jig or little Cleo and you have dinner! What was odd was how I really noticed my tinnitus. Just soo damm quiet up there!!

  9. #9
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    Dantolz - Love the canoe TR's, keep em coming. So many amazing places to paddle, but it seems like Wabakimi has a special pull. Thanks for sharing.

  10. #10
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    Looks like an amazing adventure! Those walleyes look tasty and that bull moose is a really good one! Thank you for sharing this.

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