Wabakimi is the Plan

[Black_Fly]

Gonna try to make it to Wabakimi this summer. Can’t hack the industrial tourism in BWCA anymore. Besides, I’ve been all over that place. Maybe I can focus on Ontario parks for my bucket list. I figure mid-August is a good target to avoid the worst of the bugs. Hope to do the train from Thunder Bay. My son might go along provided he doesn’t have cancer treatments going on. I sure hope that’s in the rear view by then.

The Friends are very helpful. Gonna lean on their resources, but advice from the peanut gallery is always appreciated.

Tony

 

[Keeled Over]

Gonna try to make it to Wabakimi this summer. Can’t hack the industrial tourism in BWCA anymore. Besides, I’ve been all over that place. Maybe I can focus on Ontario parks for my bucket list. I figure mid-August is a good target to avoid the worst of the bugs. Hope to do the train from Thunder Bay. My son might go along provided he doesn’t have cancer treatments going on. I sure hope that’s in the rear view by then.

The Friends are very helpful. Gonna lean on their resources, but advice from the peanut gallery is always appreciated.

Tony

When we went last summer we just drove straight up from Thunder Bay, about 3.5 hours. We did take the train to our put in, and we did have to wait for a bit for it to show up, but the experience was fun. Biggest difference for me - outside of nothing being marked - was the general roughness of the rocky portions of the ports. Since they have is tiny percentage of the foot traffic the BW's gets the trails were closer to a cheese grater. We both wore through the fingers on our leather gloves and depended on athletic tape to keep going. All ok after the first week. We went in the first half of June - the bugs were everywhere, but a headnet and Off made everything ok. Brought the Ultimate Bug Shirt but never put it on. We also wanted solitude, which we got - didn't see a soul. Going again I would bring less tackle. One med heavy spinning and one medium spinning is all you need. 12lb XT with a leader. We figured out pretty quickly a Johnson Silver Minnow and silver/green Little Cleo provided all the action we needed. I brought a bunch of lures but they were simply not needed - just extra weight. Very similar looking to the ADK's, just on a grander scale. Nites were cool but not bad - I brought a 30 degree bag but used it as a quilt. We used sites that had not seen activity in years.

 

[Aslowhand]

Hope to do the train from Thunder Bay.

Just to make sure: there's no train service from Thunder Bay to Wabakimi, you have to drive your car up to Armstrong Station, Sioux Lookout or Savant Lake to reach the train.

Wabakimi is a real gem! I like it!

André

 

[Gamma1214]

As Andre points out, the nearest station to Wisconsin is probably the Armstrong station. Westbound trains run 2x / week and, when I spoke to them last Fall, they advised getting tickets as soon as you settle on a date / group size. Rail drop-off to Wabakimi has become pretty popular and they're limited as to how many they can haul.

Here's where to start: https://www.viarail.ca/en/explore-our-destinations/stations/ontario/armstrong

...was the general roughness of the rocky portions of the ports. Since they have is tiny percentage of the foot traffic the BW's gets the trails were closer to a cheese grater. We both wore through the fingers on our leather gloves and depended on athletic tape to keep going.

I'm curious about the gloves wearing out. I believe you said the BIL was a rock climber... were you climbing or why did the gloves wear?

 

[Keeled Over]

As Andre points out, the nearest station to Wisconsin is probably the Armstrong station. Westbound trains run 2x / week and, when I spoke to them last Fall, they advised getting tickets as soon as you settle on a date / group size. Rail drop-off to Wabakimi has become pretty popular and they're limited as to how many they can haul.

Here's where to start: https://www.viarail.ca/en/explore-our-destinations/stations/ontario/armstrong


I'm curious about the gloves wearing out. I believe you said the BIL was a rock climber... were you climbing or why did the gloves wear?

No climbing - just the rocks along the portage trails were very abrasive, this compared to the comparatively glass smooth ones in the ADK'S. He is from Boulder and backpacks in the Rockies and saw the same thing. Weird, but maybe just in our area. We both agreed 2 pair of gloves for a future trip. Or, we might just be wusses.

 

[Black_Fly]

So you must wait until two weeks before your desired date to get a permit, but when should one expect to make train reservations?

Thanks Gamma. Good site.

The talk about rock texture and worn out gloves had me wondering what I was getting into

 

[jdeerfoot]

BF - you can get permits from any outfitter in the area or buy them online from Ontario Parks. In the park you will need a provincial park permit and on surrounding Crown Lands you need a Crown Land Camping permit. No need to get your permits early, the park and surrounding Crown Lands don’t get much use.

As gamma advised you should make train reservations for your boat as soon as you have a date - the train is an increasingly popular and cheap way to enter the park. And as I recall there may be just 2 passenger trains per week.

I encourage you to check out the Friends of Wabakimi website (friendsofwabakimi.wildapricot.org). There is much info available there. Membership in the Friends group is inexpensive and gives discounts of the various maps, etc which they offer. If you are planning to attend Canoecopia in Madison WI in March be sure to stop by the Friends booth in the atrium. Many active and experienced FOW members will be there.

Lastly, I am not sure what the problem with work gloves was but you probably only need them if clearing a trail or for preparing firewood, etc. I was on many trips with the Wabakimi Project (forerunner of the Friends group) and I used the same heavy leather work gloves for a number of years before they wore out. On these trips we spent almost everyday finding and clearing long unused portages so the gloves saw much use.

 

[Sturgeon]

Just a thought...depending on where you live in Wisconsin, you could drive to Sudbury and get on the train there. It might be shorter than driving to Armstrong.

 

[recped]

Just a thought...depending on where you live in Wisconsin, you could drive to Sudbury and get on the train there. It might be shorter than driving to Armstrong.

That would necessitate getting on the train again to get back to Sudbury. I don't have any actual Wabakimi experience but I assume in most cases you end where there is road access and then get a shuttle back to Armstrong. If you exit via the train then you would need to commit in advance to a firm schedule and pray that they have room for a boat & gear.

FYI - For driving time going via Sudbury instead of Thunder Bay only saves about 50 miles.

 

[memaquay]

I'm not sure there are too many Wabakimi routes that will meet your criteria. Most have ports, and the ports are probably not going to be what you are used too, if they are cleared at all. I know FOW do a fair amount of work, but between blowdown and fires, expect to run into conditions that could be quite challenging.

 

[Keeled Over]

I'm not sure there are too many Wabakimi routes that will meet your criteria. Most have ports, and the ports are probably not going to be what you are used too, if they are cleared at all. I know FOW do a fair amount of work, but between blowdown and fires, expect to run into conditions that could be quite challenging.

Some of the ports on our 2 week trip were fine, but others had not been touched in a long time. Granted, we were there very early in the season but these were not on any kind of regular maint. schedule. My brother, who has trekked at elevation and climbed in a few countries found this the most demanding thing he has done. Bush-wacking with the 17 was not fun, especially in the heavy blow down areas. My brother stated on day 3 - "this is not for the faint of heart". I won't go back - it was great but essentially a big, grand version of the ADK's and I can travel to places and not see people with much less effort.

 

[Black_Fly]

Just a thought...depending on where you live in Wisconsin, you could drive to Sudbury and get on the train there. It might be shorter than driving to Armstrong.

Checked out the mileage. 200 m miles closer to Armstrong,

I guess next step is finding a route to match my old maness and range. I’m thinking of leaving my dog home. That saves weight in my pack and room in the canoe. Hate to leave him, but as busted up as I am, I’ll need to trim down.

Well, I ain’t exactly faint of heart, but time is catching up. Someone once said the main cause of senior visits to the ER is old men thinking they are still young men. Probably true, but I’m hoping the remoteness will curb the competition for campsites, so I can go as slow as I need to. Gonna work on my cardio, stamina, try to strengthen my shoulder. If I can’t do it I won’t go. Shoveled some snow and the danged shoulder was miserable. Got neuropathy down the arm all night. Might need to find a one hand paddle just in case.

 

[memaquay]

I'm trying to get ready for a trip in June as well, still not sure if I will be able to do it, but the dream lives on!

 

[jdeerfoot]

BF - other than some of the most popular routes (Kopka Rv; north on the Allenwater Rv from Allanwater Bridge off the railroad) there is no competition the campsites because there are few to no other parties.

A number of years ago we met an older, overweight woman paddling solo. She and her husband used take trips together. When he aged out she still wanted to trip so she flew into a lake and maybe portaged into a nearby lake if the portage was easy/short enough. Her trips were generally about 1 week and then she flew out. A bit pricey but I find myself now eyeing trips like this at age 77. I did a 2 week trip using that method with a new group in 2023 in Manitoba. I just enjoy being in the bush with a few long time, nearly age-old buddies like myself, sitting around the campfire with our whisky and bourbon talking all the trips we did in the past.

 

[Odyssey]

I guess we're all fun types here,1,2, & 3?, so p'raps we can all relate. I and my missus rate lower on the sphincter scale (<1 ha) so slow and daydreamy is our modi oprandi, particularly later in our lives. A take your time tour of the boreal backcountry sounds ideal. I have a Temagami May "opener" in the planning stages with lots of rest and relaxation and no rush. To each their own. Good luck with Wabakimi.

 

[Black_Fly]

That’s my new mantra: slow and dreamy. See everything, hear it all.