WINTER CARETAKER REPORT 23/24 FIRST MONTH

Hey everyone, my name is Cory Burke,  I’ve taken on the duties as the early winter caretaker at Ganglers. I flew up here on October 21,  this is my first year working for Ken as a Eco guide and outpost camp manager (Bain Lake Outpost).  I live a very outdoorsy style life where I’ve always been working outdoors since I graduated. Adapting to the isolation part of the winter caretaking job has been rather simple for me as I’m used to working by myself for a better part of the year in the north, so it comes natural. I find my breaks from isolation by being outside, so when the weather permits it, that’s where you will find me. I’m a very dedicated angler and do a very minimal amount of hunting. I enjoy video editing and photography and make a lot of fishing videos on a YouTube channel. With the advances in Internet capabilities, isolation has become much easier up here with the use of satellite Internet.

Upon getting up to the lodge in October, I was met with cool, fall like temperatures, and the lake was already starting to freeze over.  It wasn’t long and I found myself outside on the lake ice fishing rather quickly as the lake froze over within a matter of a week. Along with the frozen lake, the snow started to fall, and it became winter at the lodge Once the snow started to fall, I was able to see a lot more of the tracks from the animals that were still active in the area like rabbits, Pine Martens and wolvesGetting into November, the temperatures up here decreased rapidly. The lake quickly turned into a solid sheet of ice where travel was permitted, so I took this opportunity to get out and do some ice fishing as it’s one of my greatest passions.

My daylight hours have been become minimal throughout the day with lots of overcast days, and no sunlight, so I have been carefully staying on top of the solar system. Clearing snow has been a crucial part to the first part of my caretaking duties along with the water system as well, thankfully I’m very mechanically inclined.  This included doing a tune up on the snowmobile to prepare it for the winter ahead. Last but not least, I am eagerly waiting for the first signs of the migrating caribou ! Hopefully it won’t be long and they will migrate in our direction. It’s not winter in Northern Manitoba without the caribou !