09/01/2026
We had a good flight into Kaska from Thompson on August 31st. The pilot over-flew the Old Hudson Bay Company Depot and Trading Post at York Factory, located at the mouth of the Hayes River.
From York Factory we flew 90-plus miles along the coast of Hudson Bay to Kaska Goose Lodge.
Unfortunately, I was sitting on the wrong side of the aircraft, as the passengers on the port side reported seeing 47 polar bears between York Factory and the lodge. Our chef, Jason, and I didn't see a single bear on on side of the aircraft.
We did see several flocks of Canada and snow geese as well as a few large flock of sandhill cranes once we were within 25 miles of Kaska. I didn't see many ducks on the freshwater ponds located just back from the coast.
Our timing was good, as a fog bank began to roll in from Hudson Bay as we were on our final approach to Kaska.
The camp was in good condition, with just some black bear damage to one of our generator buildings. The bear ripped apart a wall to get into the building and then proceeded to chew through the fuel line to the generator. Repairing the fuel line is on today's job list.
The crew is making good progress preparing the camp for our first group of hunters.
