7-Day Solo to Canada's Greatest Wilderness Cabin? – A Lonely Homesteader's Wooden Castle

47 thoughts on “7-Day Solo to Canada's Greatest Wilderness Cabin? – A Lonely Homesteader's Wooden Castle”

• Drone: all drone footage was shot at the start of the trip, launching outside the park boundary.
  
  Bird: That bird was indeed a peregrine falcon according to feedback on iNaturalist.
  
  References:
  
  Friends of White Otter Castle: https://www.facebook.com/whiteottercastle/
  
  Booklet referenced: White Otter Castle: The Legacy of Jimmy McOuat by Elinor Barr
  
  Peter Elliot's documentary on McOuat: https://youtu.be/SueKFSvJRDE?si=pAQgYizHFY0Tl_X6

• Great video but I'm wondering if, with the scared rabbit, the dead falcon and particularly the giant jumble of branches, the word Bigfreakingfoot ever entered your mind? Back slowly away. Lol.

• Another great one! Wow! I loved Jimmy’s story! Disclosure: I’m 65 and am building a small sailboat with one of my daughters. Our adventures may not match yours in kind but they will in spirit. You’ve provided much inspiration for us to finish the boat and enjoy our own wilderness adventures! Thanks again!

• Is that a larger stick stove? It looks like the Yukon mini that my friend has. Did you convince them to make the yukon mini in titanium!?!🎉 Great video, I have always been fascinated with the White Otter Castle.

• You never fail to get me there. Thanks, John.

• Great video. Thanks for sharing the trip. It is amazing how he was able to make that cabin by him help. The love and inspiration he had to live like that is amazing.

• You did a great job on this video. One of your best.

• Jimmy's mansion is simply amazing… But, I have to say, you do quite a fine job keeping the dream alive. The videos you share with us the viewers, are a testament to Уour dreams as much as his mansion was for him. Camp sites I can only dream about, Lakes forever Lost to me, that I'll never experiance in person. Thank you for alowing us to live vicariously through the lens of your camera and thank you for introducing us to Jimmy. Like his mansion, your vision have & will inspire present & future generations to come…
  Уоur Lakes will never be Lost on me or any of us young man…
  God Bless Arron & you Jon, for letting us tag along…
  -LiттІе Sмокеу
  💚🤙🏼❤
  🍻

• This was an especially good episode for me. As I live in Thunder Bay . And that’s a common winter attraction by snowmobile and always a great ride and sight to admire 🥰👌. Awesome video as always 🤙😎👏. Northwestern Ontario 🇨🇦 is one of the world’s small gems . The gears and metal objects were from steam driven boats. We came across one of the old prisoner camps near Armstrong Ontario . They had modified boats to run up and down the rocky rivers . They were being reclaimed by the earth just a few yards off show out of sight. We spent several days combing the shores trying to find remnants. And luckily we did ☺️. To explore , you never know what you might come across . I can relate to Jimmy. In my mid 40’s , never married no kids . Just wandering and exploring. But never had the drive or ambition to pull off a feat of that magnitude .

• Congratulations Jon, awesome video. I’d like to do that trip one day. I’m 3 hrs away from ignace

• I’ve been watching your videos for years and, as someone in the creative industry, I’m SO excited to see how far the quality of your footage has come 🙌🏻

  The videos you posted over the last handful of months have had noticeably better sharpness, dynamic range, contrast and color. You’re doing such a great job.

  Keep up all the incredible work, bud! 👏👏👏🎬

• You are probably already aware of this (I just discovered it while searching out an old song from my youth called “Ojibway Country”. The same fellow who wrote and sang that song (Bill Houston) also wrote one called “The King of White Otter Lake”. It’s here on YouTube.

• You gotta see Pratt's camp on Holmes Lake in New Brunswick!!

• Fantastic video! Thank you.

• Great video. We watched it twice…this could be a movie for discovery channel.

• Do you make your own pierogis?

• beautiful country, nicely shot, very entertaining.

• I can't be the only one, crossover video watching interests. The pile of sticks is a Sasquatch nest! Really, no one else? 🙂 Think I have heard you talk about it in other videos. The strange, perhaps unnatural, things you see and hear alone in the woods. I like that kind of stuff.

• i love love love love love this channel

• Jon, what an excellent piece of work. Just incredible. Thank you for sharing this with us. Much appreciated. Cheers brother.

• That underwater footage of the bass is unreal. Can never get tired of these videos. Thank so much

• Amazing Jon. As someone who is also rehabbing from a knee injury and missing the outdoors I salute you. I think this was your best work. Onwards!

• Wow what a beautiful castle

• Just curious is this in October?

• You were wondering what kind of dead hawk you found, it was a Merlin, related to the falcon family, keep up the great videos JJ, near London, On

• It's been a while since I've heard your voice Jon. I've missed you!!! You are one truly talented person.

• I can imagine the eerie feeling a person would get visiting the castle all by yourself. When I saw it I was with my girlfriend and there were a few guys there doing restoration work and the place felt a bit creepy. I saw a show on TV about haunted places and they featured a story on the White Otter Castle. A young couple were there visiting the place and when they came back to the beach their boat was gone. They had to spend the night and when they woke up in the morning their boat was back on shore where they had left it. I noticed when you were there you just pulled your canoe up on the beach and never tied it to anything so maybe tie it up when you take your wife lol

• Idk if you've ever done a rundown of your gear, would love to know where that collapsable fireplace stand comes from in the red nylon bag. Great video as always.

• Incredible rocks on this trip !
  Just beautiful !

• 28.05 this seems like an appropriate moment to say how good it is to see you john. really good to see you.

• John What brand is your stick stove? I’m looking for a larger one as mine is just too small to be practical. Love your videos!

• I suspect that the lack of obvious heating (and maybe, cooking essentials i.e. stove) may answer other questions about the castle. I guess I should go to the website for further information. Thanks for an enjoyable voyage on the White Otter Lake. Congratulations on your recent marriage.

• Great job ! I enjoyed this immensely

• Another great show Jon! It's too bad the castle builder didn't keep a diary or a "log" of the time he was building. There's so much mystery with this fellow. Maybe he was even mentally ill? It's certainly up there as far as eccentric projects go. And so tragic how fate didn't let him reap the rewards of his work. I hope to get there myself someday. It seems like an easy route. I look forward to a second watch of this one.

• You dont have to build a castle like that… Erin accepted you anyway !
  Those rock formations in White otter lake are amazing, lots of landscape painters and photographers would love to spend some time there.

• What a great video…..you certainly did the Castle justice in your presentation….so well done….you gave Jimmy the respect he deserves!

• That was a great adventure and story Jon! Thanks again for sharing! Sad to see the dead peregrine. Interesting fact about raptors, 70-80% of them perish in their first year of life, usually due to starvation. Learning to be a successful predator is a tough life.

• A great band name would be “Jontario and the Erratics”

• All stunning. The scenery, the editting, the photography.
  👍👍

• Jon, I've been watching your videos since you used to wear a dorkey hat. Each video been better than the last. I'm not sure how you can top this one though. Great job.

• I've been waiting to see you get into White Otter! I used to guide trips in that area back in the 90s for a Minnesotan summer camp. One of my favorite places. Thanks for this one Jon!

• Another gem. Your stuff is just out of this world good. Turn the YouTube bandwidth to highest setting and enjoy!

• Thank you for sharing your experience. How did he heat his castle?

• How many visitors come to see the castle in a year? do you know? Its just incredible. If I could rent it for a week, to stay there with my camp gear only, I would love to. Maybe not a week but 2-3 nights, just be alone or with a friend, feel the history, look out all the windows and take the nature feeling in. Maybe he covered the windows in coldsnaps with blankets to save wood and keep a bit warmer. This video is such a nice combo of nature trip and cultural experience.

• Hello, My mother admires your adventures but it would be amazing if you added arabic subtitles

• As always , EPIC

• Question: what’s your large collapsible wood/sticks stove?
  Wish we had more lakes in Australia..

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