Dec – Feb
Winter
Cold-weather survival, snares, tracking on snow, ice fishing, fire in deep cold, winter shelter. The hardest, most respected season.
Nak'albun · Stuart Lake · British Columbia
A four-season wilderness school.Run by Mike Hawkridge and the people whose families have lived this land for ten thousand years.
Apply for the Founders Trip
July 27 – August 3, 2026 · 8–10 guests
We teach the actual skills, mindset, and land-knowledge that make a person hard to break. Real wilderness, real fire, real food, real ancestors of this place.
Stay wild.
Nak'albun is one of the largest natural lakes in north-central British Columbia.
Stuart Lake — Nak'albun in Dakelh, “Mount Pope Lake” — stretches roughly 66 to 90 kilometres long and covers about 358 square kilometres of cold, deep water in the Northern Interior of British Columbia. It is part of the Stuart–Trembleur–Takla chain, nearly 300 kilometres of navigable wilderness waterway and one of the longest salmon migration routes on the continent.
This has been Dakelh (Carrier) territory for at least ten thousand years. Pictographs on the rock faces, culturally modified trees, salmon weirs, and trails like Nyan Wheti (“The Way Across”) are still in continuous use. Fort St. James, at the southeast end of the lake, is the oldest continuously inhabited non-Indigenous community in British Columbia and a National Historic Site. The country around it is sub-boreal forest, sandy beaches, rocky bays, islands, and the dramatic shoulder of Mount Pope (Nak'al).
- Location
- Northern Interior, British Columbia, Canada
- Nation
- Nak'azdli Whut'en (Dakelh / Carrier)
- Lake
- ~358 km² · 66–90 km long · up to 95 m deep
- Climate
- Subarctic continental — four real seasons
- Nearest town
- Fort St. James, BC
- Access
- Fly Prince George (YXS) · ~2 hr drive north
Mike Hawkridge has guided this country for decades.
Mike grew up in Fort St. James and lives at Stuart Lake full-time. He runs AlphaDog Outdoors — his existing big-game hunting operation — which is endorsed by Craig Boddington and was the subject of Joe Rogan's April/May 2015 Petersen's Hunting cover story, “Eat What You Kill.”
He has trained generations of guides, runs a working trapline, and is currently apprenticing young men from Nak'azdli Whut'en in the skills and traditions that hold this place together — fire, water, shelter, hunt, harvest, navigation, weather, and cold. Hawkridge Wilderness is the long-form version of that life's work, opened up to people who want to learn it.
“Real men like him are the last of a dying breed.”
Mike's own promise is shorter: “We really try not to suck.”
The Dakelh seasonal round, in one school.
The Dakelh people have always followed the year around this lake — fishing and gathering in summer, harvesting in fall, trapping and ice-fishing in winter, hunting and foraging in spring. Each of our retreats is built inside that round.
Mar – May
Spring
Bear hunting, spring foraging, fishing, water-skills as the ice breaks, plant medicine awakening on the south-facing slopes.
Jun – Aug
Summer
Lake fishing by canoe, foraging, plant medicine, navigation, multi-day expedition skills. Long days, salmon, pictograph trips.
Sep – Nov
Fall
Big-game hunting, harvest, butchery, food preservation, fall foraging, fire-curing meat. The Dakelh harvest round.
Five ways to come to Stuart Lake.
From a single weekend to a fully private buyout. Every retreat longer than a day includes Nation involvement, real food from this country, and documentation of your trip delivered after. All prices CAD.
Founders Trip
The Founders Trip
The first paid cohort. Mike teaching, Nak'azdli Whut'en members co-hosting, you living it for eight days at Stuart Lake.
8–10 guests · all-inclusive from Prince George
Apply for the Founders Trip- Length
- 8 days
- When
- July 27 – Aug 3, 2026
- Price
- $3,500
Weekend
Hawkridge Foundations
A two-night weekend in fire, water, shelter, knife, plants, and basic navigation. Lodge accommodation. The first taste.
8–10 guests · Friday evening to Sunday afternoon
- Length
- 3 days
- When
- September 2026
- Price
- $1,650
Immersion
Fall Immersion
The flagship eight-day immersion in the harvest season — fire, water, shelter, hunt, butchery, preservation, and a multi-day field expedition.
6–12 guests · lodge + camp · all-inclusive from Prince George
- Length
- 8 days
- When
- October 2026
- Price
- $4,950
Hunt
First Harvest
For the person who has never hunted but wants to ethically harvest their first big-game animal. Full hunt, butchery, cultural framing, meat shipped home.
1-on-1 or 2-on-1 guiding · meat shipped home
- Length
- 8 days
- When
- September – November
- Price
- $7,950 – $11,500
Private buyout — your group only
Hawkridge Cohort
Fully private. Corporate leadership offsites, a tight friend group, an extended family, a podcast crew. Custom curriculum.
6–12 guests · your group only
Request a private consultation- Length
- 4–6 days
- When
- Custom
- Price
- From $48,000
On unceded traditional territory, with a partnership in motion.
Hawkridge Wilderness operates on the unceded traditional territory of Nak'azdli Whut'en, the Dakelh (Carrier) Nation at Fort St. James whose people have lived around Nak'albun for thousands of years.
We are working with the Nation's Economic Development Corporation to build this venture jointly — with cultural authority, language, and stewardship co-led by Nation members from day one. Nothing about this site or this venture has been built without that partnership in motion.
Frequently asked.
Where is Hawkridge Wilderness located?
Hawkridge Wilderness is based at Nak'albun (Stuart Lake) near Fort St. James in northern British Columbia, Canada. The lake sits in the traditional territory of the Nak'azdli Whut'en, a Dakelh (Carrier) Nation. Guests fly into Prince George (YXS) and we handle ground transport from there — about a two-hour drive north on Highway 27.
Who is Mike Hawkridge?
Mike Hawkridge is a wilderness guide who has worked the country around Stuart Lake for many years. He grew up in Fort St. James and lives at the lake full-time. He runs AlphaDog Outdoors, a big-game hunting operation endorsed by Craig Boddington, and was the subject of Joe Rogan's April/May 2015 Petersen's Hunting cover story "Eat What You Kill." He is currently apprenticing young men from Nak'azdli Whut'en in the skills and traditions that hold this place together.
What is Nak'albun?
Nak'albun is the Dakelh (Carrier) name for Stuart Lake — it means "Mount Pope Lake." The lake is roughly 66–90 km long and 358 km², making it one of the largest natural lakes in north-central British Columbia. It has been Dakelh territory for at least ten thousand years, with pictographs, salmon weirs, and trails like Nyan Wheti ("The Way Across") in continuous use.
Is this a hunting trip or a survival school?
Both, depending on which retreat you pick. The Foundations weekend, Fall Immersion, and Founders Trip are bushcraft and land-skill immersions — fire, water, shelter, food, plants, navigation, hunting and harvest in season, and cultural programming with Nation knowledge-keepers. First Harvest is a guided ethical big-game hunt for first-time hunters. Hawkridge Cohort is a private buyout that can be tailored to either.
Do I need to be experienced or fit?
No prior bushcraft experience is required for any retreat. Fitness level is moderate — if you can hike six miles with a pack and sleep on the ground for one night, you're fine. Pre-arrival prep packets cover gear, conditioning, and licensing.
When can I come?
The first paid cohort runs July 27 – August 3, 2026 as the Founders Trip. The first public Foundations weekend is September 2026, and the first Fall Immersion runs October 2026. First Harvest hunts run through the fall (September – November). Private Cohort buyouts are scheduled by arrangement.
How is this different from other wilderness schools?
Three things. First, place: a real four-season operating ground at Stuart Lake, not a generic forest. Second, lineage: Mike has guided this exact country for many years and is training the next generation of Nak'azdli Whut'en guides alongside him. Third, the partnership: Hawkridge Wilderness is being built jointly with the Nation's Economic Development Corporation, with cultural authority co-led from day one.
How do I apply?
Use the application form below (or write to getwild@hawkridgewilderness.com) with a few sentences about yourself, why this trip, and how you heard about us. We review every application together — Mike and the team will decide the cohort within five days. The same form works for every retreat.
Come to Stuart Lake.
Apply for the Founders Trip, or tell us which retreat is yours. Mike, Josh, and the team read every application — the cohort is decided within five days.
Prefer email? Write to getwild@hawkridgewilderness.com — or join the Stay Wild list to hear when new dates open.