When smoke covered the area we watched the forecasts on firesmoke.ca to see where we might find some reasonable conditions for hiking.    We checked every day and the Lac le Jeune area or the Merritt area had the best average conditions so we paddled the area around Nicola Lake and we hiked trails in the Stake Lake-Lac le Jeune area.    On a sunny day we got an early start to hike from Stake Lake over McConnell Hill and back in an 8 km loop. 

Some smoke lingered at the start of the hike as went around one side of Stake Lake. 

We hiked a combination of trails – Cartwheel, Ponderosa, Sitting Bull, Rustler, then up the single track snowshoe trail, Bushwhacker.  

We followed the Bushwacker Trail east past the lookouts, then dropped down to the Sidewinder Trail.  

Sidewinder descends the north side of McConnell Hill.    It is wetter and more shady, and less drought-stricken.    Pollinators were on pearly everlasting and other flowering plants for the second half of the hike.

There were no longer views on a day with smoke in the valleys all around, but we enjoyed the forests along the way, thankful to have a day of hiking in the high country.  

With a stop for lunch, the route took about 3 hours.   We were glad to be finished before the heat of the afternoon.