During September a few years ago, we traveled to Murtle Lake before smoky conditions in smothered the area and we decided to shorten our time there once the smoke moved in. On the second day we paddled the west end of the west arm of Murtle Lake. We launched from Birch Beach and paddled past Smoker Island. The wide bay … Continue reading…
Over the winter I purchased a folding kayak so that I could use a backpack to hike to hard-to-get-to-lakes with a kayak. The first lake for this adventure was Island Lake, a grasslands lake in the middle grasslands of Lac du Bois Protected Area. With the backpack on, i hiked from the trailhead to the lake on a faint single … Continue reading…
A paddle and hike duathlon was a good choice for a warm summer day. A paddle around Stake Lake was followed by a hike on the Giant Firs Trail. The big trees on the trail are a welcome sight in both summer and winter. Some moments of both activities are found in this short video:
Continue reading...A favorite combination for summer recreation is to paddle a lake, then hike around it. In August I launched my kayak and paddled the 3 km loop around the lake. After securing the boat, I hiked the 3.5 km trail around the lake, enjoying some of the larger douglas fir trees by the single-track trail. There were a few hikers … Continue reading…
On a pleasant spring day I drove up the bumpy road to Pat Lake, sometimes called Six Mile Lake. It is a favorite spring fishing lake, but I stayed close to the shoreline paddling around twice, once in each direction. There were many birds on the shoreline and on the lake, including blackbirds, loons, ducks (mostly coots), geese, bluebirds, … Continue reading…
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Continue reading...To get to Murtle Lake, we have to drive to Blue River, then drive up into the mountains for 23 km. At the trailhead we have to load the kayaks onto carts and portage for 2.5 km. At the boat launch on Murtle Lagoon, we then paddle for 12 to 14 km to camp at a marine campsite. On this … Continue reading…
On a hot summer morning I chose to drive up to Lodgepole Lake to do some loops – twice around the lake in a kayak, then once around the lake on the Lodgepole Lake Trail. The trailhead starts at the end of the Recreation Site campground and winds around the lake. The loop route is about 2 km. There is … Continue reading…
We hike, bike, cross country ski, snowshoe, and paddle in the Stake Lake Trails system. In summer we sometimes paddle around the lake 1-3 times, then we go for a hike on the trails. On this warm summer day, I paddled twice around the lake in calm conditions. Each loop is about 2.25 km. We secured the boat then hiked … Continue reading…
I drove backroads all the way to Ross Moore Lake, something I do every year. The date has to be after the roads dry out so we make the trip sometime between June and September. It takes about an hour to get to the lakeshore, making all the right turns on the many forested backroads in a remote area. The … Continue reading…
As winter approaches cold and windy conditions limit the number of times we can paddle on the lakes and rivers, so if an opportunity arises, I load up the kayak and head out. In late October, the day was still quite cool and my time was limited so I chose to paddle on Inks Lake. A paddle of the shoreline, … Continue reading…
At the end of the paddling season it becomes more difficult to paddle on the lakes at higher locations so I turn to a small selection of lower elevation lakes and the south Thompson River, mostly launching from Pioneer Park. By mid-October there are rarely any boats on the water, but the boat launch provides easy access to the river. … Continue reading…
Edith Lake is close to town, providing quick access, but it can be a busy place for fishermen and campers. For this reason we usually paddle the lake in the off-season. On a cool and windy October day, I launched my kayak into the headwinds for two loops around the lake. There is a long arm of the lake that … Continue reading…
On a mild early October day I paddled Tunkwa Lake, one of the best paddling day of 2020. Partly-sunny skies and light winds are always a blessing when kayaking in the high country. There are campgrounds and some private homes on the east and south sides of the lake, but the west side of the lake has pasture land, Parks … Continue reading…
In late summer the pelicans start their migration south, stopping for a few weeks in our area’s lakes or rivers. I expect to see them in Campbell Lake in August or September so I plan ahead to paddle with the pelicans. Unfortunately the wind forecast was wrong and I battled stronger winds out of the west as I paddled the … Continue reading…
We traveled to Murtle Lake before smoky conditions smothered the area and we decided to shorten our time there. On the second day we paddled the west end of the west arm of Murtle Lake. We launched from Birch Beach and paddled past Smoker Island. The wide bay at the mouth of File Creek and Anderson Creek is shallow and … Continue reading…
