On a windy day paddling is more difficult so I sometimes opt for a small, sheltered lake in the hills.   McConnell Lake lies in a bit of a bowl surrounded by trees, more protected from the winds.    It is a small lake so two loops (one in each direction) provides 5.2 km of paddling, one hour of exercise on a calm day, but 1.25 hours on a windy day.     There is a good hand launch spot at the BC Rec Site.

The shoreline has more protection from the wind than does the middle of the lake so I followed the shore in a clockwise loop first.   Two small islands are on the east side of the lake.

On this day there were grey, bright skies with the wind.   The second loop was in  a counter-clockwise direction.

Near the end of the paddle, the skies stared to break and the winds abated for a while, a pleasant respite.

On other days, I will paddle one or two loops, then secure the boat and go for a hike (or run) on the trails for varied workout (that’s what I did on the next paddle).    We are pretty luck to have a number of lakes off the Lac le Jeune Road and lots of trails too for outings from April though the end of October.