Mid-November on Jacko Lake

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Near the end of the 2024 paddling season, a day in mid-November featured mild temperatures and sunny skies.   The forecast had been for light winds early, then strong winds to develop by noon.     I loaded the boat early and drove to Jacko Lake.    I was on the water by 9:15.     there was one fisherman on the lake, but no one else around.     Cattle were grazing on the west side of the lake, ducks were feeding in the shallow bays, and a few birds could be heard near the shorelines.   The lake levels were down by about 4 feet from spring  so the bays were too shallow to paddle.

I paddled a loop route around the main part of the lake, going around twice, once in each direction.

There was some wind at times, but not too cold on this day.   Jacko is one of my favorite lakes and it may be the last lake paddle for the year.      This was the 72nd day of paddling in 2024.

On the River in November

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After many days of windy conditions, we finally had a calm day suitable for paddling.    In the first week of November I arrived at the Valleyview Boat Launch in the morning.    It was 2ºC.      It was all quiet at the launch for a paddle upriver on the South Thompson. I paddled past the Wanda Sue and … Continue reading →

Paddling Lakes- Edith and Nicola

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Over the winter season when paddling awaits ice-off in the spring, some pages of information on some of our area paddling lakes is added, from time to time.    Two new pages were recently added and links are provided here: Edith Lake Nicola Lake North   A list of lakes with dedicated pages can be found on the menu or … Continue reading →

On Shumway Lake

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Shumway Lake was established as a venue for watersport competition for the 1993 Canada Games.    Starting in 1990 ,we went through a process of looking at the lake as a site for rowing, canoeing, and water skiing.    There were some challenges – permission to use Crown land on the shoreline, highway egress, algae bloom in summer, the costs … Continue reading →

On White Lake

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On a cool morning in early October I drove east for 94 kms to White Lake Provincial Park.   There is a boat launch near the northwest corner of the lake, but I continued around the lake to the park and used that boat launch,  with a plan to paddle the eastern end of the lake.    The lake is about 12 … Continue reading →

Three Lakes

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With the change in seasons, the weather cools and we see more windy days.    We can paddle in the wind, but it is harder on larger lakes so we often choose to do loops on smaller lakes.    Any lake that sits in a forested bowl below a ring of hills has more protection from the wind.    This … Continue reading →

On Adams Lake

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  The Bush Creek Provincial Park site can be a busy spot in the summer, so I usually wait until September to kayak the south end of Adams Lake.    The road into the park is 4 km north from the end of the lake.    There is a nice campsite, a boat launch, a protected pebbly beach, and some bays to … Continue reading →

Campbell Lake Kayaking

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In early September I drove out the Scuitto Lake Road and continued on to the Campbell Lake Recreation Site.   When I went by Scuitto Lake I was surprised by how low the lake was.    Summer evaporation, drought, and summer draw down had reduced the lake size noticeably.    One of the boat launches was closed.    The boat launch … Continue reading →

Kayaking Buse Lake

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Buse Lake is not really a paddling lake.    It is smaller, there are no good launch spots, and it is an alkali lake with lots of aquatic growth.    But, it is scenic, it has a different ecosystem, and would be very unlikely to meet another boat on the lake.    On the last day of August, I drove to the … Continue reading →

On Leighton Lake

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  On a late August day I drove through Logan Lake, then down to Tunkwa Lake Provincial Park.    at a road junction i turned down the Leighton Lake Road and parked at the boat launch area.    I launched the kayak and paddled around the lake. This is a scenic paddle with forest and some cabins on the east side and … Continue reading →

Frisken Lake

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Access to Frisken Lake is limited to 4WD vehicles.    I had hiked in previously so I knew what the roads were like.       To get to the lakeshore, we need to drive the Smith Lake FSR on the west side of Roche Lake.    When the gravel road goes under the power lines, a rough road follows the power line, bearing north.    … Continue reading →