When the weather bakes up, we try to get on the water (or hike to altitude).   Our rivers and lakes become destinations and we are situated right in the middle of dozens of paddling routes.   Kayaking in a longer boat (faster/steadier) means finding larger lakes.    Our goal is to have enough lakes and rivers in the area to not have to have repeats within the same year.   When there is no wind, all lakes are fair game, but when wind and weather are present, we have to pick our routes carefully.   Knowing how winds affect individual lakes helps and we can always hug the shoreline or try the kayak sail if conditions warrant it.

Neskonlith Lake is a good destination for a summer paddle.   It is 11.5 km around the shoreline, a 2 to 2.5 hour paddle.   The shoreline is varied and there is lots to see.   The lake sits in a bowl on a north-south line.   Most of the winds of the area run east-west (either way) so cross winds may be seen on the lake, but on my most recent paddle, there was no wind, on a hot day.

The best launch point is is from the boat launch at Neskonlith Provincial Park.   Go past the first camping area for about 200m to the beach launch area.

When I paddled the west shore, there were many western painted turtles sunning on logs in the lake.   When I approached with some noise, they plunged into the lake, but when I glided close, they stretched their long green necks (with yellow stripes) outward, trying to sense if any predators were nearby.   Their orange-scarlet underbellies were on display.    Some of big ones were the slowest to plunge in and they could be seen from a distance.   Dragon flies flitted along the water, landing on floating aquatic plants.

The campground extends along the western shore for a few kilometers.   Douglas fir and red ossier dogwood front the lake.   A few cabins can be seen mid-lake and a small number of homes at the south end.   A great blue heron waded in the shallows and an osprey and red-tailed hawks circled overhead.   Fish jumped everywhere in the gloomy water.   Pollen had covered the water’s surface with a yellow-green hue.   Smartweed (not yet in bloom), aquatic buttercup, and milfoil grew in the shallows.

The east shore sits below rock bluffs so some shade can be found by staying close to the shoreline.   A rocky island makes a good spot for lunch.    The northeast corner of the lake is shallow and sits next to dry grasslands on the Reserve.   There are some bullrush marshes at the north end.   Away from all busy roads, the area is very quiet and other than a couple of small fishing boats, there was no activity on the lake.

There are no fine beaches for good swimming as there is at Johnson Lake, Lac le Jeune, and Paul Lake, but there is a sense of quiet, solitude, and a presence of aquatic life that adds much to a summer afternoon of paddling.

While basecamping out of Jedediah Island, we paddled out into the Sabine Channel and explored around most of 30 islands in the area.   All of the islands are rocky with very few landing spots, but we found a couple that would be good for camping as long as we brought our own water.  

Tidal currents are minimal in this area.   We experienced a 2 knot flow from the NW in Sabine Channel and some winds, but for the most part, kayaking is in protected waters around the islands.   Using a kayak sail, I was able to sail down Little Bull Channel one day and down Sabine Channel to the south tip of Texada another day.  

We enjoyed a paddle over to Lasqueti Island, following the rocky coast line around to Squitty Bay Provincial Park.    We also followed the line of islands northwest.   The small islands north of Jervis Island have lots of underwater life in low tide on shallow shelves.   In 3 days of paddling in the islands, we spotted over 80 seals.   There were also bald eagles, great blue herons, loons, geese, gulls, crows, and ducks.     

We landed on Jervis Island which is now Sabine Channel Provincial Marine Park.   There is a good landing spot on the west side, right next to Bunny Island.   We hope to camp here on a future trip, although we would have to haul our gear up through the bluffs.  

There are a few private homes on Lasqueti Island, Bull island, and Rabbit Island, but they are high up above the channels and mostly out-of-sight,   Yachts, and power craft ploughed up the channels from time to time, and anchored overnight in protected bays.   They are no problem for kayaks and we enjoyed seeing the various boats and activities.  

Photography from a kayak is both difficult and limited.   The views are from the water looking up at bluffs and headlands.   Rocky bluffs, a few trees, seaweed and water stain at low tide.    Managing a camera in the cockpit is a precarious thing at best, with both hands already occupied with paddling and steadying the boat in the waves.  The camera hasn’t gone overboard yet, but it will happen.    

The channel waters seemed warm, but took extra precautions to make sure we didn’t go over.     The deeper waters would be cold and even though we know our kayak rescue techniques and have practiced, it is always a difficult operation.   There is a time to sightsee, and there is a time to attend to paddling.      The camera, the sail, and the fishing rod, stays stowed away in more challenging conditions.  

This is a special area to explore by kayak, one that will be in our minds over the winter months, thinking back to warm sun, warm wind, and warm seas.

When the Thompson River is in flood, the flat lands near Kamloops Lake become part of the river.   The Wildlife Management area on the north side is part of Lac du Bois Provincial Park.   A parking area there can be used to do a hand launch at the end of the fence, just short of Tranquille on the Lake.   

The flooded land is full of nesting birds and new families of ducks and geese.    Small islets of shrubs and debris dot the bay.    The river is at its widest here but the current is slow.   It is a 2 km crossing to the south shore.    A backwater channel starts at the west end of the green space and  continues upstream for 2.6 km.   The channel has lots of water for canoes or kayaks, but is not suitable for power boats.   On the paddle upstream, I spotted a beaver lodge, a deer on an island, numerous ducks and geese, and a muskrat crossing a side channel.   At a particularly narrow spot, a big black bear didn't see my kayak  and started to swim across the channel just metres in front of me, but slowly backed up as I back-paddled too.   He watched me from the shoreline farther up, not quite sure what to make of the intrusion.

A full tour of both sides of the river is a 10km journey.   It is best done at full flood, before the mosquitoes hatch.   There were no bugs now (mid-June), but they are due any day now.     You will likely be the only one there (except for the beavers, bears, deer, muskrats, ducks, and geese)….

Kamloops Trails usually provides fairly specific directions to each trail, route, or site, but there have been a few exceptions.   When an article on the Petrified Forest was published, no specific coordinates or directions were given.   Fossil beds and game trails have not been included to preserve the sites and avoid motorized users from spoiling the spot or route.   Spillman Beaches is clearly marked on maps and information can be found on TrailsBC site.   But specific launch spots are coordinates are provided with some trepidation.

Adams Lake is large, clean water lake in a pristine environment.   Up to now, the main road has been rough and somewhat unsafe to travel.   The road has recently been improved and we are now seeing greater use by trucks, ATVs and motorcycles.   With better roads come bigger power boats and marine campsites may now see parties who bring their toys to the wild.   In the off-season, the marine campsites have very few visitors.   On our recent trip, we saw only a couple of low horsepower fishing boats on the west shore and two tugs pulling boom logs.   No one was camped along the east shore and we were able to quietly paddle and explore sites.   Birds and the sound of running water were the only sounds to be heard.   Campsites had not been used since last summer.   Beaches had clear water over pebbles or sand.   Quiet, idyllic, remote.

Summer will bring the power boats, water skiers, boom boxes/sound systems, barbecues, and party groups.   If so, they will have to find the best camp spots on their own.   No specific launch spots or landing spots are listed here.

We launched from the west shore in our kayaks and paddled across a narrow part of the lake to some petroglyphs on a cliff face, then proceeded north to Spillman Beaches Provincial Park.   This is a series of beach marine campgrounds over a couple of kilometers of shoreline.   We identified 4 "official" camping areas, but we found about 10 more.   We camped at one, setting up two tents in an area that could accommodate many more.

The shore facilities were fairly primitive. The outhouse was up on the hill, with a roof, but no walls. A firepit at the water's edge was well used. Tent pads have been carved out and are quite adequate. We followed a trail at one of the sites at the mouth of Spillman Creek and found a nice loop trail with small waterfalls. Following rough trails behind, we left the park and found logging spur roads with signs of hunters from last fall.  Marine campsites can be more primitive because we can carry more in our kayaks than we would in a backpack.

This was a May trip, but we would happily return in the fall. Even in summer, when the powerboats bring noisy groups to the campsites, we could still find a smaller site up the lake. Kayaks can land in tighter quarters and one-man tents have small footprints.

We swam in the lake with the flat pebbles in the shallows heated by the sun. The water was clear to 20 feet along this shoreline.   The sites faced to the afternoon sun and we sat by the campfire and watched the sunset.   A perfect spot, but one you will have to find by yourself.

We have a green corridor right down the middle of Kamloops   Whenever we get out to paddle the South Thompson River, we are amazed by the amount of wildlife, and the relative quiet of waterway.   We launch most often at the Pioneer Park boat launch and paddle up river, cross under the Yellowhead Highway and go past the Kamloops Indian Band (TIB) buildings to the shores below the Gregson Trail and back.   The paddle upstream is hard work, although less so in April.   As the river takes a turn around the point near TIB, it narrows and we find ourselves going very slowly.  We keep our eyes on the red and green river buoys to avoid shallows.   Once we have passed the end of the Gregson Trail, we turn and enjoy the downstream paddle back.   Along the way,, we have spotted many geese, ducks, muskrats,  a beaver, bears, coyotes, hawks, and eagles.    People come down to the river to walk, fish, and suntan.   There is always something to see.   We paddle this route up the river in April and May, then we leave the river to the powerboats and come back in mid-September.   We start with this route to build up our strength and endurance since it is an easy launch spot with lots to see.

We enjoy the river upstream and downstream too.   The North Thompson offers a different experience.   As the upland lakes thaw, we will go higher up too, but when we are looking for an hour of exercise, this route is our home base.