On a fall day, I launched from the beach at the Pritchard Bridge and paddled out into the river.

I paddled upstream and the downstream flow was quite manageable for steady progress.    I paddled up to Pritchard Provincial Park, a marine strip park along the South Thompson River.

I paddled past the park, around a rocky bluff and some farmland shoreline.    On the way back, landed on the shoreline in the park and walked the beach.

With the salmon run starting, there were many birds on the river – crows, eagles, geese, and gulls were active on the rivershore.   There is foot access to the two sections of parklands along the river (north and south of the bridge) and we are planning to walk these sections in late winter when the beaches clear of snow.

This will be a paddle I will return to do each year, in the spring or fall, when the flow of the river allows reasonable paddling.