In the last two weeks there has been lots of hiking, but no paddling. The kayak is transported by a truck which has been out of commission for a while, awaiting parts and service. In theory that will be remedied this week and the kayak will be back on the lakes for another 2 – 3 weeks. The goal for the year was to have paddled the same number of days as my age. Two more to go. Fingers crossed, here…
Upcoming destinations for paddling include:
Some potential destinations:
With rain and wind forecast I got out early to paddle, but I still found cool, wet, and gusty conditions on Edith Lake. Once around the lake was enough. Warmer conditions are coming!
On a rainy morning after Victoria Day I paddled the South Thompson River from Pioneer Park. Freshet has started and the river is full with a strong flow of water. the upstream paddle was against the wind and against the flow, a good workout and a quick return.
Day 22 for 2024….
All paddling dates are subject to wind conditions. When conditions are greater than 15 km, I will hike instead. Most hiking will be done on Mondays, some Wednesdays, Fridays, or Saturdays.
Probable paddling locations will include:
Higher elevation lakes will be paddled in June.
Contact me if interested – das3401atgmaildotcom
A one hour paddle on the river in the break between rain showers.
While paddling on Lac le Jeune I approached a mama loon with two chicks. They usually swim off, but in this case I paddled around a long right by them. A short video captures this moment:
While paddling the area lakes I encounter loons on almost every outing. It is sometimes an entertaining experience.
loon with chick
On a smoky and windy hot morningI paddled Edith Lake, my 45th day of paddling for 2023:
More information on Edith Lake.
This was added to the Facebook group:
Snow showers mantled the hills of Kamloops and the snow fell in the valley, but melted in the relatively warmer air. It was a day for a river paddling, starting out at the end of the weather as foggy mists shrouded the hills.
A 10 km cool wind out of the east made the paddle upriver a bit more work, but over about an hour, the sun started to shine through the cloudy skies.
Downriver was shorter. The ducks and geese on the river ignored me as I floated by, enjoying the warmth of the sun on the river.
When the weather is marginal I got to one of 4 lakes – Jacko, Edith, Paul, or Edith Lake. On a day that was forecast for wind and rain, I got an early start.
On the open part of the lake, it was a bit windy and cool, but I did a counter-clockwise loop and entered the back channels, protected from the wind.
There are two out-and-back bays on that end of the lake, both protected from the wind, but also with no other boats in sight.
The end of the back channel is surrounded by grazing lands. I usually round the deadhead and return by the other shore.
A circuit around the lake takes about 50 minutes so I go around twice, once in each direction on some days. On this day it was under an hour of paddling, a shorter outing for a busy day.
I will be back to paddle the lake again, then in winter to snowshoe around the lake.
A video is ready on YouTube:
Click the YouTube link on the menu bar for more videos.
When time is short, Edith Lake is close to town so getting onto the lake early is a good choice.
I paddled the lake and returned home for breakfast and then a day with family.
This was Day 64 of paddling this year, on the way to 90 days, the same as last year.
Paddling under the Yellowhead Bridge on the South Thompson River:
I have started to develop a separate page for each paddling lake. Each page has driving directions, boat launch information, lake features, pros and cons, maps, and images. This will take months to finish, but are few are ready now:
More to come each week…
A video is ready on YouTube:
Click the YouTube link on the menu bar for more videos.
