As the summer winds down, some of the lakes start to shrink from both evaporation and from draw down for irrigation. Bleeker Lake is quite low right now and Walloper Lake too has receding shorelines and shallow bays. The shallowest bays are now full of aquatic vegetation, making paddling difficult. Nevertheless, on a fairly clear day, I launched and … Continue reading →
On a mild smokeless day I went to the West Roche Lake Rec Site to launch my kayak. The road in is rough, but a sign stated that the road will be closed for 3 weeks in the fall for an upgrade. There was no one in the campsite, but the boat launch was in good shape. I launched and … Continue reading →
The smoke blanketed all of the hills for hundreds of kilometers so I picked a local lake for a one hour paddle. On the way up I spotted a black bear and on the lake I watched an eagle, two hawks, killdeer, ravens, mergansers, dragonflies, and two grey jays. There was no wind and no other boats on the water. … Continue reading →
Smoke was everywhere, but firesmoke.ca predicted a small pocket of clear air right over Roche Lake Provincial Park, so I headed up there to paddle the lake. there was blue sky overhead, but ashen skies in every direction. There were no campers in the two campsites and only two fishing boats on the lake. I followed the lakeshore, going into … Continue reading →
On a hot day with no smoke, I drove the Long Lake backroads (30+ km) all the way to Ross Moore Lake. There was one section of upgraded road near the pipeline. The road is in good shape to the lake, but then it gets rough to the Rec site and beyond. There was no one else at or on the … Continue reading →
Jacko Lake is a favorite paddling lake each year. It is close to home and has good access (although the road is a bit rough), and it is a scenic area with grasslands hills around the lake. A loop around the lake is 4.3 km, but in mid-summer the shallow bays get filled with aquatic plants so a loop around … Continue reading →
When the smoke seemed to be everywhere, I used firesmoke.ca to select a lake missed by the smoke streams. There was a forecast gap of good weather for 2 hours at Edith Lake so I got out early to the lake. Some sun was shining through clouds, and most of the smoke was down in the valley. Darker clouds were … Continue reading →
It was smoky everywhere so I used firesmoke.ca to find the least smoky place to paddle and Paul Lake was the best spot. There were touches of blue directly overhead, but the hills were smoky, especially looking into the early morning sun. I paddled the east end of the lake, taking time to go through the marshy shallow bays where … Continue reading →
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Continue reading →On a smoky day I reviewed information on firesmoke.ca and saw that the least-smoky area was Nicola and Stump Lake so I got an early start and drove to the south end of the lake, going down a short pitch to a hand-launch spot. It was grey and smoky around the lake, but bluer skies were directly overhead as I … Continue reading →
On a hot smoky day, I used firesmoke.ca to see where the least-smoky area was and the answer was – down the Highway 5A corridor. With several lakes in mind I went along the lakes and found Trapp Lake to be reasonably good. the lakes beyond tend to be windy and winds were forecast, so I was happy to find … Continue reading →
On a hot summer morning I chose to drive up to Lodgepole Lake to do some loops – twice around the lake in a kayak, then once around the lake on the Lodgepole Lake Trail. The trailhead starts at the end of the Recreation Site campground and winds around the lake. The loop route is about 2 km. There is … Continue reading →
Peterhope Lake Rec Site is on the northeast corner of the lake, 7 km from the turnoff, just past the south end of Stump Lake. A good road leads to the Rec site where there is a dedicated boat launch. Peterhope has marl shoals and sunken islands, with clear water. Fishermen can catch medium-sized rainbow trout in season. When smoke … Continue reading →
On a hot summer day I kayaked Pinantan Lake arriving early to find quiet paddling. I launched from the end of Holbrook Road. There is a good boat launch there and room for a few vehicles to park. A lakeshore loop is about 4.3 km. In the distance, Rockface Mountain lies to the west of the lake. A narrow channel … Continue reading →
When the summers get hot in Kamloops, driving to higher terrain may yield coller temperatures. When the forest fire smoke fills the valleys, heading away from the source of the smoke may lead to clearer skies. Lac le Jeune was a good spot in the dog days of summer. We hiked 9 km through the hills, returning back to the … Continue reading →
We hike, bike, cross country ski, snowshoe, and paddle in the Stake Lake Trails system. In summer we sometimes paddle around the lake 1-3 times, then we go for a hike on the trails. On this warm summer day, I paddled twice around the lake in calm conditions. Each loop is about 2.25 km. We secured the boat then hiked … Continue reading →
