Every year I drive the backroads (38 km) up to Red Lake and paddle the 8.5 km shoreline.   Since its a popular fishing lake, I try to go early on a weekday.   When I arrived at the boat launch there were only 3 other boats on the lake, a quiet paddle in the high country.

There are 3 launch spots on the lake, but the best one is just off Red Lake Road at a designated launch.

On the lake a mother loon was protecting this spring’s chicks.

There is a long channel with some marshy sections at the north end of the lake, another quiet spot.

As I paddled by reeds and rushes on the shoreline marsh, I could see many damselflies on the reeds in the process of moulting,   Most were clinging on, drying their wings before taking flight.

From Wikipedia: “When fully developed, the nymphs climb out of the water and take up a firm stance, the skin on the thorax splits and the adult form wriggles out. This has a soft body at first and hangs or stands on its empty larval case. It pumps haemolymph into its small limp wings, which expand to their full extent. The haemolymph is then pumped back into the abdomen, which also expands fully. The exoskeleton hardens and the colours become more vivid over the course of the next few days. Most damselflies emerge in daytime and in cool conditions the process takes several hours. On a hot day, the cuticle hardens rapidly and the adult can be flying away within half an hour.”

I stayed for quite a while and could see thousands of exoskeletons, nymphs ready to moult, and damselflies drying their wings, and damselflies in flight, a quiet miracle on the lake.

The best lakes to experience nature are smaller lakes with marshy bays.   Red Lake is a fine one, along with other lakes like Lac le Jeune West, Badger Lake, Knouff Lake, Bleeker Lake, Roche Lake, Saul Lake, Paska Lake, and many more.