Tag Archives: paddling

The Oru Inlet Folding Kayak

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When you have kayaked almost all of the lakes within a 2 hour drive and some of them a few times, we start to look for some new spots.     Different launch spots on large lakes is one good choice, but another is to do some smaller lakes.

It often seems to be “overkill” to haul an 18 foot kayak into a small lake that is only 1 km around the shoreline.   Sometimes the lake is a great spot so we can go around 2 or 3 times and at other times we can paddle the lake, then go for a hike.

Another opportunity is to paddle some lakes that have limited access.    Some backroads are rough and sometimes overhanging branches are a problem for a roof-mounted kayak.   A few lakes just have no easy shoreline launch areas.    For these lakes we need to haul the kayak by hand.     To this end, I purchased a foldable kayak, the Oru Inlet.    It arrived in the box, ready to set up.

Straps and a carrying handle make it easy to carry.    I bought a carrying bag too to sling it over my shoulder.    It weighs 20 pounds.

The first time I unfolded it and set it up took about 20 minutes.    The second time took 8 minutes.     It can be done in 3-5 minutes.

I carried it around the yard and onto the back deck.    It was light and easy to haul.

Some of the specs are:

  • 3m long
  • 30″ wide
  • 20 pounds
  • capacity – 300 pounds
  • water type – flat water

It is not a boat to take out across Kamloops Lake.    It is for the shoreline on any lake, except on windy days,  and it is suitable for any small lake.   I also purchased a spray skirt and flotation bags.   I will use my regular paddle and light gear.   I won’t get to test it out until spring, but in the meantime I can practice unfolding and refolding it.   Watch for some posts in the spring as it get tested on the water.

Here is Oru’s promo video:

Jacko Lake at the End of October

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By the end of October morning temperatures were cooler so monitoring forecasts for wind speeds is important.    Water temperatures take much longer to cool so as long as we dress appropriately, it is warm inside the kayak.    There were fishermen on the water on this cool fall morning.


Paddling around the lake, going into all the bays, takes just under an hour.

The morning sun was low on the horizon, filling the eastern skies.

Click an image for a lightbox view.

Paddling season is winding down now, but there prime fall days will resonate for weeks to come.

Paddling Morgan Lake

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When we hiked in the Six Mile Lakes area, we called Morgan Lake “The Slough.”    Before it was dammed it was a long marsh.    Now it is a popular fishing lake.   We drove in from the Tunkwa Lake Road.

We parked at the west end of the lake (by the old Trans Canada Highway track, now submerged below the lake.   there is a good hand launch there.   When we arrived there was no one on the lake, a rare occurrence in nice weather.

We had first paddled Leighton Lake then stopped down to do Morgan Lake too.   A paddle around the lake is only 2 km.

Another great day of paddling, the 86th day of 2022.

 

Exploring Pritchard Provincial Park

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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.

Paddling from Adams Lake Provincial Park

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Bush Creek Campground is part of Adams Lake Provincial Park.    There is a good boat launch and a wide gravel beach.   Paddlers can paddle along the shoreline north or south or cross the lake and explore the shoreline.   Adams Lake is a large lake which can provide many days of paddling.

On the last day of September I paddled north along the shoreline and back, but there were some fine beaches to explore along the way.

The western shoreline has an interesting shoreline to explore.   Agate Bay was visible 10 km north.   The water was crystal clear and the lake was quiet.


A few cliffs extend down into the lake.    The sun was shining over the ridge as I paddled back to the park.


The park can be a busy spot in the summer, but in the fall it was a fine destination for a day’s paddle.

 

 

In the Pea Soup

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The low-elevation grassland lakes of the Interior get long days of sunshine and hot conditions and it is common to have algae multiply in these spots.   Trapp Lake was like pea soup near the end of September, but I paddled the lake anyway.


Though the lake was green and uninviting, the scenery around the lake was wonderful, and on a calm day, the reflections were perfect.

Most of the experience was captured in video:

Trapp has a number of pros (scenic, close to town, easy access, larger lake) and cons (highway noise and algae), but I enjoy paddling the lake, and in the future I will do that in the spring and skip late summer and early fall.

A Trapp Lake information page will be developed over the winter.

This was Day 77 of paddling in 2022.

 

Back to Jacko Lake

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Whenever conditions are marginal or time is short, we pick one of four lakes – Jacko Lake, Edith Lake, Stake Lake, or Paul Lake.    The distance to the lakes is shorter, access is good to each lake, and they are enjoyable places to paddle.    On this September morning, it was raining in town, but it was drier up at the lake.

There was no wind and only one other boat on the lake.

Some of the shallow bays were partly grown-in with various aquatic plants, but they were also filled with waterfowl.   In this bay were about 70 coots and dabbling together.

There were 3 pelicans (see the video), a muskrat, two bald eagles, lots of marsh wrens, some mergansers, a gray jay, crows, magpies, and dragonflies.    The lake had dropped since the spring, but it still was a great paddle around the lake.

A few moments on the lake are captured in the video, including 3 pelicans on the water’s edge and then in the air:

More information on paddling this lake will be added over the winter as the Jacko Lake page.

 

In the Paul Lake Mists

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As summer wound down, the nights became cooler and morning mists were starting to shroud the hills around the area.   In an early paddle on Paul Lake, the sun was filtered through the low-hanging clouds.

The lake was calm and quiet with no other boats in sight.

I paddled down past Gibraltar Rock.   Crows, eagles, loons, and a Canada jay were active along the watery way.

For this day, I passed Gibraltar Rock, then crossed over the other side.    There is provincial park lands on the south side of the lake too.

There are many fallen trees on the steeper south shoreline, but also leaning ones, and reflections in the still lakewater.

The paddle for this morning was about 70 minutes, another good day in the outdoors, my 67th day of paddling in 2022.

More information on Paul Lake will be found on the Paul Lake Page, to be completed over the winter months.

Paddling Heffley Lake

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On a gusty late August morning I got an early start for a paddle on Heffley Lake.   There is a good launch area at the east end of the lake, but it can be a busy spot at prime times so I got an early start.    The area by the launch is protected from the wind by small islands in a narrow part of the lake.


A paddle around the whole lake is about 12.5 km, a longer paddle, and so on this windy day, a more moderate loop down to the narrows and back was a better choice.

There are a series of sheltered bays on the southeast end of the lake that were calmer and very quiet.

The slopes of Mt. Embleton rise up above the north side of the lake.

At the narrows I turned back and had a much easier paddle downwind to the islands on the east end of the lake.


I avoid Heffley Lake at prime times because of the congestion at the launch area, power boats on the lake, and the activity from all of the homes along the north shore of the lake.   In the offseason or early in the morning I was one of two boats on the lake.

More Information – Heffley Lake (page tba)

Paddling Glimpse Lake

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One of the lakes I enjoy paddling every summer is Glimpse Lake.    It is located on the Douglas Lake Plateau (Nicola Lake > Douglas Lake Road > Lauder Road > Glimpse Lake).    The road (91 km from Kamloops) is good all the way to the lake.

There are two Rec Sites on the lake, but the best boat launch is at the northwest corner of the lake.    A paddle around the lakeshore is about 6.2 km.

Video footage was taken on the lake this summer:

This is a quiet out-of-the-way lake that is one of our best paddling destinations for the summer months.

Paddling Peterhope Lake

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Peterhope Lake is accessed by going up a 7.5 km Forest Service Road from the south end of Stump Lake.    There is a BC Rec Site there with camping spots and two boat launches.

A paddle around the lake is about 6 km.   The highlight is a narrow marsh channel which leads to a small lake on the southwest end.

The small lake is away from the campers, fishermen, and private homes on the lake.

It is a quiet spot for ducks and an occasional paddler.

Some video footage of Peterhope Lake is embedded into this post:

 

Paddling Tunkwa Lake

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Tunkwa Lake is one of the best rainbow trout fishing lakes in the province.   It lies in the grasslands – forest zone to the southwest of Kamloops, accessible on paved roads from Logan Lake.   There are several launch spots on the lake.   On this summer day, I parked at the Day Use area and padded the 7.5 km loop around the shoreline.

The Tremont Forest Fire ran through the area in 2021 and there are many sections of blackened trees around the lake.

There are always lots of birds on the lake.   Flocks of blackbirds were active in all of the marshy areas.

Aquatic plants were filling in the shallow bays.   White water crowfoot, smartweed, and arumleaf arrowhead were in flower.

Some video footage provides a sense of what it is like on the lake:

I will be back to paddle on neighboring Leighton Lake this paddling season.

Day 52 of paddling in 2022.

 

Paddling Stump Lake

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Stump Lake is a popular fishing spot and at peak times, the boat launch sites can be full, especially in spring.   It is also a windy lake so finding the right day for a paddle on the lake can be a challenge.

A paddle right around the lakeshore is 19 km, too far for a day’s paddle so we usually paddle the north or south end of the lake in alternating years.  There are three launch spots off Highway 5A, but almost everyone uses the main one half way down the lake.    On this day, I used a steeper track nearer the south end of the lake for a paddle in that area.

Along the shoreline were deer, ducks, a bald eagle, a killdeer, and lots of insects.    Click an image for a lightbox view and caption.

This was a hot and sunny day in July:

I will be back to paddle the north end of the lake on another day.