Tag Archives: paddling

Reflections – Fall Mornings on Jacko Lake

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As the paddling season wound down, some of the lakes and rivers were paddled for a final time (or two).    Jacko Lake (along with Edith and Stake Lakes) is a “go to” spot for paddling each year, and for good reason.   Access is good (but a bumpy road), there is lots of room to launch and park, the lake is surrounded by grasslands, there are always lots of birds by the lake, it is close to town, and the lake has a number of shallow bays, suitable for paddling but too shallow for fishermen.   A paddle around the lake is 4.4  km, taking about 52 -55 minutes (per loop).


By summer the lake has become more shallow (evaporation and draw down) and aquatic vegetation fills the shallow bays so the paddling loop is farther from the shoreline.


There are some shallow arms/bays to explore that are usually occupied by ducks and muskrats,

On a calm and sunny day, Jacko Lake is a perfect place for a rhythmic quiet paddle in the Kamloops area.

Edith Lake on a Grey, Windy Day

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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.

 

Reflections – Early, on Edith

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On an early October morning Edith Lake was the destination for kayaking.     The sun was rising and the lake was calm.

An hour later the sun was higher, a ripple of wind was on the lake, and some fishermen had arrived.

This was perfect timing for a wonderful morning on the lake:

 

 

Reflections: Badger Lake in Early Summer

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I paddle some lakes every year and Badger Lake is one of them.   On this early summer day I drove past Knouff Lake and followed the potholed forest service road to the Badger Lake Recreation Site boat launch.

The launch spot by the campground was often full with awkward launching and poor parking, so a new parking area and boat launch was added south of the Rec site.

I launched the kayak and paddled clockwise around the lake (6 km).

There is a narrow passage into the back lake that can only be used by a canoe or kayak.   Sometimes there are some obstacles, but they usually be floated away.   There is another passage on the north end that small fishing boats use out and back.   I entered at the south end and paddled around the hidden bay, then exited through the north end.

The winds died down leaving me with a perfect day to paddle a quiet lake in the backcountry.

Another great day at Badger Lake…

Reflections – Day 89 at Edith Lake

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In late October, it had rained overnight, but at Edith Lake there was some snow on the ground in shaded areas.   With winds forecast, I was on the water early.


A complete circuit of the lake can be done in less than an hour.   By the end the cold winds were blowing.

This would probably be the last day of paddling on Edith Lake for this year, but it was also the 89th day of paddling in 2022.

 

 

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.

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.

 

Paddling Red Lake

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Red Lake is a longer drive on backroads so if we go there to paddle we wait for good conditions.    It is also a  popular fishing lake so there can be a lineup to launch or land during prime times.    For this reason I go to an informal launch on the south end of the lake.


A paddle around the entire lake is about 8.4 km so I often paddle about 5 km on either the north or the south end of the lake each time I head up there.

The north end of the lake has a lot of burned forest from the 2021 Sparks Lake Forest Fire.


This year the loop route was on the south end of the lake on a quiet weekday morning.

A Red Lake Page will be added to the website over the winter months.

 

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.