When we go out to paddle, we are hoping for a quiet outing. Some lakes are noisy spots. The more homes on a lake, the more likely we will encounter noise, particularly power machinery. Some of the noise comes with power boats. Some comes with loud people, unnecessarily. One of the spots we are cautious of is Paul Lake. Because the lake is surrounded by steep slopes, the acoustics amplify noise across across the lake. The best way to avoid the noise pollution problem is to go early in the morning, or a weekday morning, or off season. We usually paddle the lake three times each year so we purposely plan for the best times. On a sunny morning with no wind, I launched my boat early and paddled the east end of the lake, a 5 km route.
By a beaver lodge there was a bear and an eagle on watch. There may have been beaver kits in the lodge. I have spotted a beaver swimming in the lake in past years. At the east end of the lake, there were western painted turtles sunning on wet logs. Loons were diving and there were ducks all over. Blackbirds and marsh wrens were heard and seen in shallow, marshy bays.
There was one fishermen with a wharf boat who thought he should bring a music device and play his music while fishing. I could hear it right across the lake. When we left he turned on his noisy engine and slowly crossed the lake, filling the whole valley with jarring decibels of pollution. Most of the paddle along the south shore was quiet, with only the calls of birds.
A few more boats were arriving as I paddled back across the lake. I was done before the din.
I will return for one more paddle of Paul Lake, probably in the fall when quiet is restored to this potentially-tranquil spot.
The north-aspect shore is treed and shaded. There are no trails on those steep slopes. Except for a few ducks, geese, and some forest birds, it is a quiet paddle, going clockwise around the lake. The western end of the lake is shallow and marshy, but we can paddle the whole lake in spring. Coming back on the north side shoreline, the wind was at my back making for easy paddling.
Paddling the whole lake was 4.1 km, a shorter paddle for a busy day. Louis Lake is a once-a-year paddle, usually done on a windy day when the larger lakes are not suitable for kayaking. I have quite a few lakes like this one, visited once a year as part of the paddling rotation.
The ridge that separates Louis Lake from Paul Lake rises 340 m and is covered in forest. I have hiked to the top of the ridge from Gibraltar Rock (there is no trail). I call this unnamed ridge Louis Ridge.
