On a grey May morning I drove up the Lac le Jeune Road to the Walloper Lake Recreation Site and launched into the lake for a circuit of the shoreline.     Conditions were calm at the start, but the forecast called for 20 km/h winds to start about 10:30, and after an hour of paddling,  the first gusts arrived (about 10:00), on my way back to the launch.   Overall it was a good paddle on the lake.    There were no other boats on the lake and I spotted loons, ducks, geese, swallows, a hatch of insects, and an osprey.    The high country is still emerging and some of the shrubs haven’t yet leafed out.    I have left the higher elevations lakes for later in May and into June.   This was the first of a number to be paddled in the area, including Stake Lake, McConnell Lake, Lodgepole Lake, Paska Lake, Face Lake, Tunkwa Lake, and Leighton Lake.   Some smaller lakes will probably be paddled to, depending on access.

A few images are shared here.    Click an image for a lightbox view and a caption.

calm conditions at the start

Walloper boat launch

choppy conditions later heading back. Chuwhels Mountain above.