Easter Weekend on Alouette Lake, BC

As winters go, this year cold and rainy season stayed with us until the bitter end.  So much so, that until the day before our three day paddle on Alouette lake the rain, cold and the odd snow flake were lingering in the air.
Then, lucky us, suddenly on the clouds disappeared.

Here's my brand new Innova Solar inflatable I purchased just a couple of weeks earlier from the Boatpeople in California.  It's the Czech Republic's manufacturer's new model.  This, compared to the now out of production Sunny, is a true double and a true single.  I will find out.
The Solar has lots of room for all my camping gear and keep a low profile without the need to store bags vertical.  This configuration will help paddling in a headwind and still keep the kayak's CG low for stability.

In the mean time Steven showed up with his trusty Sunny and related gear.

A little while later Chris, Ted and Jamie appeared and got to work assembling their folders.  For Ted it took some tweaking to get everything to fit in place.

A view from above - all set to go on Alouette's frigid waters.

As we head out, Steven and I take a little detour to the lake's opposite shore to take a look at the many tree stumps leftover from when the lake had a lower level.  An hydroelectric dam was built many years ago and these semi-submerged trees are the result.

More stumps. Interesting how well preserved they are in this cold lake water.  They will probably remain like this for at least fifty years of more.

At a little beach for lunch.

Our two kayaks side-by-side.

Nice lake, eh?

We are getting closer to our destination.

Our campground was located at the northwest end of the lake between the narrows and that little creek coming down the valley.  The creek was a good water supply spot.  Instead of using my old lever operated water filter, I bought a gravity filter from MEC - what a difference!  Fresh water was at my fingertips.

Kayakers arriving to their destination for a two-night stay.

Kayaks at rest

Looking back at Alouette Lake.  The promise for a cold night... and it was.

Chopping wood for the campfire.

Another good view of the lake.

Two days later paddler returning to our put-in location.

It doesn't look so in the picture but we had a strong wind at our backs help push our boats.

It was a fun ride.

Almost home.

This was one nice first trip of the season.

Alouette Lake Revisited

Ted and I decided to take a day trip on Alouette Lake and join our friends who were spending the weekend paddling the lake.  This was my second time paddling Alouette... see a previous posting.
Just like the last time, Ted was very kind to offer me a ride to the put-in site in Golden Ears Provincial Park.  After a bit over an hour of driving we arrived by the edge of the lake.  As usual, setting up the boats and getting everything ready to paddle took a bit over an hour.  Time does fly!

This time I took my bike's GPS unit to track our route.

...a straight forward to-and-from route.

Starting out...

Ted with his Wisper's narrow beam and Greenland paddle was keeping up a good pace.  I managed to keep up with him with my Java.

 A good southerly breeze of 8 to 12 knots kept us going forward without hesitations.  I wonder if my boat speed would have greater with the use of a sail.  ...maybe next year.

Conditions were quite different from last time.  I enjoyed the tail wind.

The return trip will be a different story.

It took us just one and half hours to paddle the 9km to the Moyer Creek campsite; that's an average of about 6km/hr!

Steven, Janice and Michael arrived to the campground earlier in the day.

Shortly after our arrival, Michael came back from an exploration paddle.  He was with his brand new sleek looking folding Pakboat XT-17.

Ted was really excited about the new kayak.

My teal Java in the foreground looked good too though.

After walking around the campsite I found Janice's beast.

The campsite.

We resisted offers of marshmallows for dinner to make us stay overnight.

A frigid looking Moyers Creek in the campground's backyard.

A "cool" underwater shot of the creek.

Michael got really excited trying Ted's seasock on the Pakboat.  A seasock is an excellent safety feature in a folding kayak.  It keeps most of the water out and the kayak's interior much cleaner.

He want one now.  ...while an Helios is resting.

Getting ready for the return trip.

 Returning wasn't quite as hard or long as expected - just two hours.  Most of the time the winds stayed under 12 knots.  We experimented feathering our paddles.  45 degrees works magic in reducing wind resistance on that airborne paddle blade.

Early evening sun coming through the clouds.

We are close to our destination.

Some interesting stats from my GPS.  The first graph's boat speed clearly shows a much faster outgoing passage then the return, due mainly to a southerly wind.  Also interesting is the elevation graph, with three little humps at the start, the end of the paddle and the middle when we stopped.  The difference in elevation I thought would be negligible, but it was still picked up by my GPS.

Alouette Lake - Easter Weekend 2011

It was just a perfect day to paddle Alouette Lake.  Ted and I decided to join Steven and Jim who were camping on the lake this Easter weekend.  This would be my first real paddle with the new Feathercraft Java.  I wouldn't be disappointed.

The red marking indicates Alouette Lake in relation to Vancouver. Just about an hour drive from town.
Assembling the Java went quite smoothly.  It's easier and faster than putting my old Wisper ogether.  It ought to be, being a sit-on-top kayak with an rudimentary frame without ribs.  Assembly pictures can be seen on an earlier blog.

We put-in at the boat launch site located at the lake's south end.

After setting up we padded north pushed by a pleasant southerly of about 5 knots.

 Ted had his FC Wisper XP.  What a slick kayak that is!
Then about one third of the way up the lake, the wind died completely.  These idyllic conditions remained for the rest of the day!

Another view of the glassy calm water lake surrounded by white capped mountains.

After a 10km paddle in one and half hours we were met by Steven on his Sunny. 
Their camping spot was just a few paddle strokes away.

Our Feathercrafts, and their crew, are now resting. This was a good landing spot, with a few flat tent pads up from the beach.

From the beach we walked across a "log bridge" to see what was on the other side...

...and there it was: a lush mossy forest.

Walking back on the bridge.  Watch your step!

Our kayaks look like they are ready to take us back.

The Java and Wisper side-by-side.

Notice Ted's new Greenland paddle.

Again, heavenly conditions. 

On the back deck I'm carrying the Safari waterproof backpack.

No words needed.

By the way I'm dressed it might seem the air was cold.  It actually felt quite warm under the spring sun.

Another cool shot.

Since we made good time paddling back from the campground, we took Steven's suggestion to explore Gold Creek.  It's a short half km paddle to the watefalls.

The creek's entrance can be seen right above my paddle blade.

We are now in shallow water approaching the creek's entrance.

After a short distance we reached the end of calm waters.

 

It was fun getting pushed back the creek's current.

On the way out.  Cristal clear water.  It would be fun to practice skinny dipping here in the summer.

After leaving Gold Creek we paddled about another 4km back to the start.

Alouette Lake is an excellent paddle destination early and late in the season.  Apparently during the summer the lake is overrun by powerboats filled with beer drinking youth... a place to avoid.

A good start to this year's paddling season!