Thursday, August 31st – 8am – Old Trail Boat Launch on Lac La Biche Lake
Light wind, sky filled with smoke, but still a nice morning for a little paddle.
After a short delay, we launch and head to the west so any upcoming breeze will be at our back later. The lake is quite, just the sound of our paddles in the water and our cheery conversation.
We are always not far from shore. You see more wildlife, birds and quite often things you may not have noticed on previous paddles. We pass an old homestead building (which we have noticed before, but the colour of the leaves and grass make it stand out more today). There is a clearing along the shore in front of the house, and you can see the remains of a very old dock.
There is nothing really noteworthy about the paddle; no one else is out on the lake, just us and a few birds….it is just a relaxing, beautiful day with great company.
We get to just before Hyrnyk’s beach area and decide it’s time to stretch our legs. The smoke has cleared bit and the sun trying to come out. It’s perfect to walk the beach and do a little rock treasure hunting.
Lots of good finds today! Jen finds lots of small glass pieces in several colours; you can tell one is from an old brown medicine bottle. I find a variety of rocks, some too big to take home, but lots were great for the growing collection. The highlight of my pick, a hag stone (a stone with a naturally occurring hole in it)…first one I ever find! The extra weight in the canoe will be helpful on the wavy paddle back.
With the wind picking up, we decide to head back and this is where our conversation turns to speculation and suspicion when we spot not one, but 6 boats “booking-it” across the lake. They are coming in our direction, quite a bit out in the lake, heading towards the west. All the boats look exactly the same from our distance. A fishing party? Biologists? A very unusual site for sure.
We are close to shore and can see their wakes coming in slowly, but with that many boats in a row, the waves seem to be joining up. Their waves and the wind waves, hitting us from the side, are a bit much. 🌊🌊 Since getting wet isn’t on our “to-do” list today, the captain turns our nose to shore, and I grab on to a low branch in the water to hang on till the waves pass. Good news about the spot we picked to ride it out…found a fishing rod along the shore. Rod is crap, but the reel is a good find.😃
Waves pass and we are back to paddling. Getting closer to the dock we spot more activity….say what? How bizzare. About 8 boats and some buoys in the water? More speculation and quizzical banter. 🤔
As we get to the dock, there is a Sea-doo zipping about and a Fish and Wildlife officer on the dock. Turns out it is a training class, and they are practising manoeuvres and boat driving skills. Mystery solved.
Haven’t seen the parking lot this full and that much action on the lake since the Walley Cup!
Yes, we were questioned about fishing gear (explained the lone rod in the canoe) and life vest (which we of course had). 🛶
Upcoming canoe trips; Crow Lake, Lac La Biche (from Whitesands down part Lac La Biche River), & Blackett in Lakeland Provincial Park. (Little ambitious for September and not necessarily in this order). 😉
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