At the last minute, the trip coordinator was unable to come on the trip, but the remaining seven paddled out from the Mine Lake boat launch through the narrows and across Main Lake to a grassy pullout through the brush. The morning was very calm and relatively warm. From there, we hiked a short distance, starting along Clear Lake Creek. We followed a flagged route most of the way to two big trees: a Douglas fir with a circumference of 8 metres and a Western Red Cedar with a circumference of 7.2 metres. It seemed a fitting destination for Earth Day. We briefly wandered through the open forest of Main Lake Provincial Park to a bluff and then returned to the shore for lunch. Four of the group returned directly to the vehicles and the other three paddled along the shore to the east, exploring camping possibilities and trailheads. We didn’t see another person during the paddle or the hike and it was a lovely peaceful trip. 11.0 km; 4 hours
(click on photos to enlarge)
- Morning in Mine Lake
- Entering Main Lake
- The big fir
- The big cedar
- Clear Lake Creek
- Paddling home