Zen Paddling

Luck was on my side today, I had a day off and the weather was stellar! After dropping my daughter off at work I headed to Canoe to launch my kayak and head across to Heralds Park.

I often find when I am out kayaking by myself that I have some really great ``ah ha`` moments, and today was a pretty profound one! I love the water,(I don`t put much stock into the horoscope or signs but I am a Pisces so maybe there is something to it) and would just love to live on the lake. As I kayak past the waterfront homes and cabins I admit I do feel envy for the owners of those homes and today was no exception. In fact my neck was getting a little sore from scoping out all the beautiful homes, and then something clicked. I realized that I was missing out on what was going on around me, missing out on the calm lake, the creatures around me. Just as I snapped out of my envy trance` a little fish jumped a few feet on the other side of my kayak. I`d like to say that I stayed present for the rest of my paddle, not quite, but there sure was a vast improvement in my attitude and perspective.

I read a book on walking a few years ago and one of the points that stuck with me I think could also be applied to paddling. That with the rhythm of walking (or paddling in this case) our thoughts slow down and instead of racing around and really getting no where with them we are more able to problem solve or see situations from a different perspective. I was once told that we can think 600 words per minute but we can only write 150 words per minute, and that`s one of the reasons it is helpful to journal. I think paddling has a similar effect.

Thank goodness for some good weather!

Looking towards Sicamous

Little Shuswap Lake Fish Pictograph

I was able to get out on the water this weekend with my Sister on Saturday, what a beautiful day to be on the water. We kayaked from the wharf in Chase to the pictograph and cave site, I have been there quite a few times but recently read that there was a fish pictograph that I had not found during my previous visits. From the directions I had this is the only pictograph in the area where the fish was supposed to be and it does kinda look like a fish hanging from it's mouth.

Just around the corner from this there is a rock wall and you could see that the whole wall at one time was covered with paintings. As they are exposed and there was no overhang to help protect them, none are really visible anymore. You can just see paint here and there and where the rock has crumbled and fallen off.

I can hardly wait to get back out on the water again. My next planned trip is to launch at Totem Pole Resort and cross the lake to another pictograph site and boat only campground. I hope to be able to get to that within the next two weeks. I wish there was a few more hours added to each weekend day, they just seem to fly by.



Fish Pictograph?

Tappen site pictographs

My son and I were going to kayak today but the weather was a little iffy so we decided to take off on foot to the Tappen site. The pictographs were easy to find and pretty easy to climb up most of the way, I chickened out of the last little bit as it was very slippery. So the photo's were taken by my son Karl who is more agile than I and a whole lot braver, heights are not my thing!

I recently borrowed a book from the library called "Exploring B.C.'s Pictographs" what a great book and it's due to the direction in the book that we found the Tappen site so easily, and also the reason I knew the animal in the pictograph was a porcupine.


Hunters, sun symbol and porcupine.



Deer

View from above the pictographs

Two eagles skimming the lake.

First trip on the water for 2012

This was the scene for my first trip out on the water this year. What a beautiful day, lots of sunshine, a slight breeze and good company! I have at least a half dozen trips planned for this spring and I am just itching to get going!

Bald Eagles duck hunting on Shuswap Lake, B.C. Canada

In November of 2010 I was expecting a uneventful, last of the season outing in my kayak. That is exactly what I did not have.

A group of a couple hundred waterfowl flew over my head, the sound was phenomenal. What I did not realize was a group of four Bald Eagles were chasing the flock. I saw a lot of splashing about 100 meters ahead but could not make out what exactly was going on so decided to check it out. Once I got a bit closer an eagle took off from the water surface and a few seconds later a very terrorized looking duck popped it's dishevelled head out of the water to only duck down seconds later when a eagle swooped down. The four eagles took turns swooping until one finally grabbed the duck, flew off to the shore and perched on a rock to start it's feast.

The video I did get on my camera is shaky and does not do the scene justice but I thought I'd post it anyway!

Copper Island

Our picnic beach

 My daughter and I kayaked to Copper Island today. The sun was shinning and the fall leaves surrounding the lake are

breath taking.

We hike almost to the top of the cliff face but it started to get a little dangerous so we settled for 3/4, the view was worth the scrapes and scratches we are now sporting.

I have heard there are pictographs on the island, we didn't find them. Please drop me a line if you do know as I would like to check them out.

All in all it was a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon!

View towards Magna Bay

View towards Blind Bay

Blake Point, Magna Bay, B.C. Pictographs

Moose and Hunters Pictograph





I am lucky enough to still have some holiday days left and choose a great day to use one up!

 I put in in Eagle Bay and kayaked across the lake to Blake Point in search of the pictographs. They were exactly opposite of where I thought they might be, right beside a beach and beach staircase up the side of the cliff. They are very weathered and I could not make out many of the figures. I did manage to climb up a rock wall and get a close up of a moose with two hunters, which is really cool as my Husband and I have always loved moose.

It was really neat to see such a thick vein of quartz and it just kept going down under the water.



Quartz vein above and under the water

I love kayaking in the fall, I just lay a blanket on the bottom of my kayak, put on my spray skirt and I stay quite comfortable. And one of the best things is, I don't have to stress about being run over by other watercraft, I only saw one other vessel out there and it was at least one kilometer from me.
I will probably re-post about these pictographs when I have a little more time to zoom in and play with the contrast a bit more and hopefully get some clear images.


The middle of Shuswap Lake looking towards Copper Island



Pictograph