I managed to get out for a good paddle in the Big Red Pig today. The destination was Hayward lake, in the district of Mission, BC.
I started out from the launch point heading square into a head wind. There is a slight current in this lake, which combined with the wind to create a bit of a chop at the end where the launch is. I paddled my way across a narrower section to find some flatter water and less wind on the far side. From there the paddling was much easier.
The lake itself is just under 6km long, very beautiful, and features a number of standing dead forests that rise above the surface of the water. The stands of dead trees have a stark beauty of their own, and stand in contrast to the lush coastal mountains that surround the lake.
There is one patch in particular that is quite dense and makes for an excellent paddling playground. I spent over an hour in there goofing off and enjoying the challenge of weaving in and out of some very tight spaces.
There are a handful of small inlets and coves to explore, and a few places to get out stomp around a bit on foot. At the opposite end of the lake from the launch there is a longer inlet that eventually leads to an impassable creek. This was where I topped to have some grub, stretch my legs, enjoy the solitude of this secluded spot.
By this time the sun was starting to head towards the dirt so I decided to go flat out and sprint the 6km back to the launch. The wind was gone, the lake was flat, and I made it in well under an hour. I was sweating pretty good, cramped up a finger, and was dog-tired by the time I got back to the launch. Not bad for a big red pig though. 84 lbs of poly can get up and gumboot when it needs to.
Anyway, that was my day.
I started out from the launch point heading square into a head wind. There is a slight current in this lake, which combined with the wind to create a bit of a chop at the end where the launch is. I paddled my way across a narrower section to find some flatter water and less wind on the far side. From there the paddling was much easier.
The lake itself is just under 6km long, very beautiful, and features a number of standing dead forests that rise above the surface of the water. The stands of dead trees have a stark beauty of their own, and stand in contrast to the lush coastal mountains that surround the lake.
There is one patch in particular that is quite dense and makes for an excellent paddling playground. I spent over an hour in there goofing off and enjoying the challenge of weaving in and out of some very tight spaces.
There are a handful of small inlets and coves to explore, and a few places to get out stomp around a bit on foot. At the opposite end of the lake from the launch there is a longer inlet that eventually leads to an impassable creek. This was where I topped to have some grub, stretch my legs, enjoy the solitude of this secluded spot.
By this time the sun was starting to head towards the dirt so I decided to go flat out and sprint the 6km back to the launch. The wind was gone, the lake was flat, and I made it in well under an hour. I was sweating pretty good, cramped up a finger, and was dog-tired by the time I got back to the launch. Not bad for a big red pig though. 84 lbs of poly can get up and gumboot when it needs to.
Anyway, that was my day.
