late season paddle on the arrow lakes: halfway river to nakusp
Wind and rain and more rain. This week on the Arrow Lakes has made summer feel like a distant memory. Is it possible the Autumn Equinox was only a week ago?
To make the end of the summer and the beginning of fall, I paddled my kayak from Halfway River to Lower Crescent Bay—a 30 kilometre paddle on the beautiful Arrow Lakes. This was a perfect farewell to summer and an excellent workout. The lake is wider north of Nakusp such that I didn’t have the helpful current of my Nakusp to Burton paddle a few weeks ago, resulting in a 4.5 hour paddle with stops.
launching at Halfway River with Mount Burnham in the background
To my delight, the water at Halfway River was easily accessible with my Subaru Outback (but isn’t everywhere really?) and made for a short walk with my kayak. This was in stark contrast to my epic trek on the Burton flats/quicksand a few weeks ago, which brought all my Gilligan’s Island inspired “quicksand nightmares” of my childhood to the surface!
Halfway River was also full of brilliant red spawning Kokanee and opportunistic birds of all shapes and sizes. The impact of the low water is far less pronounced in this part of the lake as the east shoreline is rocky and steep.
Gorgeous rocky cliffs plunge into the clear water and reminded me of my many trips paddling in Desolation Sound (aptly named as there are so few places to come ashore). Admittedly, as a West Coast paddler for many years, I couldn’t help but look for purple and orange starfish clinging to the underwater cliffs.
As Cape Horn came into view, I deliberated whether to paddle across the lake to Fosthall or continue on my journey and make it home before dark. The zigzagging track on my Waterspeed app clearly shows my indecision. I have forever been plagued with FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) and could not pass up the opportunity to see the area at low water.
As I approached Fosthall Bay, it became clear there was no paddling into the lagoon and viewing the falls (one of my favourite summer trips at high water) but the endless spawning Kokanee and ravens more than made up for it.
I passed beautiful Shoreholme which has been lovingly cared for by Herridge family for generations, and marvelled at the development and homes springing up along the east shore north of Nakusp.
The jaunt across the lake, and spawning fish photo op, added to my overall journey such that I returned home as the sun was setting behind Saddle Mountain. Fortunately, I regularly paddle out to watch the sunset and the Nakusp waterfront and marina is beautifully lit up at night. My helpful neighbours have also adorned their homes with gorgeous lights making for simple navigation in the dark.
I will continue to kayak in the rain, wind and snow, adorned in foul weather gear and a toque, but I may pepper these reports with memories of summer paddling to warm me up and remind me of the seemingly endless days of Kootenay summers.
First published by Black Press on Thursday, October 12, 2023
