Chemainus Lake

Returning from a trip to the Cowichan Valley in January for some misty morning photography, I stopped to check out Chemainus Lake. The last time I had been there was years earlier, and it had, at that time, felt sad and overused. This time, however, I found a new robust dock, excellent roadway, and fresh gravel at the put-in. I thought, "Time to bring the canoe."

So, on the last day of March, I got up early, canoe already on the roof, and head south. I arrived while it was still dark, put the canoe in the water and set out onto the little lake amid a rising mist and almost total silence.

I paddled around in the cold pre-dawn light, watching the mist swirl and listening to the birds waking up and becoming active. That time of day, on a small body of water, is perhaps the best time of all. The feeling of positive aloneness (sabi) and the feeling of connection to the natural world work to create a rich sense of contentment and hushed awe.

I drifted around, watching the sun slowly rise, painting the tree tops first, with it's golden glow, then eventually the mist, which became thicker with the change in temperature.

I surrendered to the beauty, feeling the cares of the week drifting away amid the mist. There is something about this kind of beauty, the majesty of it, the power of it, that creates an especially receptive mind. I thought about work, relationships, harmony and discord. A wetland is a place that mirrors these qualities. So much life, and with it, so much death.

I experimented with my new camera and the even newer vintage Pentax 28mm lens. It is always difficult to capture the scale of a place like this. Chemainus Lake is small, but also packed with endless views, sights, and details. There are so many nooks and gaps in a wetland and in fact this little lake has channels between the main lake and the shore, bands of water that curve around behind reed banks and a beaver store.

Then, the sun broke over the trees and the morning began in earnest. This always causes me a bit of excitement, the golden hour has begun! I race to get photos, everywhere I look a new subject, a new breath-taking image.

The first shots were of the reed banks, as the light broke across them. I paddled to two spots of the lake to get different perspectives.

As I did, the nesting geese started honking, and within minutes a flock of new geese arrived.

In the reeds, marsh wrens and song sparrows started to mill about, joined by red-wing blackbirds going from perch to perch and back again. The morning chorus, or racket, had begun.

Song Sparrow

Male Redwing Blackbird

Female Redwing Blackbird

Resident Nesting Canadian Goose

About that time, a paddling fly angler joined us on the water. I was off in a corner with my long lens, trying to get portraits of some of the smaller residents, but I snapped one of this young fellow. We humans tend to dominate the landscape, with our impressive tools, including tackle and vessel.

Young Male Human

Another angler arrived on the dock, so I headed down to the far end of the lake. Along the way I marveled at the beauty of this little spot. The shoreline from the water is truly stunning.

As more humans came onto the water the non-resident geese took flight to the air, and I retreated further into the reeds.

Canadian Geese Take Flight

My Hideout Amid the Reeds

In a shady corner I took out my other new vintage lens, the Revuenon 55mm 1.2. This bokeh master lens creates unique artistic renditions that, in some ways, capture a place better than razor sharpness ever can.

Revuenon 55mm 1.2 - #1

By that time, there were anglers arriving every few minutes. I waited against the reeds near the dock as two young fellows in kayaks, a woman in a float tube, and two older guys in a tinner made there way out. I took a photo of the men with kids on the dock. "Can I touch it?" came the call of one child as a fish was held out flopping for inspection. The curiosity and excitement in the kid's voices was a welcomed sound.

Men and Boys Enjoy the Sturdy Functional Attractive Dock

I was glad that these folks would enjoy their time, AND was also glad I was leaving. I packed up while another fellow prepared to head onto the water in a pontoon boat. I would be back to take more photos on this fantastic jewel of a lake on this special island.

Return to Trail Pond

I just posted about an experience I had on Trail Pond in 2007. I decided to return to the lake on July 21st 2013 having found last year that the lake was sequestered behind a logging company gate. I bought a new canoe cart to assist in the effort, since the lake is about a kilometer inside the gate -- too far for me to comfortably carry my canoe.

New Canoe Cart

The walk in was uneventful, despite the huge number of bear turds freshly studded with road gravel, and the  eerie quiet that accompanies the heat of mid day.

The trail to the water's edge was completely grown over. Small firs had grown larger and one small tree had fallen across the trail. But once I negotiated my way through the bracken fern, raspberry, and salal, and climbed over the fallen tree, I found the shoreline and the old log where I used to put in when I first started visiting this lake in 2007.

These two shots are from slightly different angles, but you can see common markers in the snags and log. The water is higher by more than a foot and the young fir on the left was not even visible in 2007.

It took me a few minutes to collapse my cart and stow it in my canoe, and I confess I paused a moment to take in the pond in all it's summer glory. I don't think I have been on the pond at this time of year before and the verdant lushness was impressive.

 After the dusty walk and effort to make my way through the underbrush, I was happy to get out on the pond where a nice breeze cooled me down, especially when I was across the lake and into the shade on the far side. I made the following video after exploring the shoreline for about an hour.

Here are a few of my favorite photos from this trip. For more, see my Trail Pond set on Flickr.

I was delighted to find I could paddle into areas of the wetland that had previously been blocked by sticks. Here is an image from 2007:

In 2013 I was able to paddle past this point right down to where the beavers had been busy.

Looking towards the beaver dam from the place I used to have to turn around.

The dam itself was impressive. I estimated a 4 or 5 foot drop on the downstream side.

A Healthy Beaver Dam

Looking downstream from the dam revealed a lush outflow, demonstrating the value of beavers in maintaining and improving wetlands.

Looking Downstream from the Beaver Dam

With my water bottle empty I decided to pack up and head home, stopping to enjoy one last look back before heading to Tim Hortons for an Ice Cappachino with an espresso shot!

A Note about logging and pretension. 

Readers of this blog have sometimes criticized me for being pretentious when I express my sadness over the ugliness logging creates beside treasures like Trail Pond. While I do mourn the loss of beauty often in my writing, I am careful to balance it with an appreciation of logging as a mainstay of the BC economy and I do value being able to use logging company and forestry roads to access these locations.

I have commented lately to family and friends that cuts are much less ugly than in years past. This is due in part to the practice of creating smaller cuts, spread out over the whole island, rather than large clear cuts as was the practice before. For example, only one hillside was logged here at Trail Pond and it is actually not ugly at all. The presence of a gate, which appears to be locked indefinitely, seems also to have kept the yahoos out. I didn't see any beer cans or other litter. No torn up ground, burned logs, discarded sleeping bags, or other evidence of human impact. It was, I have to say, a welcomed surprise. While visiting this place in the last few years I have met bicyclists, hikers, and one man riding an impressive and beautiful horse. It seems to me that all such uses place a very light load on the road and land; and the gate's strategic location has also kept ATVs out, which adds to the quiet and tranquility of the location. Now before all the ATVers start up, I'm not opposed to the responsible use of quads but have seen some ugly scars created by quads on hillsides and in forests. Worse that any skidder now in use!

I know I am uncomfortably sentimental for many when I write and talk about these beautiful places, but I am unapologetic. Beautiful natural settings and tranquility seem to be diminishing in our world. I see houses being built and "no trespassing" signs going up, where previously the wider public enjoyed the views and scenery. I love these places and want to see them respected and preserved so that future generations can have the same experiences we who now visit them have. I hope trail pond continues to be a haven for turtles, beavers, and the odd ducks like me.

Review of the Bluewater Mist

In December of 2010 I sold my Solo Plus and in July of 2011 I sold my old tandem canoe to make room for a new canoe that I hoped would fulfill my desire for a larger, more efficient, more wave-hardy solo canoe.

After months of research I ordered a Bluewater Mist from Peter Harris at Pacifica Paddle Sports in Victoria BC, Canada. In previous posts I wrote in some detail about how I finally decided on the Mist, and here, over a year since I began to paddle the canoe, I give a detailed review of the experience.

First some photos of the beautiful hull:

Bluewater Mist on Durrance Lake

Bluewater Mist on the Shore of Elk Lake

Bluewater Mist on Dickson Lake

Bluewater Mist on Westwood Lake

Bluewater Mist on Muriel Lake

Some Initial Glitches
I received the Mist towards the end of August, 2011, and was disappointed to discover a number of flaws with the hull which included manufacturing defects and damage from shipping. Both Peter at Pacifica Paddle Sports and Bluewater representative Brent Wood were quick to acknowledge the flaws and Brent offered a new boat to replace the one I had received, allowing me to paddle it until the new one arrived. I asked if the skid plates that were installed on the first canoe could be left off the second canoe, and was assured the new one would be skid-plate free. Putting skid plates on a performance boat like this seems like slapping cheap all-season tires on a Ferrari.

Upon hearing that I was looking for a foot brace and a lower seat, Brent also offered to customize the boat to fit my wishes.

Over the fall, winter, and spring I paddled the "first" Mist and earlier this summer I received the replacement boat. Along with the promised foot-brace and lower seat I was delighted to discover that the layup was done with a new carbon/kevlar material which looks nicer and feels like it reduces the weight by around 4 or 5 pounds.

The foot brace was exactly where I had asked it to be and the seat height precisely as requested. I believe that the boat was flawless leaving the build site, but unfortunately the transportation from Ontario to British Columbia gave the hull a good number of scratches, gouges, and dings.

Note the Foot-brace Location and Beautiful Gunwale Lines on the Bluewater Mist

So, regarding Bluewater as a company, A+ for responsiveness to customer concerns, A+ for quality of build (second time around), and C- for shipping and timely delivery. Mid-Canada Fiberglass, the parent company for Bluewater, also makes Scott Canoes and Impex Kayaks. The three businesses combined make MCF "Canada's largest canoe and kayak manufacturer" according to longtime retailer Frontenac Outfitters. It seems curious to me that a company of this size had such trouble getting the boat to Victoria -- over 10 months and many dings in the process. I know that shipping is a major challenge with canoes, and I have heard numerous horror stories about canoes from many manufacturers, not just MCF. It just seems sad to me that a boat of this value and quality receives such harsh treatment before it ever sees the water!

Regarding the build of the canoe -- while the first one was clearly not a good representation of the company's abilities, the second one is a thing of beauty and extremely well made. It is made with what I presume is the "Ultralite Carbon Kevlar" fabric and I have to say I really love it. Aesthetically it catches everyone's eye and for the type of paddling I do, the weight benefit is a big deal.

Ultralite Carbon Kevlar photographed under a bush, so the mottled look is from the shadows

I believe that the Ultralite Carbon Kevlar adds several hundred dollars to the price of a canoe, so I feel more than compensated for my transportation dings.

Lastly, I have to say that I particularly like the style of aluminum gunwale used by Bluewater, with the hidden rivets and smooth substantial feel. All and all the boat presents as a thing of quality and performance.

Price
My Mist cost $3,016.16. That includes $343.00 for shipping and $323.16 in taxes.Compared to the other boats on my list it ended up being more expensive than I anticipated, but in line with it's nearest competitor, the Swift Keewaydin 15. Both the Wenonah Argosy and Clipper Packer, would have been significantly less expensive and I know for sure that I would have been happy with the Packer. The Packer is, however, still shorter and less wave-hardy than the Mist.

The Paddling Experience
The first day I paddled the Mist I was perplexed by the difference between what I had read and what I experienced. The hull was efficient, but not as fast as I had hoped for; and the stability was also less than I had expected. I soon discovered, however, that it was because I was paddling the boat in a way that did not bring out it's inner strengths, so to speak.

The Mist begs to be paddled "hit and switch" style from the kneeling position. Once I shifted to this position the merits of the hull became immediately apparent. Here is a video of me paddling on Spider Lake. Note my sitting position and how at different times I lean forward, shifting my weight to my knees, to really get a good grip on the water for power strokes and turning.

Thanks to Paul for the able camera work!

In the silhouetted shot on the beginning of the next video you can see that I eventually learned to perform a standing draw and other maneuvering strokes in this minimally rockered canoe.

Once I discovered that the boat likes the weight slightly forward (in calm conditions), and can be leaned moderately in a brace or draw I began to love the feeling of control that had initially eluded me. Charlie Wilson warned that the boat was wet because of the "bubble" sides and said that it was tricky to heel over. I found this to be true, but discovered that I could heel it over a bit without freaking out, and while the minimal heeling did not produce the kind of turning results other more highly rockered canoes would deliver, it gave great access to the water and a solid feeling of control.

In a thread on the Canadian Canoe Routes forum Charlie said, "Outside heels, often not quite to the rail, start the bow carving into the turn, so the hull comes around more smartly." I have yet to master this maneuver.

So, after the initial feeling of being somewhat non-plussed, I found that the boat was a true pleasure to paddle, and even my favorite Indian stroke could produce respectable speed and enjoyment, as I think the following video demonstrates:

 In fact, despite my knowledge of psychology and the way that we grow to justify our decisions and like our purchases more over time -- even if they are not the best -- I think I can say that I have retained some objectivity in the matter.

I suspect that I might have been more impressed with the Swift Osprey or Keewaydin 15, as my preferred activity involves a lot of maneuvering and poking into nooks and tight places, but I sure appreciate the straight ahead tracking of the Mist when crossing large water, especially large windy water!

I have a technique I use now in which I pull out my Alton Aleut paddle and lean forward to cut down on windage and motor at a high cadence till I'm across the worst of it. Then I stow the double and take out my single again for pleasurable cruising. This is what I had envisioned for this canoe, and it has proven to facilitate comfortable paddling on larger lakes.

My Pros and Cons List for the Bluewater Mist 

Pros

Cons

Efficient short hull  -- so gets up to speed fast and feels fun doing it, Good tracking, Steeply angled internal float chambers for ease when washing it out, Slimline "hidden rivet" aluminum gunwales, Good fit and finish including smart looking gel coat and layup, Light (around 40 pounds) even with gelcoat, Unique styling (plum ends, step-flared bow) Can be paddled with speed using a double blade, especially an Aleutian style with a high cadence stroke.

Minimal undifferentiated rocker, so impossible to turn quickly, Not easy to do radical heeling without going swimming, and so turning is not much aided by this method, Designed for "hit and switch" paddling in the kneeling position, so sitting can feel unstable in rough water. Absent or outdated foot brace; and fixed seat height (NOTE: Canadian canoe manufacturers need to take a lesson from Wenonah who have the best braces and seats in this sector of the industry from my experience/perspective), Lack of good shipping method to Western Canada.

Summary
So, despite the problems with the first boat, and after giving the hull a long trial period, I can say that of all the canoes I have tried so far it is my favorite. I like it better than my Spitfire and better than the Rapidfire because there are multiple options for sitting/kneeling and it is well suited to both double and single blades.

It feels fast and responsive and just downright fun to paddle. I can sprint in it with a double blade or cruise for hours doing the Indian stroke with seemingly minimal effort. It turns reasonably well, though this is it's weakest quality. It looks classy with a unique style that sets it apart from other boats on the water -- certainly eye candy for me. One observer commented that it had a "pug nose" which I assume was in response to the relatively wide run just forward of the paddling station before it abruptly narrows to the end.

It is light, durable, and not too long to fit in my small house. That's right, I have it on the wall of my office, along with the Spitfire. Despite other newer designs this proven and slightly unusual design holds it's own. I will NOT be selling this one any time soon.

Maple Lake

Vancouver Backroads Map Book 4th Edition -- Map 33 D7
Atlas of Canada Link: Maple Lake

Latitude/Longitude:
Degrees, Minutes, Seconds: 49° 38' 19" N 125° 0' 48" W
Decimal Degrees: 49.639° N 125.014° W
UTM Coordinates: 10U 354618 5500406
Topographic Map Sheet Number: 092F11

Trip Date September 28, 2011

I've driven down the enticing, if impressively root-bound, access road to Maple Lake twice before. In one case it was late in the day and I was worried about the gate closing, and in the other I decided to paddle elsewhere. But I've kept it on my list of lakes to paddle because it looked promising. When John, a long time Vancouver island paddler, suggested we give it a try, I immediately agreed.

John and Paul heading out onto Maple Lake

The boat ramp/put-in is a sandy area scooped from a sandy bank on the eastern shore of the lake, accessed via a tunnel under the Island Highway off of Minto Road. The land surrounding Maple Lake has been recently logged but whether by design or happy chance, there is no way to perceive the cut from the lake or access. An examination of the area on Google maps reveals a healthy boarder of trees around the lake. Imagine if all lakes on the island had this healthy buffer! It would increase the recreational experience 100 fold or more.

I was interested to see John's Mohawk Odyssey, a canoe (and canoe company) I have looked at casually in the past. I enjoyed listening to John give his impressions of the boat and the company.

John gave me an opportunity to paddle the canoe and I found it to be responsive, comfortable, maneuverable and good looking. John said the boat really comes into it's own in moving water and invited us to join him on the Salmon River some time -- one of his favorite destinations.

Maple Lake turned out to be a Sedgebender's dream. The eastern shoreline is broken by several inflows, and an expanse of high ground stretches out into a chain of tiny islands surrounded by a diverse wetland and extended marsh.

We enjoyed winding our way in and around the large areas of bull rushes, reeds, and sweet gale.

All the foliage was touched by the coming fall colours and we appreciated the warm sunshine in an otherwise cool day.

We were visited by large dragon flies and by wasps, but fortunately the wasps only seemed to be interested in checking out our bright PFDs and then zooming off to more important things.

We noticed that all the lilly pads had lost most of their leaves, with secondary growth leaves on a few. It looked to me that water levels had dropped and/or a storm had taken the mature leaves away somewhere. It made for an interesting waterscape.

All three of us share an appreciation for the life and scenery of the wetland and stopped to admire this corner of beauty.

As we headed north along the eastern shore we rounded some high ground and I noticed literally thousands of Whirligig beetles doing their mesmerizing dance below the overhanging sweet gale. Here is a good video on this fascinating beetle: http://youtu.be/RIbzOeNcaxE

The gap between peninsula and the little islands is filled with an impressive stand of very tall rushes or reeds, I'm not sure which. They are just off camera to the right in the above photo.

We paddled through a patch of smaller reeds or rushers on the other side of the peninsula. Perhaps some day I will be motivated to sort out the differences in these beautiful aquatic plants.

After emerging from the rushes we made our way to a nice shaded opening in the shoreline and stop for a bite to eat.

While we ate and talked about important subjects of ethnicity, history, and politics another couple arrives at the distant put-in with their canoe. The day was slow and peaceful and the company was good.

The northern shore is steeply sloped with a couple of well used fishing beaches and we made our way across the bay, back into the sunshine and warmth.

There are lots of nooks and cranies on the lake, and we enjoyed investigating them all.

Maple Lake is a beautiful little lake hidden within a few minutes drive from three central island communities. We were all a little impressed at what a gem it really is.

After loading up our canoes we stood and talked and watch dragon flies hunting some sort of "Mayfly" looking gnat over our heads. Out on the water the sun was setting and a dragon fly crash landed on the water, unable to take flight again. We watched it's desperate attempts, even when it was almost completely underwater. All around us life was emerging, thriving, and dying. I thought of Darwin and my recent reading of his work. Nature is endlessly interesting and deep, and I was filled with gratitude to be able to share appreciation of it with others.

Earlier in the day one of the impressive dragon flies landed on John's face, but I wasn't fast enough to catch it on film, even though it stayed on his face for almost a minute.

As the sun set we were hesitant to leave, but finally the falling temperature drove us to our sweaters and vehicles. Another idyllic autumn day on the water on Vancouver Island.