July 9 Sproat Lake Paddle

 

Cormack Gates and Ron Stephenson led 14 paddlers on a paddle at Sproat Lake. We met at the Boat Launch at Sproat Lake Provincial Park. Just before the pre-trip meeting, we witnessed the Hawaii Martin Mars Water Bomber fire its engines and take a test taxi down the lake as it prepares for its final flight. The water bomber, will be the centrepiece of the new B.C. wildfire aviation exhibit at the British Columbia Aviation Museum in North Saanich.

 

The Pre-trip meeting trip began with Ron sharing some fascinating local history stories and Cormack talking about some of the local flora and fauna. Donna Roy then led the group in a short series of warmup exercises.

We started paddling

 

 toward the Petroglyphs carved on some rock bluffs on the edge of the lake.

 

After crossing to the south side of the lake we paddled past houseboats for rent

 

 and saw many luxurious homes and cottages on the shore of Sproat Lake. In addition we paddled past a family of Canada Geese.

 

With the temperature rising (forecast to hit 36c by mid-afternoon) we decided to cut the trip short and paddle across to view the Martin Mars water bomber. We enjoyed the experience of paddling right up to the enormous plane - the largest one built by the Allies in World War 2.

 

Philippine Mars on shore

We then looked for turtles basking on logs near the shore. Unfortunately, it was probably too hot for them and we returned to the launch site at the Provincial Park.

First Nations canoe

 

After a relaxing lunch in the shade the group had a relaxing swim in the lake. We then loaded our kayaks and gear into our vehicles before heading home. One nice thing to note is that the temperature on the water while paddling was quite bearable. We did make sure that we were well hydrated during the trip.

On this trip we paddled approximately 5 1/2 km.

It was a very enjoyable, historic and relaxing day.

Report by Jim Swanson and photos contributed by Lil, Cormack and Jim.