As a reader of numerous trip report contributions to the list, I am writing of my recent mini-trip (May 16-18). During the past Victoria Day weekend, our group of 11 boats (10 ‘yaks and one canoe) paddled the west side of the Bowron Lake chain of lakes in south-central British Columbia. Bowron Lake lies within a B.C. Provincial Park, and comprises 6 major lakes forming a chain, nestled between snow-capped mountain ranges. Connections between the lakes are either by portages or by watercourses. The entire chain length is some 116 kilometres and it is suggested that a minimum of 6 days are required. As we only had 3 days, we did the west side. We left from our put-in on Saturday morning, paddled Bowron Lake, the Bowron River and set up camp at Pat Point about halfway down the Spectacle Lakes. As we had 13 in our party, we qualified for a reserved ‘group site', and had the place to ourselves. This site became our base, and we left the following morning to complete the west side. We paddled the remainder of Spectacle Lake, and portaged 400 metres to Skoi Lake, paddled Skoi Lake, and portaged another 400 metres to Babcock Lake. As the portages were short, we carried our craft. By the end of the day we covered about 30 kilometres. On Monday, we returned to our put-in, being greeted with whitecaps and headwinds as we entered Bowron Lake. The Bowron Lake chain is a wildlife sanctuary, home to black and grizzly bears, moose, a host of other smaller creatures, and many species of birds. Powerboats are only permitted on Bowron Lake (approximately 7.2 kilometres in length). The sounds of paddles entering water is broken only by the shrill of birds or other natural sounds of the wilderness. The wilderness activity is enhanced by B.C. Parks limiting the number of paddlers permitted to enter the chain. It is required to register in advance of the trip, pay the required fee ($38.00 Canadian for the west side), and view a video on conduct and practises, including bear awareness. For those contemplating the entire circuit, it is recommended that kayak or canoe wheels be utilized, as portages can be as long as 2.4 kilometres. Bowron Lakes are located some 800 kilometres (500 miles) from Vancouver, B.C., but for those contemplating a trip to the Queen Charlottes via Cariboo Highway 97, it is only approximately 115 kilometres off the route, with all but the last 25 kilometres being paved roads. I did enjoy the trip, and look forward to a return visit soon. A wealth of information is available on the Web by searching on "Bowron Lakes", including photographs, accommodations, maps etc. B.C. Parks specific web site is <http://www.elp.gov.bc.ca:80/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/bowron.htm> If you plan a trip to British Columbia, you may wish to consider this adventure. Rick Brundrige *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
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