On the first day of October I drove out to Shuswap Lake Provincial Park and parked at the boat launch.    I kayaked out onto Shuswap Lake with a loop around Copper Island in mind.   Last year in spring I had paddled to the east side of the lake, landed and secured the boat, then I hiked around the island before paddling back.  This time I paddled out into a 15 km breeze from the east.    I kept the nose of the kayak into the wind and aimed for the lee waters before going around the shoreline.

From the east side of the island looking farther east, it is all open water for almost 30 km to the Narrows.

I paddled around the rocky bluffs of Copper Island.

The wind abated a bit as I paddled west back to the beaches of the park.    Rain clouds were moving in from the southwest.

I chose not to hike this time since the weather was supposed to worsen by late morning.    I was pleased with a 4.7 km morning paddle around the island.    I plan to paddle more on Shuswap Lake this month, watching the weather forecasts before making the decision of whether to paddle or hike.