On a hot (36 C) day in June I drove to Monte Lake on Highway 97 South.    I used the boat launch on the Monte Creek Forest Service Road on the north end of the lake.    I paddled down the middle of the lake to the south end, then returned along the western shore back to the start, a 5.5 km route.   There was little wind and there were a few fishing boats on the lake.    The drone of vehicles from the highway was ever-present, but there was no trail on the line on the west side.

The launch on the north side has a gravel bay and there is ample parking.

There were eagles, loons, and ducks with ducklings on the lake.    On the shoreline, bordering forest, and in marshlands were killdeer, marsh wrens, blackbirds, and robins.   An osprey flew overhead.

On both sides of the lake the steep hillsides are dotted with burned trees, remnants of the White Rock Fire of 2021.

This was the 32nd day of paddling for 2025.