In early June the lands near Tranquille begin to flood during freshet.    We can paddle this area once the water is high enough so we can clear the barbed-wire fences.    Past the fences is a large area of channels with “islands” of deciduous vegetation separating them.    We can paddle out to Cooney Bay, we can cross the river to channels on the other side, or we can do eclectic loop routes on the north side of the river.    For the first day back in the floodlands, I kayaked a 4.4 km route in calm water, but stormy clouds were building to the south.

I cleared the fence (look for where the poles are just barely above the water) and headed west toward Tranquille, then started to loop back in the outer channel.  After exploring several channels, I looped back onto an inner channel as the grey clouds loomed over the valley.    The second day was more sunny and there was no wind.

Some photos from 2 days of paddling are shared here:

The area is a wildlife protection area.    I saw blackbirds, coots, various ducks, geese, an osprey and smaller birds in the trees.    On other days I have seen western painted turtles, river otters, carp (rising), muskrats, a beaver, eagles, ravens and crows, magpies, and dragonflies.

I will continue to paddle the area until freshet starts to reduce the depth of the floodwaters later in June.

• Into the Floodlands (YouTube)
• A Floodlands Meditation