On a warm May morning I drove east on the trans Canada Highway to Chase then up into the hills to Neskonlith Lake Provincial Park.   There is a boat launch area on the north side of the lake and a parking area above.    I vary the route each year.    This time I paddled around the eastern side of the lake, then down the south shore, before looping back around a rocky island, then back to the start.    Conditions were calm and there were no other boats on the lake.

The southeastern shoreline has some meadows and pastures.    Much of the shoreline on the rest of the lake is bordered by rocky hills.

The slopes on the north side rise up steeply with only patches of trees after forest fires burned almost all of the trees.

While paddling I spotted many western painted turtles sunning themselves on logs.    There were geese with goslings, various ducks, an osprey, loons, killdeer, magpies, and many birds calling from the grasslands and treed areas.   A few campers were enjoying the fine weather in campsites by the lake on the north shoreline.

I will be back to kayak Neskonlith Lake again, this time on a different route.

das