Day 1
Once we found it, we drove up a 25km logging road that got us to the portage entrance for Murtle Lake. We got all our stuff loaded up and headed down the trail to the lake. The sun was shining and the lake was completely calm. We paddled through the lagoon and then had our lunch break at the first beach in the actual lake. The kids started fishing as soon as they could and we enjoyed dipping our feet in the refreshingly cold water. After that little pit stop we paddled on to Strait Creek. We saw some great reflections of the mountains in the water and some loons along the way. Strait Creek had a huge beach for us to set up all our tents in a row and we made sure to create some shade for them with our tarps because it was hot! After getting camp set up we all went for a dip and the men made sure to sink their beer in a bag with rocks to cool off (as would be routine at every campsite we had). We also set up a huge tarp that came in handy for a shady cooking area on the beach. After supper some people went swimming again, some went out trolling for fish and some just enjoyed the sunset. It was a great start to the trip.
Day 2
Our plan for this day originally was to have everyone hike up the Wavy Ridge trail and camp there for the night. But because of the sweltering heat and not knowing what the trail was like or if there was water up there, just Jason, Gerad, Chris and I went for a day hike. We were given a saw by the ranger on our first day because we had told him we were planning on going up there so he said to cut down any fallen trees that we could. It was good for me to have some breaks along this steep trail as the guys sawed away at logs. It took us about 3.5 hours to get to the ridge and from there we saw that it would've been a great spot to camp. Next time. We had some great views of the alpine around us and next time we will go further to find the alpine lakes that were about another 45 minutes. We made it back to camp and the first thing we did was pump water and drank about 1l each. This is where Chris decided to stand in the creek with his phone in his pocket. He got it into a bag of rice pretty quick but it's safe to say that his phone is dead now. We cooked our suppers near the creek at a spot another family had the night before and as we were finishing up we welcomed a group of kayakers that we knew from Chilliwack. Once supper was all cleaned up the boys floated down the creek to cool off. We then had one of our few campfires of the trip and roasted marshmallows.
Day 3
This morning was very buggy so we were ready to pack up camp and head somewhere else. We paddled up the North arm and found our own little private beach at Wavy View. Just across the lake from us was a view of the ridge we had hiked. It was a little squishier at this site but Jason and Wendy set up their tent on the beach and it worked out great. This beach was great because the mountain behind us created shade by 3pm and so it was a perfect temperature. Jason almost caught a big fish this day but it slipped away from him as he was trying o get it into his boat. We enjoyed watching a pair of loons that kept swimming by our beach. We played a lot of "I'm going camping and I'm bringing..." around supper time. We knew a fire ban was happening the next day so we took advantage of it and roasted as many marshmallows as we could this night. A few of us enjoyed the fire until it died down and as we were going to bed watched the orange moon rise over the mountains.
Day 4
Another day at Wavy View. The smoke from surrounding forest fires was coming in stronger today and we were starting to have a clouded view of the mountains across the lake from us. I started the day off with making a little sandcastle village with some of the kids. Jason and Jasper went out fishing and caught two little fish. So they got some experience at gutting and cooking the fish over the fire before the ban started at noon. It was actually quite tasty. There were many dips in the lake this day and we figured out a good system of sitting on our life jackets in the deep water to keep afloat. We had some entertainment too as Katrina and Gerad started the gunnel bobbing fun. There were some balance competitions but mostly just using the canoe as a diving board. In the evening the smoke was so thick we could barely make out the mountains. The kids decided to start digging huge holes in the beach to make a trap for whoever came next (don't worry we filled it in). Before bed the men and the boys jumped in the lake for bath time, the boys thought it was pretty funny.
Day 5
We said goodbye to Wavy View this day, took a group photo and made our way towards the West arm. We hit our first winds on this day as we paddled up to our last site. It made for some excitement as the waves almost went over the sides of the canoe. We made it to Birch Beach or as we later named it "Leech Beach". We found some big leeches on this beach that Jasper liked to pick up with a stick and show everyone of course. It was a great site with a nice fire pit that we couldn't use because of the ban but that Gerad made into a good kitchen table for his crew. After setting up our tents in our own little private areas the kids went nuts digging in the sand building an imaginary Star Wars Tatooine city. I hung out in a perfect spot in my hammock just above them digging in the sand and got Amelie to make sure I was always rocking. The wind kept up all day so the kids tried out some body surfing and then really enjoyed flying their towels in the wind like kites. We all had supper in our best kitchens yet with many stumps to choose from for tables. After supper we enjoyed some pudding together which has become a last night tradition. The adults enjoyed some beach time when the kids were all in bed. Chris and I went for a sunset paddle once the wind died down and checked out Leo Island which is where we initially were planning to camp. We met up with the other Chilliwack group there who were the only ones on the island. It would've been a great spot to camp, guess we'll just have to go there next time. Before going to sleep Chris and I played scrabble on my iPad in the tent and I waited for the perfect moment to get a night shot of our tent by the beach.
Day 6
Our last day was the first day with clouds and drizzle more than once during the day. We left just in time, the crowds were coming in as we were going out and the weather was changing. Before leaving our site we all signed a canoe paddle that Gerad had carved and added it to the carving tree that was there. We paddled pretty good and only took 3 hours to get back to the dock. We played some charades along the way and took a few breaks in our canoes before we got there. Once we got to the dock there were about 6 other canoe groups heading onto the lake so we were glad we were leaving. We got our gear all loaded up and made the trek up the bug infested trail back to our cars. It was mostly uphill this way but it seemed shorter than the first time so that was good. Once we made it to the top there were high fives all around and the men cracked a few beers they had left in their trucks. Amelie was super happy because we found her stuffed moose that she thought she had lost. We took one last picture at the provincial park sign and then headed down the gravel road to Blue River. We all went to Eleanor Lake to swim but by the time we got there it was cold and rainy so Jason and Wendy said goodbye from there and headed to Clearwater but Gerad and Chris went for a quick dip. We were planning on getting back for our baseball games that night but we realized we wouldn't be able to so we took our time. We got some A&W in Clearwater and then headed home with a few signs of forest fires but nothing that bad. Supposedly the next day when Jason and Wendy drove back the Coquihalla Highway was closed because of smoke. We had a great trip, a place we will definitely go to again!When we got back, the next two days we had our final two pitch softball tournament. We ended up winning all of our games and tying one game. We won the championship game, something we have not been able to do the last couple years. I think we lost by one last year. It was great to actually win it all this year. After the games on Sunday we headed to Jeremy and Jenn's for a BBQ together and we all got a baseball for our awards of the season. Chris' was the golden glove award and mine was the Ford Focus award because I always say all the plays in the field. It was a great season!
These next couple days we are getting little things done around the house and then packing up to head to Inevermere to see Chris' family. We plan on stopping in Yoho National Park on the way and camping/hiking there a bit. We're looking forward to seeing everyone and heading out to the farm after. Let another adventure begin!
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