We have kayaked on Johnson Lake.    It is accessed by the Johnson Lake FSR, a road that climbs into the hills from the Barriere to Adams Lake Road.     The lake has marl shoals with clear blue water in a setting surrounded by hills.    It has become too popular so if you go, pick a weekday morning.

• Johnson Lake

There are many remote lakes on the Bonaparte Plateau.    Tsintsunko Lake can be reached on foot from backroads.    One day we hiked from the Jolly Lake trailhead to Jolly Lake and then beyond to Tsintsunko Lake.    Old fishing cabins were found on the shoreline, accessed by a rough ATV track.    We hiked back on the track and backroads.

On another day some years later, we hauled our kayaks in to the lake on carts on a different rough track to paddle and fish the lake.  Since then a forest fire has burnt much of the forest in the plateau.    Nevertheless, another visit is planned, this time with a folding kayak.    Watch KamloopsTrails.ca or kamloopskayak.com for a story later in 2024.

We have hiked in to Majerus Falls twice.    It is a longer hike, start on the Pyramid Mountain Trail in Wells Gray Park, but continuing on up the Murtle River to the falls.    The trail is not well-trod and is a bit overgrown.    It can be done as a backpack.    There are two primitive campsites by the trail.    Beyond the falls is a faint trail to another falls and then the trail disappears upstream.    Anyone wanting to hike all the way to Murtle Lake would be bushwhacking.   This was a good hike to do once or twice and Majerus Falls is an impressive spot, but its a long hike in rugged and remote country so picking the right day and the right season is recommended.

I have portaged into Murtle Lake several times.   on this paddle camp trip, I camped on Leo Island on the west arm.     The next morning I paddled to the north shore of the arm and landed at the trailhead for Central Mountain.   On a solo hike to this remote spot, I traversed the top of the mountain and looked down at the island from above, 3325 vertical feet below and 1.89 miles distant.    I continued on to loop down into the north arm, then hiked back, a long route, before paddling back to Leo Island.     Few people hike this route and the trail is overgrown and hard to follow.    A once-only hike.

On August 1st, 2003, we were driving backroads from Green Lake to Kamloops. We came over a hill and spotted the smoke plume.   We weren’t sure where it was but as we came into Kamloops it was clearly in the Dome Hills and on Strawberry Hill.   There were two fires in the area, one caused by careless human activity.    We have seen many fires since, but this one was clearly visible from town and was a frightening sight.

Nestled under the highest peak of the Trophy Mountains is Cwem Cwem Lake, an alpine tarn.    It is hard to get to, requiring off-trail navigation and scrambling from the Trophy Mountain Trail.    I have hiked to the lake above a dozen times and have promised myself to camp there some day.    It is a great destination in itself but it has mostly been visited as part of a long traverse over ridges and mountains.    One day we even hiked out the last miles in the dark.    It is a jewel in the Trophy Mountains, the source of Silvertip Falls, and located with access to multiple peaks, ridges, and mountain tarns.   Go to kamloopstrails.ca to view posts on hiking to Cwem Cwem Lake.

On a solo hike on the Grandview Trail in Grand Canyon National Park, i was on the steep climb back to the rim.  Above the uranium mine area, the trail followed a ridge with steep drop-offs.  Perched on a ledge right by the drop-off was a California condor.    It seemed unconcerned by my close presence and it was kind enough to post for a photo.

The condors are tagged for tracking purposes.   this was a spectacular hike (link), but the condor encounter topped it off.    From this hike, I continued east to the Lake Powell in Utah, all part of a hiking trip in Arizona, Utah, and Nevada.

We went over to Jedediah Island Provincial Park, in the Sabine Channel between Texada Island and Lasqueti Island.    We camped on Home Bay.    We hiked the trails on the island and kayaked around many of the islands of the area, landing on Lasquiti.     At the end we paddled all the way back to the Sunshine Coast, a major crossing in difficult conditions.    This photo was taken from the tent at sunset, looking out from Home Bay.

We stayed at Tyax Lodge on Tyaughton Lake and hiked trails in the South Chilcotin Ranges.    One of our hikes was up Taylor Basin into the El Dorado – Taylor Peak – Cinnamon Peak Pass.    This old cabin hails back to days when the Lucky Strike Mine was worked in these mountains.   Today it is by the trail as we hike up into this colorful area of South Chilcotin Mountains Provincial Park.