Mid-July continued to be rainy and I decided to try a paddle on Big Lake, just west of the St Albert. I have usually avoided this lake because it is weedy and smelly in the summer. With higher water levels, I decided to give it a whirl.
Big Lake is normally two basins, connected by a channel on the southern shore. I put in at the Riel boat launch (right side of satellite image) and paddled up the Sturgeon to enter the eastern basin,
The Riel launch was tricky, mostly because there was so much water at the launch was drowned.
Once I got out on the water, it was a lovely day and I turned west. The water was still high but down about 45 or 60cm from the peak of the flood (based on the scum line on the sign below and the mud on the bushes behind it).
There was lots of water in Big Lake but the quality was not great and there was a bit of a manure smell that often heralds an algae bloom.
The shoreline is normally reeds that gives way to a deciduous forest. The reeds were mostly flooded and the shoreline began at the trees.
The paddle was fine (the weather was glorious) but it was a bit boring. I reached the entrance to the channel connecting the two basins. You can kind of see the edge of the channel in the line of reeds below. The water level was so high that the two basins had merged into one very big lake.
At this point, I decided to turn around. It was a bit boring and I still had about an hour paddle back. I did see this heron (right side of photo below).
It seemed annoyed and took off.
On the way back, I crossed towards the north shore and came across another submerged channel (marked only by a drowned treeline.
Overall, this was a convenient paddle, being close to home. It just wasn't very interesting so I'd probaby give Big Lake a pass in the future,
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