Last year, Kasturi and I went backpacking to Strike Lake and explored all the lakes connected by the Lightning Lakes Chain Trail in E.C. Manning Provincial Park. When I mentioned it to Jesse, he said that he used to go there frequently as a kid and suggested we do a portaging trip.
I have never done portaging before. While canoeing across the lakes sounded fun, the idea of carrying the canoe and all the gear on the trails connecting the lakes was not very appealing to me.
But the Lightning Lakes Chain trail is relatively flat, and the hiking sections between the lakes are short. So, if I were to try portaging, this would be a perfect place. Neha had also canoed before and was always up for an adventure. So, we made plans to go portaging in June.
Lightning Lakes Chain Trail
On June 7, five of us – Kasturi, Kavya, Neha, Abhi, and I carpooled to the Lightning Lake day use area. Jesse and Edda had their own canoe and drove separately. They had a pretty neat setup for carrying the canoe on their car.
We rented two canoes from the Manning Park Resort Boathouse on Lightning Lake and got on the lake around 11 am. We covered our bags with trash bags and got in the canoes.
Kasturi in the front, Kavya in the centre and I was in the back. While the staff at the boathouse had given some basic instructions, my brain and limbs were yet to make that connection.
We tried every possible combination of strokes but made little progress and hit the logs around the dock. I am sure our friends were entertained and concerned at the same time. It was going to be a long day.
After pushing against the logs with our paddles, we got into the open water. While the other two canoes were effortlessly moving in a straight direction, we were making a sine wave across the lake. But we were making progress.
We cautiously canoed across the narrow section at the Rainbow Bridge and eventually made it to the end of the Lightning Lake in about forty minutes. We pulled the canoe out and carried it a short distance to the trail. Jesse and Edda had already gone ahead, and Jesse was carrying the canoe while Edda carried all the gear.
Not knowing the best way to carry the canoe, we lifted it by the handles. It worked, but was not very comfortable, and we probably stopped every 50 steps or so. We were halfway between Lightning and Flash Lake when I saw Jesse jogging back to us.
Jesse’s canoe had a yoke, and he used it to carry it on his shoulder. Our rental canoes didn’t have one, so we used the thwarts to rest the canoe on our shoulders/backpack. Edda, Kasturi and Kavya carried other gear. It was much faster, and we were soon at the launch point of the Flash Lake, about half a km from Lightning Lake. Abhi and Neha were already there.
It took us less than half an hour to canoe across Flash Lake. One by one, we pulled our canoes over a relatively steep ramp to the trail and carried them, partly using the handles but mostly overhead.
The trail between Flash and Strike Lake is about 1.5 km, and carrying the canoe was exhausting. It took us over an hour to cover this distance. To get to the launch area for Strike Lake, we had to climb over a huge log with the canoe. Around 2 pm, we took a long lunch break.
Canoeing across the Strike Lake was fun, and it probably took us about 30 minutes. We tied the canoes to some roots and carried our paddles and backpack to the Strike Lake campsite, which was half a km away. Without the canoe, it was an easy hike to the campsite.
The backcountry camping site at Strike Lake was upgraded since our last visit and each tent site had a wooden platform. Once we settled in, Jesse and Abhi went back to Strike Lake for fishing and had a good time.
For the rest of us, Neha found a good spot to enjoy the stream flowing next to the campsite. It involved crossing the stream and then bushwhacking a short distance to a quiet place. The water was cold, and I took my time to take a full-body dip.
Back at the campsite, we had dinner around 8:30 pm. Kavya was really excited by the popcorn Edda and Jesse had gotten for the group. Abhi and Jesse also cooked the fresh-caught fish.
The next day, early in the morning, we had a visitor near our campsite.
By 10 am, we had packed all our stuff and were back at the Strike Lake.
The portaging was still tiring, but went relatively better than our way in. By 1 pm, we were at the Rainbow Bridge. Jesse had some fond memories of jumping off this bridge as a kid, and one of the first things we talked about when we discussed this trip. It was also a highlight of my last trip here. Soon, most of us were on the bridge, jumping off into the refreshingly cold water.
From the bridge, it was a short canoe back to the day-use area. After a couple of hours of canoeing over two days, Kasturi and I finally got the hang of it and were progressing in a straight-ish line.
Overall, it was a good experience, but I am not sure we as a family would be doing more portaging. We did come back with our moms for a day trip later in the summer.
Territory Acknowledgement
I would like to acknowledge that this trip took place on the unceded territory of the Stó:lō and Similkameen First Nations. I commit to learning about Indigenous peoples and issues and making reconciliation an ongoing effort.
Source: Native-Land Pronunciation Guide: First-Nations.info
Resources:
First Nations: Stó:lō | Similkameen
BC Parks: Backcountry Registration (Permit) | EC Manning Park
Manning Park: Resort
Weather Forecast – SpotWx | Yr.No | Windy
AdventureSmart – Trip Planning – Leave a trip plan
Disclosure: The links I have shared in the post and under the Resources section are not Affiliate Links.
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