Home > Trip Reports

Upper Priest Lake, November 19-21

By Pierre Finch

Trip Class: Flatwater
Put-in Location: Lion Head
Put-in Time/Date: 11:30 AM, Nov. 19
Take-out Location: Lion Head
Take-out Time/Date: 2:30 PM, Nov. 21
Trip Paddlers: Pierre Finch
Trip Details: Solo Trip to upper priest with my brand new sea kayak.

Tuesday morning I'm on the freeway by 8:00 am. I finally launch at ll:30am. I am impressed by how much gear I can get in this boat. I had so much room I was going to take the kitchen sink but my wife said she needed it to stay in the kitchen, so I left it at home.

It is raining and is getting hard to see. My glasses are beaded up with rain. I saw 2 beaver, 4 kingfishers and a flock of mergansers. I stop to make camp at 2:00 because the sun sets at 4:30. I find a nice camp site, pitch my tent in the rain and put up my tarp.

After getting into some dry clothes I have dinner, write a letter to my son and go to bed early.

Wednesday morning. It has stopped raining so I have a leisurely breakfast, chop some fire wood and sit back and enjoy the day. Some white swans land across the lake, about 30 birds. Mergansers have been flying by all day with their wings almost touching the water. The clouds are in the treetops all along the lake, with no wind it is really beautiful. I have the entire lake to myself.

At about 3:30 I build a fire with my wet wood and kick back, have dinner and finish off my canteen of wine. Nothing like the smell of birch burning in the campfire. Tomorrow I'll head back home. If the weather is good I'll paddle around the lake before I go home. It has been a splendid solo trip. It's 8:00 pm and the waves are breaking on the beach but there is no wind. I don't understand what's making the waves. It's kinda strange, maybe it's the wine. I leave the warmth of the fire and walk along the beach to watch the waves. The night air is still. The clouds are breaking up and I can see some stars and a clear sky to the southwest. A full moon is just above the hill in the east. The clouds are silver backlit by the moon. The trees are in black silhouette against the silver clouds. What a wonderful night. I feel like the only human on the planet. I can hear some ducks way down the lake. They are making a lot of noise. They must be partying, probably mallards, mergansers have more class.

Thursday morning: Fog, thick fog. I can't see the far shore, the moon is shining through low in the west. Time to break camp and go for a paddle. The lake is like glass. Once in a while a merganser goes winging by fast and low on the water, piercing the fog like a bullet. Thanks to SCKC for all the clinics and classes, the ACA training, I feel confident to do a trip like this solo.