12-AUG-2006
Day 7 - Saturday, August 12
I quickly take a shot of Rum Lake as we prepare to depart.
12-AUG-2006
Day 7 - Saturday, August 12
You can see part of the campsite as we prepare to leave Rum Lake. You can see just how small the lake really is.
12-AUG-2006
Day 7 - Saturday, August 12
We started the day at about 9:15am by paddling out of Rum Lake to Unna (no moose this time). A bald eagle was standing sentinel as we passed from Unna Lake into the Cariboo River for a quick trip to the Babcock Creek portage.
12-AUG-2006
Day 7 - Saturday, August 12
As portages go, the Babcock Creek portage was the easiest by far. They used to have to walk or "line" the canoes up the creek itself but put in a portage trail in order to preserve fish habitat. Even though this is easier, we still stop for frequent rests.
12-AUG-2006
Day 7 - Saturday, August 12
This columbine was along the side of the portage trail and had to stop to get a photo. I only saw the one plant but it sure stood out. Not my best photography but you get the picture?
12-AUG-2006
Day 7 - Saturday, August 12
Getting ready to put in after one of the day's portages.
12-AUG-2006
Day 7 - Saturday, August 12
Another shot of the end of a portage. We had three portages today: Babcock Creek portage 1.2km (.75mi); Babcock Lake to Skoi Lake portage 0.4km (.25mi); Skoi Lake to Spectacle Lake portage 0.4km (.25mi). These were by far the easiest portages of the trip--not that portaging is easy--just easier!
12-AUG-2006
Day 7 - Saturday, August 12
Babcock Lake is like glass as we paddle across. It may appear that the leaves on the trees have begun to change and they are red from the seasonal change. But this is not the case. The pine beetle has really done a lot of damage to the forest surrounding the Bowron Lakes. All the red trees you see are dead, and I shutter to think what might happen should a bolt of lightning ignite one of those dead trees.
12-AUG-2006
Day 7 - Saturday, August 12
We pass through the reeds on Skoi (means "baby") Lake to get to our LAST portage.
12-AUG-2006
Day 7 - Saturday, August 12
We watch as a couple of gals doing the circuit by themselves depart in front of us. We have just completed our final portage--just paddling the rest of the way--and are now on Spectacle Lake. We will paddle the length of Spectacle Lake/Swan Lake (12.8km/7.95mi) and onto the Bowron River. We will camp beside the Bowron River tonight.
12-AUG-2006
Day 7 - Saturday, August 12
About two hours later and half way down Spectacle Lake we stop for lunch at a very nice cooking shelter. There is a ranger cabin across the lake and a couple of campsites adjacent to the shelter. People use this shelter to document in various ways that they have been there and done the circuit. I don't know why I didn't take a picture but see small carved paddles dangling from the rafters with names and dates; a scout troop from Sisters, OR actually brought a wood plank with all their names and the date they passed this point; many others simply wrote their names and the date; and still others carved their info into the timbers; folks who had done the circuit multiple times simply added another date to their original entry. We take the opportunity, while Merlin and Cheryl prepare lunch, to lay on the beach in the sun for just a few minutes as the sun ducks in and out behind the clouds. Soon we are back on the lake. We've still got a few hours of paddling to get to our next, and final night's campsite.
12-AUG-2006
Day 7 - Saturday, August 12
I don't know if you've noticed or not, but we're getting closer to "boob" mountain (I think in reality it is called Devil's Club Mt.). One of Cheryl's brothers named it that when her Dad took a youth group canoeing on the circuit. This landmark has been slowly getting closer and closer as the day progresses. Spectacle Lake transitions into Swan Lake and at the north end of Swan Lake we follow the markers to the Bowron River.
