Buttle Lake – July 12 -14, 2010

 Visiting the Famous Strathcona Park
We heard about it – we read about it and finally we are here and visit it: Already we are excited when we drive along the Campbell Lake – have the first glimpses on the mountains. Get greeted by the big Elk when driving into the park and then we are there and we are lucky: because we found a super spot right along the lake.

What is so special about the
Strathcona Park?

• It is the oldest provincial park in BC founded in 1911
• It is the largest provincial park on Vancouver Island
• Named after a wealthy philanthropist and railroad pioneer: Donald Alexander Smith, the 1^st Baron Strathcona and Mount Royal
• It contains the highest mountains on Vancouver Island: the Golden Hinde 2198m and Mount Albert Edward 2093 m
• It also contains the highest waterfall in Canada the Delta falls 440 m high
• The 1^st white explorer was John Buttle in 1860
• Buttle Lake is 23 km long
  In 1939 mining got permitted in the park and in 1959 the Western Mine opened

 Let’s go kayaking
So you have that perfect sandy beach and the wonderful quite lake, so we will explore it with our kayak… as well as we soak in the sunshine

 An evening walk with amazing views
So after supper we decided to explore a little bit more and so we walked the ‘beach trail’ and we couldn’t believe what an amazing view we found. I mean you walk and wonder where you end up and if you choose the wrong path going through the forest only and suddenly you stand up and you look south and have the whole lake in front on you with some amazing snow-covered mountains in the back. 

 The Beach in the morning
And since we liked that view so much: we thought we have to see it in the bright morning sunlight and we love it even better…. This is one super cool place.

 We explore the lake by kayak
If you want to see the lake at its best you have to see it from the lake: so we jump in the kayak and then we paddle…. Enjoy the view down towards the bridge and then paddle around the corner…. And there is a little island in front of us: so we paddle toward it and

 Discovering Rainbow Island
First we go along the beach and check out the driftwood and are amazed over and over again on that cool view down the lake… that’s when we start go up on the little hill and find the campsites: which are super cool, because they overlook the lake – there is so much to see the little outhouse on the top of the hill – we try to figure out which is the campsite with the best view and then we go around the island to find the best driftwood….

 Paddling to the Rock wall
And then we continue on… in the distance we see some huge tree stumps sticking out of the water… so we went towards that direction – I mean where can you see underwater tree stumps… and we continue on to the huge rock wall: and we did touch it… stopping and exploring would be a little difficult and that’s when we discover that there is another island to explore

 Is there a waterfall?
Paul thinks he hears water and so we went again to the shore: and start the next exploration – maybe not a waterfall but definitely a little river. We follow a little along the river in the hope of finding the source of the water sound – time for a rest…. And so we paddle back to 

 Sun tanning on Rainbow Island
And the great part here is: you can lie and soak up the sun… you get bored you explore the island… then you come back and see there: Paul is on his back again. Lucky for Gine there are a lot of stones around to decorate Paul. 

 An Eagle is watching over us
I’m sure the Eagle saw us before we saw him…

 Flowers under water
When we were paddling back along the shoreline we suddenly discovered there are daisies in the water underneath us: guess when you are on a lake with a dam, the water can be higher at sometimes…

 Exploring the bay at the campsite
And because the best way is on the water: so Gine jumps in the kayak and goes around the next bend to check out what is there to see: and I find some more little tiny islands, tree stumps with trees growing on them…. It’s a lot of fun to only paddle and look, take pictures and enjoy…

 The bridge between the lakes
So this bridge is perfect for a spot because you can see 2 lakes: on the one side you can see Buttle Lake with some islands and looking on the other side is the fast Campbell Lake…. One lake we have to explore one day too… but not today

 Last Views on the Campbell Lake
On the way home we do enjoy some views on the Campbell Lake and we know one thing for sure: we will come back here, we love it here.