Eklutna Lake Kayak

 I've been wanting to try my new kayak out on Eklutna Lake ever since I got it. But it's a huge lake and prone to high winds, especially in the afternoon. It's been raining for several days but finally stopped. So I drove up there to see how the fall colors were coming along. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the lake was dead calm and glassy. The lake is so high right now that it's a very short trek down to it, instead of the long haul during most of the spring and summer. It was so nice on the lake that I just couldn't stop paddling. I initially figured I would just go a short distance so I didn't end up dealing with the typical afternoon winds. Besides, it was already afternoon when I put in. I just kept staying near the shoreline in case of a wind change because the trail is right there and I can always just hike my boat back out if I needed to. It stayed really calm so I aimed for the spot on the trail where Yuditnu Creen empties into the lake. It's about 3 1/2 miles along the Lakeside Trail. When I started getting close, I felt a little wind to my back, but I was determined to get there at that point. I finally rounded the last point and so did the wind. It wasn't horrible, but I knew it would be a tough paddle back. The fall colors are starting to come out but it's not quite peak. But it was gorgeous if you looked in the right direction. There were so many clouds that I never got a clear look at Bold Peak, although it did show its summit a couple of times. I turned around as soon as I got a couple shots of the creek. It was really hard to paddle at that point. I went for a while then decided it might just be too hard. I pulled out, folded the boat and tried walking. I could see that would take a very long time and although the boat isn't heavy, it was uncomfortable. The wind seemed to die down a bit so I put it back in the water. I found I was at least making progress although getting quite an arm workout in the process. It seemed like it took a long time, but I did make it back to the boat ramp. It was much nicer on the water than on the trail. It was so beautiful that I didn't care how long it took me. It was a little chilly although it had warmed up to 50 degrees from the 45 when I first started. I'm so glad I decided to do it and felt completely blessed to have that lovely paddle when the water was calm.

Bold Peak

Yuditnu Creek