When the winds kick up, we can skip paddling for the day, or we can get an early start and find a protected spot.   Tow of the lakes that have some good wind protection are Inks Lake and McConnell Lake.   In the spring, Inks Lake is close by and provides easy access.   A loop around all 3 arms of the lake is about 2.2 km so two loops in the wind is about right.   Two of the arms are hidden behind hills so about half of the paddle is out of the wind and in the main part of the lake only half of the loop will be into the wind.

The first part of the paddle outing had light winds, but a strong breeze out of the south made slow paddling into or across the wind.

The back bays are quiet except for a few ducks dabbling in a sheltered area.

McConnell Lake will be open soon so it will be another good choice for an early paddle, down in the bowl, but Inks Lake will still be available for another windy day.   People don’t fish on the lake so I will probably be the only one on the lake next time too.