{"id":3257,"date":"2013-08-30T13:57:31","date_gmt":"2013-08-30T21:57:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mixhart.ca\/blog\/?p=3257"},"modified":"2013-11-19T18:56:18","modified_gmt":"2013-11-20T02:56:18","slug":"camping-with-wolves-at-conkle-lake-bc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.mixhart.ca\/index.php\/camping-with-wolves-at-conkle-lake-bc\/","title":{"rendered":"Camping with Wolves at Conkle Lake, BC"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0Early 1900s Fishing Cabin, Conkle Lake, British Columbia<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"P8280136\"<\/a>
Mist, Tabs and Pip–Conkle Lake, BC August 2013<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

One of my favourite spots on earth is the Southern Okanagan. I had the joy of camping high in the alpine wilderness of the Southern Okanagan with my daughters this week.<\/p>\n

The adventure began almost immediately. You have to love BC Parks and their guide manuals. They say there are 2 roads that access Conkle Lake, BC (a high alpine lake in Southern BC, 1100 m). The guide advises that the road from highway 3 is a better road, as the forest service road (off of highway 33) is not suitable for campers. I took the forest service road off of highway 33 because that was the highway we were on: #33. The rocky trail was 26 km and wound straight up and around mountains.<\/p>\n

It was a mountain goat trail!<\/strong><\/em><\/h2>\n

Once on it, there was no turning back. It was the narrowest trail, scaling along steep mountain sides, with no shoulder and boulders frequently blocked the trail; one had to try to navigate around them without sailing off the cliff.<\/p>\n

\"P8280005\"<\/a>
Me at the wheel while on the mountain goat trail!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"But<\/a>
But what a beautiful mountain goat trail it was! It reminded me of being in Switzerland.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Thank-God I was driving, as to be a passenger along such a road would have terrified me; one awkward bump around a boulder and off we’d tumble, over the cliff and drop hundreds of meters to the valley below. I took pictures on areas I felt safe enough to stop (the girls weren’t impressed but I asked them, “What do you expect when your mom’s a photography junky?”).<\/p>\n

The road was so rough and narrow and steep that after nearly an hour we arrived (thank-God I have 4 wheel drive or we’d still be on the mountain!<\/em>) at a mountain top, quiet, secluded, wilderness camp site called Conkle Lake Provincial Park.<\/p>\n

\"P8280112\"<\/a>
Conkle Lake, BC \u00a0(photo credit Tabs)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lake Conkle was a breath of fresh wilderness.<\/p>\n

I grew up on many averages and now as an adult I miss the wilderness and often long for a true break from civilization with only nature surrounding me. Conkle Lake is just that: The Okanagan at its wilderness finest. It reminded me a little of Switzerland with its rolling hills that turn into mountains. We crossed many cattle guards to get to the lake as it is the classic west: cattle roam the mountain pastures in the spring\/summer and ranchers round them up on horseback in late fall and bring them home for the winter.<\/p>\n

\"P8280119\"<\/a>
Tabs on the shores of Conkle Lake<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Conkle Lake was surprisingly warm despite the altitude of the lake. It has a natural sandy beach formed by a constant southerly wind. The lake drops off very quickly and the bottom is a void of blackness.<\/p>\n

\"P8280116\"<\/a>
Pip with Lilly Pad Hat<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We hiked along the shores of Conkle Lake and found a path that would take us all the way around the Lake.<\/p>\n

\"P8280113\"<\/a>
Mist, Pip and I, Conkle Lake August 2013 (photo credit Tabs)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"P8280110\"<\/a>
Pip and I<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"P8280109\"<\/a>
Mom and Pip in Forest<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"P8280120\"<\/a>
Mist on the shores of Conkle Lake<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We decided to hit the beach instead of hike all the way around the lake in the early afternoon sun.<\/p>\n

\"P8280105\"<\/a>
Pip, Conkle Lake, BC<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"P8280103\"<\/a>
Tabs and Pip<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"P8280100\"<\/a>
Mist, where sky meets Lake (photo Tabs)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"P8280051\"<\/a>
Pip was the first one in, followed by me–she won the first bowl of potato chips at supper.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"P8280048\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The camping is a little rustic as there is no running water–the lake is it. We brought in gallons of our own water to drink but forget showering!<\/p>\n

\"P8280172\"<\/a>
Mist and I -there’s always a whole lot of drama and song around our camp fires.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"P8280158\"<\/a>
Tabs is a very skilled fire builder<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"P8280155\"<\/a>
Dessert!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"P8280150\"<\/a>
Mist and Tabs<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The most wondrous part of our trip was the night. The mountain night did not disappoint. We listened to a lone wolf howl every few hours all night long, at about 4 a.m. another wolf finally joined in. The final wake-up howl came at 6 a.m.<\/p>\n

\"P8280123\"<\/a>
Mist on the hike, looking for waterfalls…<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"P8280129\"<\/a>
Pip, Tabs and I on hike (Mist pic credit)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"P8280147\"<\/a>
Me in the gully behind our tent.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"P8280146\"<\/a>
Pip exploring the gully.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Nothing is more beautiful than listening to wild wolves howl to the moon. It is a rare treat on this earth.<\/p>\n

Wolves<\/a> were once as plentiful as humans–we populated and shared the earth with equal force. But we got greedy and as it stands now, there is a 4 bag limit on hunting wolves in the Okanagan<\/a>. With a total wolves estimated as low as 50–will I hear the wolves howl next summer?<\/p>\n

I hope you enjoy pictures from our Adventure Girls<\/strong><\/em> camping trip.<\/p>\n

* I cannot squeeze all our fabulous photos on one blog so stayed tuned for camping with girls next blog!<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0Early 1900s Fishing Cabin, Conkle Lake, British Columbia One of my favourite spots on earth is the Southern Okanagan. I had the joy of camping high in the alpine wilderness of the Southern Okanagan with my daughters this week. 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