Caribbean Camping in Kamloops

It all started with a Facebook post Sara saw about a lake near Kamloops that had water as clear as the Caribbean. She showed me the picture and we quickly decided we needed to make an effort to get out camping there. A 5.5 hour drive away, with only 2.5 days off, this trip would be a bit of a stretch, but our minds were made up.
We borrowed some standup paddleboards from our friends, and started prepping and packing for the trip. As our weekend grew closer, the forecast held rain for our destination. My mind filled with doubts and fears; will we really spend all this time and effort driving out to this lake to camp in the rain? Will we even get out on these clear waters if it’s cold and wet while we’re there? But Kamloops is so dry and arid, surely it couldn’t rain the whole time, right? With this romantic optimism, we set off on our drive in the rain.

It was still raining when we finally arrived at our campsite, but we wouldn’t let that get our spirits down. We set up a tarp and a tent, and dozed off to the sound of the rain. The next morning we woke up to a beautiful fog, and as the day went on, the fog lifted, and we were rewarded with some amazing sunshine. We finally got out on the lake, paddleboarding quickly around, as the water was calm as glass and clear as crystal. Our dog Tiva even joined us on the boards! You could clearly see the rocks, the trees, and the rainbow trout deep under the surface of the water.

That night had clear skies, so we took the tarp down, and enjoyed a nice campfire. Roasting marshmallows and staring at the stars, our camping mission turned out a great success despite some of our earlier concerns. As it turns out, the only bad camping trips are the ones you don’t take.

Written by: Eric Poulin – Submitted as a story contest entry.

Published: July 2nd, 2015