A Beautiful Connection…Okanagan Lake

We arrived at Okanagan Lake  North Campground on a late afternoon in August, after driving the breathtaking Coquihalla and stopping for a fantastic meal in Peachland. My daughter and I were instantly struck by the beauty and privacy of our campsite, the huge vastness of sky above us, and the serenity of the lake spread out before us.

Later that evening, preparing for bed, we went to brush our teeth in the washroom building, and met another family. To our surprise and pleasure, it was a family from Vancouver – a family we met several years ago at a soccer extra-curricular.

My daughter and their daughter were instant friends. They and other kids spent the next several days riding their bikes up the hills or throwing themselves off the zipline and rope swing in Peachland, and floating serenely down the channel between Lake Okanagan and Skaha Lake. They spent time at each others’ campsites, colouring and making up new rules to Backgammon. They rode out a rainy and cold day never losing the huge smiles on their faces!

The joy of simplicity.

The beautiful thing about camping is the experience itself: connection with the outdoors, connection with a new location, the joy of cooking and eating outside, and the wonder and serendipity of meeting old friends in new places!

It turns out that these two girls will be in the same dance class starting in September. So, fate would have had them meet anyway, but the fact that they found each other camping in the heart of the Okanagan will be a memory they treasure forever.

Written by: Nicola Doughty – Submitted as a story contest entry.