On the western shore of Kootenay Lake, Kaslo sits perched over the water, with the view down its main street punctuated by snow-topped mountains. Like most Kootenay towns, it is a beautiful place, and unique making it a fantastic place to visit even from a nearby village.
On sunny days, there can be no better place to be in the world; a light breeze rippled across the water that could be heard in the quiet. The beach was still empty this early in May, although that all changes with the arrival of the long weekend. Beaches fill with kids and moms and families and the place is alive for Kaslo May Days with sporting loggers, golfers, and vintage cars.
But weeks before that fun fracas, we have arrived on a very quiet beach to unload one pair of kayaks, getting them ready for our journey on the water. With two down and two more to come, we snugged on our lifejackets and put our paddles together. Sunblock, hats, water, snacks: check check check.
The goal was the other side of the lake where red petroglyphs painted on stone long ago can still be spotted. The rocks themselves are worth the paddle, we were told.
With a quick push and a hop, we were off, paddling into the slight wind that kept us cool enough to keep moving across the water, muscles making us warm. The lake was quiet, with few boats out and about this time of year.
We took a practise turn around the bay where the Kaslo Jazz Fest takes place on its floating stage. The local contingent leading the tour says people are welcome to hang out on their boats behind the stage, although they will be asked to purchase a ticket by festival volunteers cruising the area in kayaks if they linger for a while.
It’s worth just buying a ticket and finding a seat in the natural bowl area, she told us, because the sound is much better in front of the speakers rather than behind them. This year, Sultans of String, Mickey Hart and African Showboyz are three of the baker’s dozen tentatively scheduled for the 2013 Kaslo Jazz Fest.
Behind the beach where folks sit and soak up the fest’s music are two triplexes, relatively new construction in Kaslo. There has been a spate of building, with another set of condos also near the beach, and a red-roofed architect’s creation perched on rocks on the point of the bay. Kaslo is not experiencing a shortage of housing at the moment, says our local guide, who told us the waterside condos are up for grabs.
Cruising around to face the wind and the small waves it has kicked up, we headed for the opposite shore. Sunglasses and hats on, and paddles in the water, the kayaks quietly made their way between the dark water and sky filled with horsetails.
On the other side of Kootenay Lake from Kaslo, rocky cliffs and ledges rose out of the water, the face of the stone coloured black, grey, tan and tufted with tenacious greenery growing from any available purchase.
Bobbing up and down on waves reflected from the rock wall, we paddled slowly beside the stone. In one area, the stone creates a beautiful rock cathedral, a slight outcropping with the sky as its ceiling.
Nearby there are red figures ten feet up from the water, paintings created by First People. One looks like a turtle, another some kind of animal, and another a human standing under an arc, affectionately known as “rainbow man.”
The paintings have stood the test of time, and prove the lasting power of red ochre after unknown years outside in baking sun, pouring rain, and wind. They are an indication of humanity’s creation and, as our visit demonstrates, endless curiosity with itself.
After more than an hour on the water, two motor-powered boats were seen on the water, and move slowly by us making very little wake: fishers, complete with dog, on a mid-afternoon mission.
At this point, the wind had died down, making it easier to paddle, but hotter. Slowly we kayakers make our way back across Kootenay Lake to the rocky Kaslo beach.
Famished after our little aquatic adventure and maybe dizzy from too much sun, we crowded around a table at the Treehouse restaurant.
After ordering we watched the antics of the gregarious crows who hold court from the roofs of vehicles parked downtown. The crows are quite the characters, and vocally engage passersby. There are mixed feelings about the avian ambassadors, who some think stain the town’s main street image as well as the lids of cars. But generally the attitude toward them is peaceful, and humans and birds coexist easily together.
After a delicious and needed lunch of taco salad, we were back on the lovely stretch of road that connects Kaslo with New Denver. Wildlife were again spotted, including a lone road biker in bright spandex colours. Our Kaslo kayak was a brief getaway from the hustle and bustle of regular life in Nakusp, an easy mini-vacation. Falling quickly into dreams, water and stillness filled our staycationers’ sleep that night.
