Exploring Scout Island at Williams Lake

We found so many more things to do around Williams Lake than we had time for!  We tried to narrow our choices by consulting with the lady at the Visitor Information Centre, and she was a great help.  However, she gave us four great activities, and, because of a rainy day, we only ended up with three days to do them in.

So, today was the last day, and the weather was forecast to be the nicest of our stay.  So we decided to fit in two of our activities.  These were each of shorter duration, so we hoped it would work.

We stretched our daily coffee walk into a hike out to Scout Island.  As luck would have it, Scout Island was only about a mile from our campground.  Combining our walk to the Scout Island Visitor Centre, and then around Scout Island Nature Preserve, we covered about four miles.  Pretty long for a morning's coffee walk, but pretty mellow for a hike.

The Scout Island Nature Centre is a nature sanctuary where living things and their environments are protected.  Considered an important wildlife viewing area in the province of BC, it is a place where people can enjoy and learn about nature in the Cariboo-Chilcotin region.  The Nature Trust of BC, the City of Williams Lake and the Williams Lake Field Naturalists are responsible for the operation and maintenance of Scout Island.

This was our first view as we started out on the nature trails:

On the east shore of the island was an observation blind, where we could see ducks and other waterfowl.  We could also see the near shore of Williams Lake and the development along Highway 97:

We decided to take the less developed Willow Trail, along boardwalks through wetland groves of willow and alder:

As we emerged back onto the main trail and passed a beaver lodge, we spotted this deer and her three (!) fawns down at the lake for a drink.  She heard the click of our camera and looked up at us:

We continued on the trail and found this old juniper stretched across, overhead.  David decided to model the juniper for scale:

Out toward the far end of the island, we could look back toward the main part of the island, from where that deer and her fawns had been taking a drink from the lake.  By the time we got to this spot, the deer had disappeared without a trace.

However, we had been alerted, and we walked quietly, trying to find the deer again.  As we climbed to the lookout at the end of the island, we happened upon this lone deer who first looked suspiciously at us, then, judging that we were harmless humans, went back to munching her juicy leaves:

At the top of the lookout, we got this expansive view south along Williams, Lake, which is very long.

Williams Lake is named in honour of Secwepemc chief William, whose counsel prevented the Shuswap from joining the Tsilhqot'in in their uprising against the settler population.  It is fed by the northwest-flowing San Jose River and drained to the Fraser River via the Williams Lake River.  (We biked down the Williams Lake River to the Fraser River later in the day, but more about that in the next blog entry.)

The woods through which the Scout Island trails meander are typical of Pacific Northwest forests -- damp and green from the constant rain, fog and moisture with which they are inundated:

We completed our circuit of Scout Island and headed back to our campsite at the Williams Lake Stampede Park Campground, where an impressive, wood-carved gate welcomed us.

The campground has proven friendly, quiet and insulated from the hustle-and-bustle of the City of Williams Lake, even though it is located in the center of town.  The Stampede Grounds are set down in a bowl beneath the main part of town, forming a natural sound barrier.  We could have stayed longer -- and wanted to -- but we have miles to go before we reach Riverside, California for Thanksgiving, so we'll have to content ourselves with what we can do here in the time alloted.