In the heat of the afternoon I rode my bike to the K’was Park trailhead. Into the shade of the boreal rainforest I hiked through deep fern valleys and dense stands of fir and cedar, watched over by old-growth giants miraculously spared. The sunlight marbled through the cool canopy, footsteps soft and slow, grateful now and then for a discreetly placed rope or levelled step to ease my way on the steep bits of trail. After an hour and a bit I emerged at the swim rocks, a smooth sunny spot to swim in Hague Lake. Silent except for the distant gabbling of loungers on a faraway beach. I was the only one there, reminded again that any place not accessible by car is worth making the effort to get to.

I threw off my clothes and dived in, paddled luxuriously then stretched naked on the hot rocks like a lizard in the sun. Eventually one more swimmer came, a handsome young man. He dived in, swam briefly, climbed out and gathered his things. In the way of friendly chat I said, “isn’t this a wonderful place? best spot on the lake!”

He shrugged. “Long walk for a short swim,” he said, and headed back into the forest.

photo borrowed from http://pbmorningshow.wordpress.com