Boya Lake

Boya Lake

Further up the Cassier Highway we found an exquisite lake called Boya.  The lake water is exceptionally clear and, depending on the sun, sky blue or aquamarine blue because of its white marl bottom.  Boya is touted as a paddling gem.

With the infamous Canadian holiday known as August Long (see last year's debacle) quickly approaching, we arrived early, hoping to find a site.  Thankfully, there were many to choose from.  We quickly set up camp and checked out the nearby path to the lake.  We had great access to the water.  Unfortunately that beautiful white marl bottom was a bit of a sticky issue.  When David stepped on what he thought was solid ground, he sank to his ankle.

Although a bit mucky, we were able to launch Calypso.  My "motor" trolled around the lake while we tossed our fishing lines in, dragging them behind us.  The water was so clear we could see the bottom, even in the deepest places.   Alas, however, the fish again refused to bite.

There are two interpretative trails, one at either end of the campground.  That afternoon we decided to take the path past the boat launch to a beaver dam.  The hike was only suppose to be 1-1/2 kilometers both ways, but it felt more like 1-1/2 miles.  The terrain was lovely, however, and mostly in shade.  We passed a very curious set of markings high in a tree.  Could it be a set of bear claws scraped in the bark?

At the end of the trail was an enormous beaver dam.  It was over six feet tall and spanned forty feet wide.  We found a nearby tree, easily ten inches wide, that the beavers had gnawed to ground.  Amazing engineers!

Beaver dam on Boya Lake

That evening, David chatted with some nearby campers.  They were coming down the Cassiar, while we were headed north.  David mentioned we wanted to take the Campbell Road.  One of the fellows said that it had just been closed due to fires.  Fires, in fact, seemed to burn all around us.  Distant mountains were barely visible in the smoke.  Both David and I had constant headaches with all the smoke in the air.

We tried fishing again the following morning.  The wind blew more stiffly than it had the day before.  My "motor" tried his best to fight the wind.  We finally gave up and gave in.  There would be no fish for supper again.

With our time on the Cassiar and British Columbia soon coming to an end, we decided to pack up Calypso that afternoon.  In the morning we would head for Watson Lake to see if we could take the Campbell Road.  If not, David had come up with a plan... we would head to Haines, Alaska, one of our favorite bear photographing spots.  What a marvelous idea!

Boya Lake