Last time I was out I made good progress up Coquitlam River but ran out of time near the Shaughnessy overpass to PoCo. Today I had more time and the sun was shining so I decided to make another attempt and see how far I could get. I'd like to follow a river to its' headwaters and run out of river. When I'm exploring a waterway for the first time, I get a hint of what it was like for the explorers that mapped out the lands in Canada. Their equipment was worse and there was no home nearby to head back to after paddling- pretty rugged and adventuresome.
Last time I paddled, the tide was high. This time, it must have been near its' lowest. I had to walk out in muck to get the kayak in the Fraser River- cold muddy feet isn't my favorite way to start a trip! I was amazed how much affect tide has- the Coquitlam River water level was really low! After passing under the Mary Hill Bypass bridge on Lougheed Hwy, the water was 6-8" deep. I actually had to take up my rudder a few times because it was draging on the bottom. When the water is that low, the current becomes a real issue too. When the water is that shallow, paddling gets hard because you can't dig the paddle in. I found myself trying to follow the flow of the river from side to side in the channel to get deep enough water. After about 2km I decided to give up and wait for another day with better tide levels.
Not wanting to waste an opportunity, I decided to be flexible and make the best of it. I headed back out into the Fraser River and went west toward the Port Mann bridge and New Westminster. I played around at the footing of the old and new bridges and watched the construction. The tides were tricky near Tree island and the bridge and I could feel a pull against the kayak. Looking down river, I noticed an island near New West Coquitlam border and decided to paddle around it. Can't resist an island...
I was dissapointed to find out the island doesn't seem to have a name. Nonetheless, I made my way down with the current and even found a place to pull up and go ashore. I found a few pathways and two fire pits. It would be a cool place to go some evening and have a fire with friends.
The trip back proved taxing. I had underestimated how much current can be in the river when the tide is low. I had to paddle a ton to make it back the roughly 6km against the current. I was sweating pretty good by the end. Total trip 13km in 2.5 hours.
