Beaver Lake - May 2007

Beaver Lake – May 8, 2007

This morning I returned to Beaver Lake, located just off Interstate 90 on the edge of Humbolt. Readers should refer to the preceding Beaver Lake narrative for exact directions. It is on 259th Street, just east of the Humbolt School and is 32 miles from my eastside Sioux Falls home. My preferred route to the lake is west on Highway 42 to Highway 19, and then north to Humbolt.



Unlike previous ventures on Beaver Lake, the surface this morning when I arrived at 10:30 a.m. was nearly mirror calm. Later on there was a light wind, but the paddling was easy and there were only small waves at times. This is a large open lake, and wind conditions vary a great deal across the water. A decent launching area is maintained by the SD Game, Fish, and Parks: a vault toilet, a good approach and parking area, and a dock.




It was very quiet this morning on the lake, and a cacophony of bird calls was constant. There was virtually no wind to diminish the sounds of the birds.




The southern shore line of the lake is generally wooded, along with the large island in the eastern part of the lake. Even though the lake is quite full from recent rains, there are high banks along much of the lake.



I came across lots of nesting ducks and geese. In addition, I saw great blue herons and pelicans. Often ducks would fly up out of the reeds along the shore as my kayak approached. One large goose flew out across the water at me and then went back ashore and paced me until stopped by a fence. The goose wanted to ensure that I got the message that human presence was unwanted.



With the calm water, I was able to easily cruise around the large wooded island to observe more bird life. I did not see any mammals out today along the shore line. The spring vegetation was lush and presented a pleasing view as I moved along the shore line.



It took me about 90 minutes to cruise the circumference of the lake. Sometimes I would put some muscle into the paddle, but I would also just drift along at times trying to get a photograph of a large bird. The lake was deserted this morning until the end of my cruise; as I approached the dock, a guy in a canoe with an electric motor silently passed by.



This was my first cruise of the year. I have been out of the country for the past several weeks, and I was anxious to get out on the water. With all the rain we have experienced lately, rivers are running a bit fast and deep. Lakes, however, always provide a great opportunity for the lone paddler to enjoy a cruise without having to arrange for a shuttle or worry about swollen rivers. When the winds are relatively calm, Beaver Lake is a great nearby place for a nice cruise. Readers should be aware, however, that this can be a very windy lake with big waves.