Our trip to Smith and Bybee Lakes was defined as much by what we DIDN’T see as what we did see. We DID see lots of eagles, a few egrets in their nests, and glassy smooth waters. We saw lots of clouds, and that was probably a good thing, as it kept us from overheating in our immersion wear.
We did NOT see the beaver dam, the water control structure, or the channel that connects the two lakes. Did I say two lakes? With the high water level (16 ft. at the Vancouver gage), it was really more like Smith Bybee Lake—just one body of water. We could imagine where the channel might be, but we just plotted a path through whatever vegetation was showing above the water and went where we wanted. The beaver dam at the far end of the lake was completely submerged. Dan paddled about 50 feet past where I believe it is, but he could go no further, which did not surprise me; still, I’d never been “back” there to know for sure. We could see the tip-top of one part of the water control structure (dam) that holds water in the lakes when Metro decides to do so. Today the lakes and the Columbia Slough shared one waterway as the dam was below water. One could easily have said “Smith and Bybee is nice, but I’m heading to Astoria,” and off they could have gone down the slough to the Columbia.
Luckily, no one did that, as my goal is always to get back with at least the number of people who launched. We managed that with no problem. Kudos to today’s paddlers who respected the Four P’s: Please Plan to be a Pod Participant! It made leading the trip a pleasure. Thank you, paddlers! And thanks go out to fellow Trip Organizers Dan Numbers and Monte Johnson who co-led this trip. Tip: there is a very nice grassy sloped area by the never-used Wapato Prison at the far end of the lake where we had a lunch break.
I really look forward to getting back to the lakes in a month or so when the water’s lower and the trees have leaves. It will look so different. I hope you can join me then.
