BOATHOUSE DAYS, MY FOURTH SUMMER ON LAKE JENKINSON

After struggling through the Covid pandemic last season, I was hoping for a new bright season while working at the Sly Park Paddle Rentals located on the upper part of Lake Jenkinson at Sly Park Recreation Area in the Sierra foothills near Pollock Pines, California. For the past four summers, I had been there almost every weekend, renting out kayaks, canoes, and paddleboards to anyone who wanted to come out and paddle the lake.

When teeming with water, the timber-lined lake is a boater's paradise. Divided by a narrow channel, Jenkinson Lake's larger rounded half is where you will find the swimming beach and campgrounds along with a good share of speedboats. While the upper half of the lake, being smaller and, narrower has more of a summer camp feel where canoes are still paddled with glee. Two babbling creeks, a scenic waterfall, and its icy pool only add to the lake's beauty and charm. 

When we started the season, the lake level was already as low as it was, back in September when we closed for the season. The Park Rangers told me it would only get lower as the summer continued.
This year was also going to be different because we weren't the only showing town. There was a lot more to do. With no travel restrictions, people now were going to restaurants, movies, and ballgames.
We had to make the best of the time that we had.
So like I have done over the past couple of seasons before, I began collecting notes, recounting my daily routine along with my observations of my days at the boathouse.

Saturday, May 8...Moving day at Sly Park. We packed two trailers of boats and canoes and brought them up to the lake. The lake is low but still looks good, at least until the middle of summer. I don't know when the water will stop coming. It is likely it will be a very dry summer. 
Friday, May 28...A quiet day as we kick off the summer season. Not many reservations, and so far, only a handful of walk-ups. Tomorrow looks like it will be busier.
The lake is low and not ready for swimming just yet. It's a bit too cold. It could use some more water, but after the third driest winter in California history, I think this is the best of what I can expect this season. 

Monday, May 31...Memorial Day. Both Saturday and Sunday proved to be very busy. After locking up, I took off to Sly Park Falls. Usually, the water is very high this time of year. However, this summer, the lake is very thirsty. I had to hike most of the way on the trail after paddling to the creek. I love coming to the falls at the end of the day. It is when the place is quiet. All you can hear is the sound of rushing water. Peaceful and relaxing. This is how I wish it could be all this all season.
I have three young ducks living near the dock. They like to find food around it. They appear to be orphans since I have seen no mother duck nearby watching them. They go under the dock back and forth and appear to be doing well. Meanwhile, some angler caught and happily released a nice-sized bass, I think to be Roger, who swims under the dock. My highlight last night was seeing the eagle of the lake sitting on a stump near Sly Park Creek. 

Friday, June 4...The lake has plenty of beaches this spring. I tell my customers that they can pretty much have their choice of any beach spots once they get on the water. With the lake so low, it's not difficult to find a spot.
I miss those days when there was a bit more water in the lake. It was always pretty amazing to paddle up to the bridge toward the rumbling of the waterfall. Its roar got louder and louder with each paddle stroke.
Hazel creek has never had the same appeal. It's like a boring straight-laced sister compared to the 33-foot dazzling display of falling water. However, last Monday, the creek was flowing quickly into the lake. Cold and icy water came in a rapid flow down toward the lake. I was tempted to surf it for a while, but it was not quite deep enough. When I turned my kayak, I got caught sideways pouring the cold water into my cockpit. I nearly rolled. Of course, I laughed. It was funny to be such a spot like a boat that's stuck in the Suez Canal sideways against the wall. My kayak is 16-foot, while the channel of the Hazel Creek was only 15-foot at the most. It would have been embarrassing if I had rolled.

The waterfall didn't flow after June. In the past, I would paddle up to the waterfall on the 4th of July. But this year, it wasn't flowing. It had been shut off.
Sly Park Falls is the jewel of the park. The waterfall trail is always a popular hike. Ordinarily, in the summer, the falls were filled with rushing water, splashing, and laughter as families came to visit the shaded pool. Now it was just a dribble.
For the past couple of seasons, I had usually worked alone at the boathouse. But this year, Current Adventures owner Dan Crandall sent up a young assistant to help me out on the busy weekends.
Teddy was a likable person who enjoyed working at the boathouse as much as I did. Bright and friendly the customers liked him just as much as I did. 

By July, There was no paddling up to the waterfall. There was no paddling even up Sly Creek. Instead of rushing cool water, there were dry stones and mucky silt. Every week, the bathtub ring around their lake grew larger. Tree stumps and boulders were rising from depths, and the lake wasn't as pretty as it had been before.

Sunday, June 6...It was steady Saturday at the boathouse yesterday. I even have a new helper that day. Teddy is just 18-years-old and was there to help me out. We had lots of reservations and many walk-ups all day. A likable person who usually works at the River Store.
The lake is still very low, is also very inviting. I have been able to jump in and swim. The water is very comfortable.
Friday, June 18...A very hot day at the lake. A very hot day all over California. The highs are all record highs of heat over 100 degrees. Dangerous to even some. Down in the valley, they are really suffering and trying hard to escape the heat. Up here, It was much better. Early on, there wasn't even a breeze. Teddy and I felt it as the heat bounced off the aluminum dock right back at us, cooking us like bacon on a skillet.

Friday, June 11...I escaped a bit and spent a share of the time observing the eagle of the lake. I think it's a young male. He has been flying around the boathouse this morning. So far, he is my only entertainment on an otherwise quiet day on the lake. In Minnesota, it is said every lake has its own loon. I would like to think that in the foothills of California, every lake should have its own eagle.
Sunday, June 13...Another busy day. The highlight being, my friend, Kelly, dropping by with a plate of BBQ ribs, salad, and of course, apple pie. Needless to say, She got a free rental. Like my wife Debbie, this is one of her favorite places to visit.
Saturday, June 19...The night before, I lead a sunset/moonlight paddle for Current Adventures. I had 7 adults and 2 kids, one of which I had to tow for a bit. The lake is so low it doesn't attract the same thrill, but there is still something special about a quiet evening on the lake as the sun slowly sets. In the spring, when there is a lot of water, we can kayak all the way to the bridge and have a short walk to the falls, but last night with the water so low, we had to hike a good portion and to make it even worse the pretty falls were not flowing and, the water had been turned off. It was disappointing because usually, it is my star attraction on this paddle. 

Sunday, June 26...Our boat ramp now touches the piece of pavement. After this, it's all dirt and sand. When we started the season, I think we were at least up 3 or 4 blocks. It doesn't look good for the rest of the summer. The lake is sitting at 75%, which is dismal for the last week of June. I told Teddy that this is what it looked like when we closed for the season last September.
Crazy fun stuff. This is National Canoe Day, and we didn't rent a single one. I guess that means I'll have to take one out for a ride at the end of the day.
Saturday, July 3...A good day at the dock. We were busy throughout the day. All our tandem boats went hit the water, and a good chunk of our day, our dock was empty.

Week after week, the walk to the boathouse got longer and longer. I got handy with a rake and a shovel extending my path after the cement ran. I outlined the trail with rocks and dead tree branches. Meanwhile, around the boathouse, sunken tree stumps rose from the depths of the lake each week.
Keeping the boathouse inline due to afternoon winds and lowering it into the lake came almost a weekly routine.
Still, I did enjoy the fringe benefits of running the boathouse with some canoe time after hours and especially nice when the speed boats were gone.
Toward mid-July, the first sign of threat to fire came as a helicopter showed up hovering over the lake like a hummingbird taking buckets of water to a fire. Little did we know at the time that it would be a sign of things to come for the lake and area.

Monday July 5...Last night, while I was out paddling, the rangers came by and moved the dock further out into the water. We lost some 7 feet. Now my customers will have to walk over mud and sand to get to our dock. I created a little nature trail to outline the path of logs and stones marking the trail.
Sunday, July 11...It's going to be another scorcher here on the lake. With no breeze, it's especially hot out on the deck. Yikes, it burns my bare feet!
The excitement came in the afternoon when after a report of a nearby fire. A big Chinook helicopter showed and took several loads of lake water to dose the fire. It hovered over the lake, dropping in large buckets, and scooping the water up, and flying away. 

Friday, July 16...The lake is holding steady at 72%, according to the sign at the gate. It does look down several feet at the boathouse. A nearby tree stump where a kid was standing last week made him look like he is walking on water is now down about another foot.
Friday, July 23...It's a bright and clear day. There is a bit of a breeze, but that's OK. It's keeping the smoke away from the fire that is in the east. I can see the smoky haze over the pines of Sly Park Creek. This is going to be a very long fire season.
Friday, July 30...The water which we don't have much of all dropped again. They moved my dock down into the shrinking lake. I was greeted by a sign at the front gate saying 15 mph as of August 9th.
Saturday, July 31...When I got to the boathouse, I met up with the ranger staff as we again lowered the dock further into the water and straighten it out. It seems this summer it has become a weekly occurrence. After that, I raked out another section of my long path down to the dock. 

During our summer, my customers would ask when would be the last day we would be renting out our kayaking. In the past, we went into September weekends. I mean, who wouldn't want to take a boat ride after taking a trip to Apple hill. But this season, we hoped to end on Labor Day weekend, but it would depend on how much water was still in the lake if it would be sooner. Little did we know that the Caldor Fire would abruptly end our season on the lake by shutting down the park. Instead of watching boats come and go, I'm checking the fire maps And Facebook posts and praying that the park and my houseboat house Are not destroyed by fire

Sunday, August 1...The lake is quiet and still to start this morning. At this time, any sound would seem sacrileges. Breaking the stillness of the water would be like putting a black line through the Mona Lisa. I wish it could stay like this all day. It would be wonderful to escape the daily battering winds that drive the waves up in the afternoon. Yesterday it pushed my dock around more than ever.
A good evening paddle last night as I paddled to the island and back in the fading sunlight. Not much for waves as all the motorboats were headed for home. They will be off the water soon anyway as the speed restrictions will be put in place next week. Our days are numbered, also. We won't get so much past September with the current water situation. 

 

Friday, August 6...A smoky day in the valley and a very smoky day here at the lake. The sun barely shines through the smoke-filled clouds. It is a great day indeed. The haze intertwines through the tall trees. By 2 in the afternoon, I could not even see across the lake as even more smoke blew the shore became more and more obscure. The lake is has been disappearing with the loss of the water and now the trees. It's by far the worst I have ever seen here on the lake. It's been that kind of year.
Sunday, August 15...Quiet start to the day. It is very still with the new speed restrictions. It will be a paddler's paradise now with the big boats off the water.
The rangers came and set my dock once again. While in the afternoon, a helicopter appeared on the lower part of the lake, taking more loads of water to a fire burning just south of the park.

Like many, we're waiting for all clear to get back into the park. The good news finally came this week. El Dorado Irrigation District announced, in light of the recent downgrades of the fire evacuation orders, Sly Park Recreation Area will reopen this weekend. According to a news release, the park sustained minimal damage during the Caldor Fire. The only damage to the park was caused by a back burn operation below the dams that have necessitated the closure of the trail system in that area. Horseback riders cannot circle the lake due to the trail closure. Other than that, the park was untouched by the flames, which is great news.
However, while the park is open, Sly Park Paddle Rentals is closed for the season. We'd like to thank all the Rangers and park staff who helped us keep afloat during the season and our amazing customers for their patronage of making a long walk down the hill to our boathouse.
The good news is we'll be back next year. Until then, we pray for the firefighters and the people displaced by the fire. But most of all, we hope for rain and snow to come to California this winter. To dampen the threats of fires and fill our beloved lake with water.

If you want to go on a canoe or kayak trip at Sly Park contact:
Current Adventures Kayak School and Trips 
PHONE: 530-333-9115 or Toll-Free: 888-452-9254
FAX: 530-333-1291
USPS: Current Adventures, P.O. Box 828, Lotus, CA 95651
info@currentadventures.com
owner Dan Crandall dan@kayaking.com

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