A Popular Little Lake - Nahwatzel
The weekend offered some respite from the rain, offering sun-breaks and dramatic clouds. It was delightfully warm and sunny. We spent a good part of the weekend doing home-repairs, shopping, and yard-work. But, we did manage to get a canoe paddle in, on Lake Nahwatzel.
Lake Nahwatzel is located 11 miles west of Shelton, south-west of Tacoma, about an hour's drive from our home. It has two unconfirmed inlets, and drains via Outlet Creek to the East Fork of the Satsop River. The outlet seeps through a swampy area that we missed the first time we paddled by it. We had to paddle back to an overgrown, reedy area, paddle along a shallow gravely stream, then hunker down while we paddled under an old railroad bridge. The outlet on the lake is perhaps the most interesting part. 
At the far end of the lake we noticed that someone had put about 20 home-made birdhouses up. Most of them were filled with purple martin. As we paddled by and caught the houses on video, the parent birds flew around, frantically warning others of our arrival, so we took a quick look and got out of there.
Lake Nahwatzel is a busy little lake, with fishermen and boaters, and all kinds of watercraft buzzing over the water. Kids, dogs, fishermen, swimmers. 
Just a busy place, with the sounds of summer in full swing.
After our paddle we checked out the Lake Nahwatzel Resort, where we stopped for exception- ally good halibut burgers and a salad. This type of mom and pop resort, with little cabins and a few RV hookups, adds a little charm to the area.
The weekend offered some respite from the rain, offering sun-breaks and dramatic clouds. It was delightfully warm and sunny. We spent a good part of the weekend doing home-repairs, shopping, and yard-work. But, we did manage to get a canoe paddle in, on Lake Nahwatzel.
Lake Nahwatzel is located 11 miles west of Shelton, south-west of Tacoma, about an hour's drive from our home. It has two unconfirmed inlets, and drains via Outlet Creek to the East Fork of the Satsop River. The outlet seeps through a swampy area that we missed the first time we paddled by it. We had to paddle back to an overgrown, reedy area, paddle along a shallow gravely stream, then hunker down while we paddled under an old railroad bridge. The outlet on the lake is perhaps the most interesting part. 
At the far end of the lake we noticed that someone had put about 20 home-made birdhouses up. Most of them were filled with purple martin. As we paddled by and caught the houses on video, the parent birds flew around, frantically warning others of our arrival, so we took a quick look and got out of there.
Lake Nahwatzel is a busy little lake, with fishermen and boaters, and all kinds of watercraft buzzing over the water. Kids, dogs, fishermen, swimmers. 
Just a busy place, with the sounds of summer in full swing. 
After our paddle we checked out the Lake Nahwatzel Resort, where we stopped for exception- ally good halibut burgers and a salad. This type of mom and pop resort, with little cabins and a few RV hookups, adds a little charm to the area.
