Moose Creek Reservoir is about an hour away from where I live, a fifty minute drive east from Moscow, Idaho. My heart sank as we initially drove into the site, where people had up for the day with coolers of beer, barking dogs, dirt bikes and ATV’s. I’m a grump about noise in the wilderness, and the smell of diesel fumes. Nevertheless, osprey flying over the lake, and there were nesting geese. Maybe they get used to the noise.
But paddle to the end of the lake and follow the stream winding back into a quieter, heavily wooded area–Ah, here is bliss. I drove my kayak into a grassy bank to savor the beauty, let my ears drink in the quiet broken only by bird calls and the sound of flowing water, and inhale the fragrance of pine and fir.
In late April, there was a decent current–it wasn’t difficult to paddle back upstream, and there were a few tight corners, a flew places where one must maneuver around a shallow spot. I’m not sure how far one could paddle in the summer. A dirt road follows the stream a mile or so into the wooded area before coming to an end, which makes for a nice walk. Like so many places near me, spring is the best time to visit.
angmnelson 