Photo: Sagar Lake above Codville Lagoon

"There's a new boardwalk there," a boater in Fury Cove told us, referring to the trail to Sagar Lake from the Codville Provincial Marine Park in Fisher Channel. I perked up my ears. I was determined this year to do more hiking, but hiking trails in the wilds of British Columbia are rare -- easy trails even rarer. The last time we'd taken the trail to Sagar Lake we'd tramped through mud, hauled ourselves up tree roots and fought through undergrowth so thick we'd wished we brought a machete. By the time we'd reached the lake, I wasn't sure it was worth it. Hearing about the new boardwalk, I imagined wide solid planks, rails and stairways -- something like the boardwalk in Hot Springs Cove on the West Coast of Vancouver Island.

Several days later, we sailed north up Fitz Hugh Sound and Fisher Channel, arriving outside the lagoon entrance just before high-water slack. With the wind and tide behind us, we sailed through easily, drifting across the lagoon to an anchorage near the trail head. Two boats, a sailboat and a powerboat were in the anchorage ahead of us. No dinghies were at the trailhead so we knew we'd have the trail and lake to ourselves.

Ashore, we followed a narrow path through some salal. "This doesn't look like a boardwalk," said Steve. But a pile of lumber next to the path encouraged us and when we rounded a corner, there it was: two strips of long planks laid end-to-end crossing a bog. Not exactly like the boardwalk at Hot Springs Cove, but better than tromping through mud. The tree roots were still there at the end of the bog and we were glad we had worn boots and brought walking sticks. When the trail finally ended at the red sand beach on Sagar Lake, I was ready for a swim. And with no one else there, we didn't need swimsuits. The water was warm and the swim pleasant, so pleasant we decided to stay another day and go back the next afternoon.

We were just finishing up our boat chores the next day and thinking about another swim, when a fleet of seven big white powerboats came roaring into the lagoon. Soon a dinghy almost as big as our boat and full of people headed for the trailhead.

"If we left now," said Steve, "we'd be in Shearwater in time for dinner."
I looked at the gray sky, so different from the sunshine of the day before and then thought about the crowds at the lake. "Good idea," I replied. "Let's do it."