Kayaking on Cooper Lake!

NOTE: I will have 19 extra kayaks, paddles, and life vests available to borrow. The cost of borrowing one is the cost of the gas used towing the trailer divided by the number of attendees who borrow kayaks. This is usually between $3 and $10.My kayaks have a weight limit of 250 lbs per person including gear. Please comment below if interested.

NOTE: this meetup is cross-posted in the Seattle Sea Kayaking Meetup and Seattle Paddleboarding Club Meetup, neither of which have an age limit.

NOTE: I created a Discord community with a channel called "8-10-cooper-lake" to facilitate communication between the three meetup groups for this specific event, since the meetup app doesn't always work well. You can join here:

**https://discord.gg/T9tFDp76**

Join us for a pleasant weekend paddle at Cooper Lake! It's a small beautiful alpine lake situated in the mountains of Snoqualmie Pass, northeast of (and a tributary of) Cle Elum Lake, except that it's even deeper in the mountains and even cuter! We will be paddling in a circle around the lake and explore the river on both ends. We will probably go swimming on the beach before/after our paddle as well!

Paddlers of all experience levels are welcome, even if you are bringing your own paddleboard, oru kayak, or inflatable kayak! We will be paddling a fairly short distance and will never be very far from our launch point.

We will be paddling approximately 4 miles, which is a short length trip for us. It should be very doable even for beginners. It involves 2 hours of paddling.

Be sure to bring snacks and water to consume before, during, and after the paddle! Kayaking can be more draining than hiking, especially for beginners, and you will need energy! You will have time to eat a bagged lunch before and after the paddle. We will not be making any long stops during the paddle, but you would still have a minute here and there to grab a quick drink or a bite from a quick snack like a trail mix bar.

Please bring clothes and especially SHOES that can get wet! Sandals or flip flops can leave your feet exposed to injuries from rocky terrain if we encounter it. I recommend close-toed shoes like beach shoes, crocs, or best of all, neoprene diving boots like these:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00J86CN66

Don't forget SUNGLASSES and SUNSCREEN either! For the rest of your outfit, I recommend SYNTHETIC or wool fabrics that will dry quickly. Swimsuits and polyester running shirts are great for warm weather. For colder or rainy weather, I recommend a fleece or wool sweater, a rainproof shell, and hardshell pants.

For those who are bringing their own kayak or paddleboard, we'll meet at the Cooper Lake Day-Use Area at 11:45, and we'll try to be finished setting up and ready to launch by noon. If you are borrowing a kayak from me and meeting me at the launch, please arrive a bit earlier at 11:15 instead since I need to take a headcount and I need more time than other paddlers to set up.

I estimate that we will return to the launch spot at 3:15 PM, finish packing up by 4 PM, and be back in Seattle at 6 PM.

Here's the location of the launch :

https://maps.app.goo.gl/nghZshV5X8NzqDf77

Please reach out if you have any questions!

Attendees are required to complete the waiver :

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeBr6y8g_WG6TBaHauUk--QOF9IIjyMz-sRFeKG3UodI7VRtQ/viewform

The waiver also contains safety information that may impact your preparation, so please complete the waiver BEFORE you depart for the activity. You only need to fill it out once, ever.

Everything below relates to carpooling:

We'll meet at the Starbucks at 1200 Westlake Ave N at 9 AM and split into our carpools at around 9:15! Let us know before 9 AM if you are on your way. We generally wait 15 minutes for people to arrive. If you are arriving with your own car, be sure to park in a spot marked "ALL DAY" parking (in case you end up not driving)! Please coordinate carpools in the comments or better yet, the google doc!

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hF8xFzAutsBoNh96gAeHjMHgdg-ENiO0tuGZtQNRBP8/edit?usp=sharing

Please post if you can drive or if you need a ride!

Riders are expected to (at a bare minimum) split the cost of gas evenly between the driver and the other passengers, as well as a reasonable amount for projected wear and tear on the vehicle.

If you are going to arrange your carpool to meet somewhere OTHER THAN the Starbucks on Lake Union, I suggest a park and ride such as Greenlake, Northgate, Eastgate, or Tukwila/SouthCenter. Passengers, please do not ask to be picked up at your home; drivers, please don't offer to do so. It usually creates problems and makes the timing and logistics much more complicated, since people often aren't ready on time, cancel last minute, or just plain don't show up. On the other hand, dropping people off at their home after the hike is much easier.