It’s no secret to people who know me that I have an affinity for the supernatural. There is this magical, magnetic draw that will suck me in things that seem so rediculous to some people that there is part of me that thinks there might be truth in the story somewhere.
Ogopogo is just that. This is a legend that has just recently come to my attention, and I find it to be fairly fascinating. A mythical creature that lives on the bottom of a lake. Dragon or serpent like, the legend has been around for hundreds of years. Now I will admit that I still don’t grasp the reality that I am living in Sasquatch country and the legacy of that myth, but that’s another topic for later.
I had heard Rebecca’s mom mention the name before we left, but I wasn’t sure what they were talking about until we set out on our wine adventure. That’s when I started getting more and more curious.
Surfing around, I’ve found that this legend has a long history. Starting with first nation people, Ogopogo was seen as something to respect. While crossing the lake in boats, they would drop slaughtered animals into the water to both appease and distract the creature for safe passing.
There are some areas of Lake Okanagan that are so deep that the true measure of depth is unknown. In fact, there are some who theorize that a system of deep earth tunnels allow the creature hide for extended periods of time, possibly having connections to other bodies of water. Does this sound familiar? Maybe Loch Ness? Well some people have brought forth the thought that there is a connection between the two creatures, even saying Nessy and Ogopogo are one of the same.
Yes, this is where the legend starts getting a little strange. At the same time, I’m eating this up and having fun learning about it. The reports are numerous and vary slightly, but there is a general theme that runs through all of them. Long, slender, eel-like, and large. Some sightings have groups of people seeing the same event from opposite sides of the lake to the single account of someone getting the life scared out of them.
All of the evidence seems to point at something being in the lake. Is it a large, mythical creature of prehistoric times with a beard? Who knows. If you can prove its exisitance with solid proof, you could win two million dollars. That’s enough to get lots of people to believe in the story and carry their camera with them at all times.
I’ve lived in the Okanagan and have seen strange shapes and objects MANY times over the numerous summers there. In fact, in the late 80’s we took a speed boat from Peachland to Rattlesnake Island (Ogopogo’s home) just to hang out to see what we could find. We did see a large brown “object” below our boat move which freaked us out and had us heading back to the dock in no short order.
Is there something really there? Alas, bioligists have determined that ANY kind of aquatic animal over a certain size would not be sustainable because of the amount of food sources available in the lake. Considering the existance of an “Ogopogo pod” for reproductive purposes, the odds become even slimmer.
Still, I WANT TO BELIEVE.
Great blog and show John. Keep up the EXCELLENT work!
Robert Sanzalone
http://www.pacificIT.ca
John! You are truly a British Columbian now. Not only were you becoming a Canadian and a Vancovuerite (Canuck Fans are auto-Vancouverites), but you have now joined that special provincial group as well. Did you see her/him? Next interior trip should be an Ogopogo siting trip. Make Rebecca sit in a boat with you while you search for our Nessie cousin. Have fun!
per our conversation with my cousin’s husband… there are some parts of the lake where the depth is unknown since it lies right on the fault line – right near rattlesnake island. he said he lived there 20+ years and never saw ogopogo although there were sturgeon in the lake that were as big as cars.
i eat balls and ogopogo balls