Several Ontario bodies of water hold special significance for me. Growing up with a family cottage on Georgian Bay; sailing my beautiful Contessa 26 there as a young adult; living most of my life in close proximity to Lake Ontario; camping and canoeing with my three kids on various lakes and rivers in Algonquin and other southern Ontario parks: each of these experiences provides its own unique Watermark for me. But I feel it is Lake Superior which holds the most special place in my heart. I've camped along its shores, by car or motorcycle, from Sault Ste Marie to Thunder Bay. I've hiked many of its shoreline trails.
However, it is the experience of swimming in that vast, mighty and mystical lake that affects me with such powerful intensity. For me, those pure clear waters are imbued with a healing, restorative and spiritual force. With every swim I have ever taken I have felt an intensely heightened sense of well being, joy and awareness; an undefinable but magical sense of connection between myself, the water and the nature that surrounds us. When swimming in Lake Superior there is nothing in the world but my body in that body of water, and utter peace and contentment.
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Save your favourite destinations, activities, and articles to start creating your very own personalized Great Lakes Guide.
As of 2024, the Great Lakes Guide will be transitioning to Biinaagami.org. Biinaagami is a multimedia, change-provoking initiative rooted in Indigenous knowledge aiming to uplift voices and to connect people with their watershed.
