Pine Lake, ON

My name is Melissa Edwards from Scarborough Ontario and my most memorable experience with water occurred when I was 9 years old at my family’s cottage on Pine Lake in Muskoka. I distinctly remember the warm summer weather, which contrasted with the coolness of the lake. My father, a real “water baby” had tried for years to get me to water ski. On this day, I decided I would try it. I managed one or two laps around the lake before realizing water sports, behind a power boat, probably weren’t for me. Later on in the day,after my sister and brother had exuberantly learned to ski, my dad suggested we go canoeing up the lake. We packed up the canoe, and paddled down the lake until we hit the second, shallower lake. I remember thinking the lake was huge,having two segments, and appreciating how I could touch the bottom of the second lake as we got out of the boat to pull the canoe along (the water was too shallow). Upon coming across the third lake, my dad suggested we leave the canoe in the surrounding woods. From there, we went on foot, sloshing through the lake that was only up to my knees. There were tadpoles, fish, and even Lilly pads. To this day, I can still remember the wonder that this little lake evoked. How could the tiniest lake of them all hold such obvious life? And now, all I question is how many times I will visit this lake each summer, appreciating the water on my feet and wildlife surrounding me.