Phillip Hong
July 8, 2009

There was a fair bit of condensation in the middle of an uncertain summer's night. Seagulls were flying vainly in the black sky while the mosquitoes and flies avoid my DEET-drenched skin, as I stepped from rock to rock.

 

I am on an island that lacks a name but there is a cottage on the other side of where we set up camp, and it seemed eery to find that no other occupants existed when we got there.

 

It's not the perfect place to sleep for the night; the insects and animals had practically overrun the place. But it was by the wishes of other friends that I had accompanied with through this interesting journey, and all our bags were brought off the boat with great difficulty due to the slick, algae-laced lakebed. The mental assumption was that this was a reliable spot to camp in Cottage Country.

 

The curiosity got to our heads and I was soon dragged onto the tail of a samba line that wanted to see more of this mysterious island.

 

The front door of the cottage that sat on this island had a small wooden cross nailed to it, the screen door immediately in front, nailed shut. The back door was padlocked, while a nearby wooden shed had a mitten hanging by the doorway. A concrete block had the year 1928 etched on by hand, and it was almost too unusual for us to understand.

 

Buckets of flies floated frustratingly by as the insect repllent I used was effective. The others lit an intimidating fire, and using the firewood we found beside the cottage, we had disturbed and remembered a lost soul.

 

Too unusual to understand.

 

But what was in that cottage? Why was it nailed shut?

 

Why has this island been overrun by the wild, as neighbours nearby had coveted their cleanliness?

 

What happened in 1928?

 

That, we will probably never know. But this is one hell of an escape within Ontario.

 

I have to end on a pretty depressing note though; through the night, a female friend who I really care about was sick with a cold-like illness, retching near the extinguished camp fire as the full moon passed its way through the night sky.

 

It's already interesting enough.

 

Lovesick Lake, part of the Kawarthas, is a one hour drive plus a boat ride from Peterborough, Ontario. Its beauty comes in the form of the natural vistas, forests and wildlife.

 

Closer to Home features some unique and popular destinations that is within driving distance of the Greater Toronto Area. There is much to discover, even if you venture within your community - and that is the point of this section.