Vacationing on 'my' island

August 24, 2007, 08:29:48 AM

There is a lake on Crown land behind my parents farm that we have been using since I was in my teens. When Stora (a lumbering company) got approval from the province to cut on that Crown land (no, it doesn't actually belong to the Queen.

And they must stay some 100M from any waterway) the company asked if my father would let them use our own road for access. On the conditions that they put up a steel gate and give us full access to the road, he agreed and they ended up building a road a couple of miles longer than Dad's farm road.

Well it's about a 15min drive (the growth in the decade since they finished cutting is insane) in the Jeep, and another 5-8min walk through a trail we cut to get there. We have a canoe out there, and starting in my senior year I set sights on this island in the middle. I'm an avid camper, and that challenge is one I hadn't taken up before. The island is covered in trees and thick green moss. We got an electric trawling motor (Minn Kota) and a marine battery hooked up and over three days 15 people and all their gear made land fall. It was a full on hippie weekend, and we'll just leave it at that.

I have been back a few times, with friends or family, but it has been about seven years since I last was on 'my island'. I have never found any evidence that any other people have camped here, or even made the trip. This lake is where I proposed to Ange (in the canoe on the way over) and we stayed the night there. It was her first time camping. At one time we built a rock man on the beach (just the rocky s we land the canoe on) and named the island after him. Brock Island. This is our own name for the place, of course. We gave our own names (my sister and I) to other islands out there, like Blueberry and Grass islands. It is an incredibly personal place, and the one place on earth I consider to be my own private Avalon, if you get what I mean.

Well, this summer I vowed to go back. When I booked last week off I made a plan to reblaze the trail and get my family out there. Of course, being the horrid summer of ot seven, it rained for the first two days, but I went out on Tuesday morning to cut the trail. Ivy (my 'little' sister) and a friend of hers helped and we were done in two hours, using an axe, two bow saws (one of which I broke by using it to cut ferns like a machette), and three pairs of snips. Pretty good, really. The city boy got lost once, but no bears got him. :p I sped home to pack the Jeep with gear, dogs, and the Wife and Daughter. The skies opened up and it poured.

So Wednesday it is. We got there and were on the island by 12:30. Ange is over six months pregnant right now, so she couldn't carry anything but Coira, who walked a third of it. After five trips and two broken paddles, we were there for the next couple of days. It rained Wednesday night, but all day Thursday was beautiful, and somehow we had no bugs. Freaking twilight zone, that. Took a canoe trip around the island and scouted the other side to find some nice hills. Friday morning (4:00a.m.) we had a severe thunder and lightning storm though. Ange is petrified of lightning, and Ivy was in a new camp (about 60' away) that we had discovered the day before. By that, I went for a piss and saw a beautifully flat moss covered area. Friday we ended up packing what we could carry on our back and headed home. I'm going back on Saturday (a week on) to get the rest of our gear home.

I have never stayed on that island when it didn't rain when we tried to leave (Brock must have a lonely spirit). I have even been caught in the middle of the lake in the aluminium canoe with lightning coming down before. That was a hairy trip. In spite of it all, it was easilly the best vacation I've taken in years. Coira loved it, the dogs loved it, Ange and Ivy enjoyed it, and I can't wait for next year. Maybe next time we'll beat the odds and stay dry.

Wow, buy my book!

The home side of the lake, from the island.

The mainland s near the island, and part of the beach.

Coira on Brock beach.

From up on the hill on the far side.

The new camp, that we dubbed 'Paddle Camp' in memoriam of the fourth trip across.

Vacationing on 'my' island

Reply #1 – August 24, 2007, 09:02:52 AM

Thats it I'm coming to Canada to vacation! Its been a long time since I've been camping. That place looks absolutely wonderful.

Vacationing on 'my' island

Reply #2 – August 24, 2007, 09:15:41 AM

my wife and i go down the cabin at the lake of the ozarks at least once a month. normally it's just a weekend thing, but when you do it that often, that's all you need. it's nice to get away from things every once in a while. we load up the bags and the dogs and off we go.

vacations rule!

Vacationing on 'my' island

Reply #3 – August 24, 2007, 08:59:42 PM

Quote from: CougarSE;171689

Thats it I'm coming to Canada to vacation! Its been a long time since I've been camping. That place looks absolutely wonderful.

Sounds good, man. I'll take you up on that. The Island doesn't belong to me, it belongs to everyone. I just know how to get there.

Just be sure you leave it how you find it.

That sounds awesome Turboranger. As nice as it is to be in unspoiled nature, a cottage on the lake is a dream of mine too. It's nice to have a roof waiting for you.

Vacationing on 'my' island

Reply #4 – August 25, 2007, 12:15:02 AM

Coira is adorable!!

That island looks like heaven on earth.... that would be awesome to camp there.

Vacationing on 'my' island

Reply #5 – August 25, 2007, 12:48:22 AM

Looks like some beautiful country