CLIFFS AT KILLBEAR

Cliff Jumping in mid-air
Originally uploaded by petrinat.

It seems like everyone in the GTA has a cottage in “cottage country”, or knows someone, or rents a cottage in “cottage country”. Darin’s family has a place near Midland on Georgian Bay, but as a high school student, Darin spent his summers at a campground in a Provincial Park named Killbear on the other side of Georgian Bay. Every time Darin spoke of his summers his eyes would light up and he would get all excited, like a kid on Christmas morning. We took a few days to venture up to Killbear and I too fell in love with the place. The water was super warm, clean, and clear; the campground was full of beautiful trees; there were cliffs to jump off of, and we could roast marshmallows – it was really like a slice of heaven. Darin chickened out of jumping from the cliffs that were higher than 15 feet, while I lept from the 30 footer called “Insanity” (pictured where the girl in the turquoise bikini is) and watched the teens hurtle themselves from the more dangerous “Suicide”. It was so much fun and the sunsets were spectacular. One visitor would come out at dusk and as the sun would set and play his trumpet, it was very surreal and romantic. There’s a reason that cottage country and the Muskokas are well known, it really is a stunning part of our country.